2. Article Types

Health Nexus considers seven categories of scholarly contributions. Authors must select the article type that best reflects the research objectives, manuscript structure, methods, and principal contribution.

The word counts below are the journal's established guidance for each category. Editorial consideration of a justified deviation may be requested; any exception requires approval by the Editorial Office.

2.1 Original Research Articles

Original Research Articles present new empirical findings from clinical, biomedical, experimental, observational, epidemiological, translational, computational, or other appropriate medical and health-related investigations.

• Clearly identify the research question, objectives, and hypotheses where applicable.
• Normally follow the Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (IMRaD) structure.
• Describe study design, participants or samples, measurements, procedures, and analytical methods.
• Present original results with appropriate statistical, qualitative, or other justified analyses.
• Report relevant limitations, uncertainty, ethics approvals, and other required declarations.

2.2 Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses

Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses provide structured evidence syntheses using transparent and reproducible methods to identify, evaluate, and summarize existing studies.

• Follow applicable PRISMA guidelines and relevant extensions.
• Define review questions, eligibility criteria, databases, search strategies, and search dates.
• Describe study selection, data extraction, and risk-of-bias assessment.
• Provide appropriate qualitative synthesis or quantitative meta-analysis, with a clear methodological justification.
• Discuss heterogeneity, certainty of evidence, limitations, and protocol registration where applicable.

2.3 Narrative Reviews and Perspectives

Narrative Reviews and Perspectives critically examine established medical knowledge, emerging research developments, theoretical questions, clinical practices, or significant scholarly debates.

• Present a clearly defined topic, rationale, and scholarly contribution.
• Develop a coherent argument supported by relevant literature.
• Provide balanced consideration of evidence, competing interpretations, and limitations.
• Describe literature selection or analytical approaches where relevant.
• Distinguish established findings from theoretical interpretation and expert opinion.

2.4 Clinical Case Reports

Clinical Case Reports describe individual cases or case series with meaningful clinical, diagnostic, therapeutic, methodological, or educational significance.

• Follow applicable CARE reporting guidelines.
• Describe relevant patient history, clinical findings, diagnostic assessment, interventions, and outcomes.
• Include an appropriate clinical timeline and follow-up information where relevant.
• Explain the case's scientific or educational contribution and limitations.
• Provide appropriate consent for publication and protect patient confidentiality.
• Avoid unsupported causal conclusions or generalized treatment efficacy claims.

Case Reports may concern conventional medicine, TCM, or interdisciplinary clinical practice. Integration of multiple medical traditions is not required.

2.5 Methodological and Theoretical Papers

Methodological and Theoretical Papers develop, evaluate, or critically examine research methods, conceptual frameworks, analytical procedures, theoretical models, and related innovations in medicine and healthcare.

• Identify a clearly defined methodological or theoretical problem.
• Establish a rigorous conceptual foundation and relevant scholarly context.
• Explain the proposed contribution, assumptions, and analytical logic.
• Provide appropriate examples, comparative analyses, theoretical arguments, or empirical validation where relevant.
• Discuss applicability, limitations, and potential implications.

Rigorous theoretical studies within conventional medicine, TCM, public health, or other eligible medical disciplines are welcome. Interdisciplinary integration is not a mandatory criterion.

2.6 Short Communications

Short Communications present concise reports of focused findings, preliminary investigations, novel observations, or methodological advances that warrant timely scholarly dissemination.

• Present a focused research question or clearly identified scientific observation.
• Report methods and findings accurately and with sufficient detail for evaluation.
• Use a limited number of essential figures and tables.
• Explain preliminary status, uncertainty, and limitations where applicable.
• Meet the same research ethics and integrity requirements as other empirical research categories.

2.7 Editorials and Commentaries

Editorials and Commentaries offer concise, evidence-informed scholarly analysis of published research, clinical developments, health policy, research ethics, or emerging scientific issues.

• Normally commissioned or approved by the Editorial Office.
• Present a clear and focused scholarly argument.
• Support factual claims with accurate and relevant evidence.
• Distinguish empirical findings from interpretation and opinion.
• Disclose relevant competing interests and affiliations.
• Normally undergo editorial assessment, with additional expert review where appropriate.

Detailed category-specific information is available on the Article Types page.

3. Manuscript Preparation

3.1 Language and Presentation

Manuscripts must be written in clear and formal academic English. Authors should use precise scientific and clinical terminology, consistent nomenclature, appropriate definitions, and accurate descriptions of research methods and findings.

Clinical, therapeutic, diagnostic, or public health claims must reflect the strength and limitations of the available evidence. Authors should distinguish established findings, exploratory observations, theoretical interpretations, and recommendations.

3.2 Files Required for Double-Blind Review

Research manuscripts intended for external double-blind review must be prepared as two separate documents. These files must be clearly identified during submission and must comply with the journal's anonymization requirements.

