Submit a Manuscript

The three routes

ManuscriptZone is the route the editorial office works from and the one to use if you have supplementary files or expect revisions. The other two reach the same desk.

1. Primary route ManuscriptZone

   The publisher’s submission portal, and the route the editorial office works from.

2. Alternative route Simple manuscript submission form

   A short form for authors who would rather not open a portal account. The link opens the form with this journal already selected.

3. Assisted route [email protected]

   The editorial office will take a submission by email and enter it for you.

Authors must use only one submission route for the same manuscript.

What to have ready

• The manuscript, structured for its article type, with the abstract in the required form.
• Figures as separate files and tables as editable text.
• The reporting checklist for your design — CONSORT, STROBE, PRISMA, ARRIVE or STARD.
• Every author’s name, affiliation and email, and their ORCID iD where they have one.
• The applicable ethics approval or exemption and consent or authorized waiver, with the responsible body and reference details.
• The trial registration identifier, if the study is an interventional trial.
• Your declarations — funding, competing interests, data availability, author contributions, and any use of AI.
• A cover letter naming the article type, and disclosing any preprint or any overlap with your own earlier work.
• Supplementary files, if the work has them.

What each article type needs

What happens next

1. Acknowledgment. The editorial office confirms receipt.
2. Editorial screening. All submissions undergo initial editorial screening. Manuscripts that meet the journal’s scope and minimum requirements proceed to independent peer review.
3. Peer review. Single-blind by default; double-blind review is available on request. Manuscripts that proceed to external peer review are normally evaluated by at least two independent subject-matter experts. For double-blind review, remove author names, affiliations, acknowledgments, funding details, institution names, and other identifying information from the reviewer manuscript. Provide identifying information separately in the title-page file or submission form.
4. Decision. Editorial decisions are based on scope, scientific quality, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, reporting quality, and relevance to the journal.
5. Revision, if invited. Respond to each point in a separate letter and mark the changes in the manuscript.
6. Production and publication. Copyediting, typesetting and proof, then publication open access under CC BY 4.0 with a permanent Crossref DOI.

What it costs

There is no submission fee or peer-review fee. An APC falls due after acceptance: USD 2,100 for research and review articles, or USD 900 for authors submitting as students with valid student identification. Late-withdrawal charges follow the withdrawal policy. Payment has no bearing on editorial assessment.

The charge has no bearing on whether a manuscript is sent for review, how it is assessed, or whether it is accepted.

Full charge terms · Editorial policies · Aims and Scope

Across the journal

Journal pages