Journal of ADHD and Care publishes rigorous ADHD research that advances understanding, assessment, and care across the lifespan.

Follow these guidelines to ensure a smooth editorial review and production process.

Ensure your manuscript aligns with ADHD science, clinical care, education, or service delivery. Articles should present clear evidence that can inform diagnosis, treatment, or support strategies.

We welcome original research, reviews, methods papers, implementation studies, and policy analyses. Brief reports are considered when they deliver urgent or high impact findings.

Prepare manuscripts with clear, consistent language and defined abbreviations. Provide structured abstracts and keywords that reflect population, setting, and study design.

• Use structured abstracts with objectives, methods, results, and conclusions
• Ensure references are complete and include DOIs where available
• Describe recruitment, measures, and follow up intervals clearly
• Report ethics approvals, consent, and assent procedures

Use standard section headings and ensure tables and figures are referenced in the text. Avoid excessive jargon and define technical terms when first used.

If your manuscript exceeds typical lengths, explain why the additional detail is necessary for interpreting ADHD outcomes.

Titles should be specific and include key elements such as population, setting, and intervention or outcome. Abstracts should highlight primary outcomes, study design, and relevance for ADHD care.

Avoid overly broad claims and ensure that conclusions reflect the data presented.

• STROBE for observational studies
• CONSORT for randomized trials
• PRISMA for systematic reviews
• CARE for case reports
• TREND for non randomized evaluations

• Include ethics approvals and informed consent where applicable
• Provide data availability statements and repository links
• Describe data governance and access permissions
• Document privacy safeguards for sensitive data
• Report any safety oversight for interventions

If ethics approval was waived, provide the waiver rationale and the approving body. Include assent procedures for minors where relevant.

For school based studies, describe district approvals and data sharing permissions.

Authorship should reflect significant intellectual contribution to study design, analysis, or writing. Provide a brief statement describing each author’s role and confirm that all authors approve the final manuscript.

List all funding sources, grant numbers, and institutional support. Disclose any conflicts of interest, including advisory roles or industry affiliations relevant to ADHD care.

Acknowledge collaborators, program partners, or community stakeholders who supported the study but do not meet authorship criteria. Include acknowledgments for data access permissions or logistical support.

If figures, tables, or instruments are reproduced from other sources, obtain written permission and provide appropriate credit lines. Document permissions in the manuscript or supplementary files.

Clinical trials must include a registration identifier and registry name. If a study was registered after initiation, provide a justification and describe any protocol changes.

Describe diagnostic criteria, assessment tools, and key outcomes such as symptom change or functional improvement. For intervention studies, report dosing, duration, and fidelity monitoring procedures.

Report adherence measures and treatment fidelity when relevant.

• Specify diagnostic criteria and version used
• Report validated scales and score interpretation
• Define primary and secondary outcomes clearly
• Describe baseline characteristics and comorbidities

Describe your study design clearly, including recruitment strategy, comparison groups, and timelines. For observational studies, explain how exposure and outcome measures were defined and validated.

When evaluating service outcomes, outline the operational context, intervention steps, and any changes in care delivery during the study period.

Report primary and secondary outcomes with sufficient detail to support replication, including scoring methods and cutoffs. Define endpoints such as symptom reduction, functional improvement, or academic outcomes and provide baseline values when available.

For effectiveness studies, describe analytic methods used to account for confounding or baseline differences.

Include effect sizes and clinical significance where possible.

Clearly describe safety monitoring methods, adverse event definitions, and attribution approaches. When applicable, report serious adverse events separately and describe timelines for follow up and reporting.

Include a concise summary of oversight mechanisms such as data safety monitoring boards.

Implementation studies should describe care pathways, staffing, training, and operational constraints that may affect outcomes. Include details on stakeholder engagement, family involvement, and service delivery models when relevant.

Report indicators for effectiveness, timelines, and equity, and explain how missing data were handled.

Provide a data availability statement and specify how deidentified datasets or code can be accessed. If data are restricted, describe the access process and governance requirements.

For models or analytic pipelines, report software versions and key parameters to facilitate reproducibility as needed.

Cite datasets and code repositories using persistent identifiers whenever possible. Clear data citations help readers locate supporting materials and strengthen confidence in ADHD evidence.

Use consistent terminology for ADHD measures, diagnostic criteria, and outcomes. Avoid ambiguous abbreviations and define all acronyms at first use.

Plain language summaries are helpful for broad audiences when available.

Clarity reduces reviewer queries.

Supplementary files should include detailed methods, extended data tables, or additional figures that support the main text. Label files clearly and reference them in the manuscript to guide readers.

Use the cover letter to summarize novelty, ADHD relevance, and any dataset restrictions. Highlight why the findings matter for clinical or educational practice.

Include any prior dissemination or preprint details for transparency.

State the intended article type to assist routing.

Note any ethical approvals or waivers briefly.

Mention key datasets or registries used.

When revisions are requested, provide a clear response letter addressing each reviewer comment. Indicate where changes were made in the manuscript to support efficient re review.

• Title page with author affiliations and corresponding author details
• Abstract and keywords
• Introduction describing clinical context and research gap
• Methods including participants, measures, and procedures
• Results with tables, figures, and statistical analysis
• Discussion highlighting policy or practice implications

If the manuscript has been posted as a preprint or presented at a conference, disclose this during submission. Prior dissemination does not preclude consideration, but transparency is required.

Provide high resolution figures and editable tables. Ensure all units and abbreviations are defined. Figures should be cited in order and include descriptive captions.

If figures include timelines or intervention flow charts, include clear labeling and definitions.

Discuss study limitations transparently and explain how they affect interpretation. Highlight strengths that reinforce the relevance of findings for ADHD policy or practice.

Balanced discussion improves credibility with reviewers and readers.

JAC is committed to rigorous, transparent publishing in ADHD research and care. We emphasize reproducible study design, clear reporting of clinical and functional outcomes, and ethical compliance across all article types.

The editorial office supports authors, editors, and reviewers with clear guidance and responsive communication. For questions about scope or workflow, contact [email protected].

We encourage continuous improvement in reporting practices and share updates that help the community maintain high standards in neurodevelopmental science, clinical care, and educational practice.