Anonymization: Remove author names, affiliations, identifying acknowledgments, unnecessary institutional identifiers, and personal file metadata. Self-citations should be written neutrally, and potentially identifying references should follow the journal's anonymization instructions without compromising essential methodological transparency.

Declarations: The Editorial Office must receive complete declarations for verification. Review files should contain sufficiently anonymized versions where necessary. The complete and accurate statements required for publication must be restored before the Version of Record is issued.

Abstract consistency: The abstract entered into the journal's online submission system must match the version included in the submitted manuscript.

3.3 Cover Letter

A separate cover letter should be provided to the Editorial Office and should include:

• Manuscript title and proposed article type.
• A concise explanation of originality, scientific significance, and scholarly contribution.
• Relevance to the journal's aims and scope.
• Confirmation that all authors approve the submission.
• Confirmation that the manuscript is not under consideration elsewhere.
• Disclosure of preprints, related publications, or substantial overlap.
• Any confidential information requiring editorial attention.

3.4 Mandatory Similarity Report

Authors should consult the Double-Blind Review and Similarity Report Requirements announcement.

4. Formatting Requirements

Manuscripts must be prepared according to the following specifications:

• Manuscript Format: Microsoft Word (.docx).
• Font: Times New Roman, 12 pt.
• Line Spacing: Double-spaced.
• Paragraphs: Consistent formatting and clearly identified section headings.
• Page Numbers: Numbered consecutively throughout the manuscript.
• Tables: Numbered consecutively, cited in the text, and accompanied by descriptive titles and necessary explanatory notes.
• Figures: Numbered consecutively, cited in the text, and provided with clear legends and appropriate image quality.
• Supplementary Materials: Clearly identified, appropriately labelled, and cited where relevant.
• Third-Party Materials: Appropriate attribution and permissions where required.

Figures and tables may be incorporated into the review manuscript or uploaded separately as directed by the Editorial Office. All files provided for external peer review must comply with the journal's anonymization requirements.

5. Reporting Guidelines

Authors must follow reporting guidelines appropriate to their study design and the nature of the research. Relevant guidance includes:

• CONSORT: Randomized controlled trials.
• PRISMA: Systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
• STROBE: Observational studies.
• CARE: Clinical case reports.
• STRICTA: Reporting of acupuncture interventions, where applicable.
• ARRIVE: In vivo animal research, where applicable.
• Other Reporting Guidelines: Appropriate guidelines for diagnostic accuracy, qualitative research, prediction models, health economic evaluation, and other specialized research designs.

Relevant reporting checklists, protocols, study flow diagrams, and other supporting materials must be supplied when required. Authors should describe study design, sampling, analytical methods, missing data, limitations, and relevant deviations from prespecified methods transparently.

Reporting guidelines improve completeness and transparency but do not substitute for scientifically appropriate methods, accurate analysis, or research ethics compliance.

6. Ethical Requirements

6.1 Human Participant Research

• Obtain approval from an appropriate ethics committee or institutional review board where required.
• Provide a documented exemption or waiver where applicable.
• Describe the informed consent process or an appropriately authorized waiver.
• Protect participant confidentiality, identifiable clinical information, and personal data.
• Provide anonymized information in review files while retaining complete documentation for editorial verification.

6.2 Animal Research

• Obtain required approval from an appropriate animal ethics committee.
• Report animal species, relevant experimental procedures, and welfare protections.
• Describe measures taken to minimize avoidable suffering and distress.
• Follow applicable ARRIVE reporting requirements and other relevant animal welfare standards.

6.3 Clinical Trials

• Clinical trials must be registered in an appropriate publicly accessible registry before enrollment of the first participant, in accordance with the journal's applicable requirements.
• Provide the registry name, registration number, and registration date.
• Disclose protocol changes, amendments, and relevant deviations transparently.
• Provide a clinical trial data sharing statement and applicable registration-related sharing information.
• Explain any retrospective registration or registration discrepancy; such explanations remain subject to editorial eligibility assessment.

6.4 Case Reports and Publication Consent

Authors must obtain appropriate consent for publication of identifiable clinical information or images where required. Removing names alone may not adequately protect patient identity. Relevant consent documentation must be retained and made available for confidential editorial verification when legitimately requested.

6.5 Competing Interests and Funding

All authors must disclose relevant financial and non-financial competing interests. Funding sources must be identified accurately, including the role of sponsors in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, and publication decisions where applicable. Authors must provide a declaration when no relevant competing interests or specific research funding exist.

6.6 Authorship and Contributions

All listed authors must meet the journal's authorship requirements, consistent with the four ICMJE authorship criteria: substantial contribution, drafting or critical revision, final approval, and accountability for the integrity of the work.

Gift authorship, ghost authorship, and unauthorized authorship changes are unacceptable. Contributors who do not meet the applicable criteria should be acknowledged appropriately.

7. Data Transparency and Availability

Where applicable, the statement must describe:

• Whether supporting data are openly available, accessible under controlled conditions, available upon reasonable request, or restricted.
• The repository, data custodian, or other legitimate source of the supporting data.
• Applicable persistent identifiers and access information.
• Relevant ethical, legal, privacy, institutional, contractual, or intellectual-property restrictions.
• Appropriate procedures for requesting access to restricted data, where such access is permissible.
• The availability of relevant analytical code, protocols, or supporting documentation where appropriate.

Authors are encouraged to share suitable supporting data, software, research protocols, and supplementary materials through appropriate repositories where ethically and legally permitted. Public disclosure of identifiable patient information or protected datasets is not required.

The Editorial Office may request data, analytical materials, original images, or other relevant documentation for legitimate research verification. Any request must respect applicable confidentiality, ethical, and legal restrictions.

For detailed instructions and sample statements, consult the Data Policy.

8. Reference Style

Health Nexus follows the American Medical Association (AMA) Manual of Style, 11th edition.

Authors must:

• Number references consecutively in the order of first citation.
• Use superscript Arabic numerals for in-text citations.
• Reuse the original reference number for subsequent citations of the same source.
• Present the reference list in numerical order.
• Use appropriate National Library of Medicine journal-title abbreviations.
• Include complete bibliographic details and valid DOIs where available.
• Verify original sources, publication information, and citation accuracy.
• Avoid fabricated references, unsupported citations, and misleading descriptions of cited research.

For examples and additional details, consult the AMA Citation Style page.

9. Submission Process

Manuscripts must be submitted through the journal's official online submission system. Email submissions are not accepted as the standard submission method unless expressly authorized by the Editorial Office.

The submission and review workflow generally includes:

1. Online submission and verification of required files and metadata.
2. Initial editorial screening for scope, originality, ethical compliance, and methodological adequacy.
3. Assignment to an appropriate Handling Editor where applicable.
4. External double-blind peer review for research manuscripts selected for review, normally involving at least two independent reviewers.
5. Editorial decision and revision where required.
6. Final acceptance, completion of applicable publication requirements, and online publication.

Manuscripts may be returned for technical correction or declined at the initial editorial screening stage without external review. Editorials and Commentaries follow the review arrangements appropriate to that article category.

See the Submission Process and Peer Review Process pages for further details.

10. Revision Process

Authors invited to revise a manuscript are responsible for addressing the relevant reviewer comments and editorial requirements.

A revised submission should include:

• Point-by-Point Response: A response addressing each substantive reviewer and editorial comment.
• Revised Manuscript: A complete revised version incorporating the appropriate changes.
• Identified Revisions: Tracked changes, highlighted text, or another method specified by the Editorial Office.
• Supporting Materials: Additional analyses, figures, reporting checklists, or documentation where applicable.
• Reasoned Responses: Scientific or methodological explanations where a reviewer recommendation has not been adopted.
• Confidentiality: Continued anonymization of all files intended for external review.
• Deadline: Resubmission within the timeframe communicated by the Editorial Office, or an approved extension.

An invitation to revise does not guarantee acceptance. Revised manuscripts may undergo further external review or direct editorial reassessment, depending on the nature of the revisions and unresolved issues.

11. Publication Ethics and Research Integrity

Authors are accountable for the originality, accuracy, ethical conduct, and integrity of their submitted research. All manuscripts must comply with the journal's Publication Ethics Policy and applicable scholarly standards.

Authors must:

• Report research data, analyses, images, and findings honestly.
• Avoid fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, and misleading research practices.
• Avoid unauthorized duplicate publication and simultaneous submission.
• Provide accurate citations and acknowledge legitimate scholarly contributions.
• Ensure that all listed authors meet the relevant authorship criteria.
• Disclose material conflicts of interest, funding sources, and relevant prior dissemination.
• Respect applicable ethical approvals, patient confidentiality, and third-party rights.
• Disclose relevant AI-assisted research and manuscript preparation in accordance with journal policy.

11.1 Artificial Intelligence Disclosure

AI-assisted technologies may be used for permitted activities, including appropriate language assistance, literature organization, research support, coding, and computational analysis, subject to the journal's policies and applicable research ethics requirements.

Authors must disclose relevant AI use, accurately describe AI-assisted research methods where applicable, and verify all AI-generated or AI-assisted content, references, analyses, and interpretations. AI systems cannot be listed as authors or assume scholarly accountability.

AI must not be used to fabricate research evidence, generate misleading clinical findings, or disclose confidential patient information without appropriate authorization.

Further guidance is available in the AI & Research Integrity Policy and Publication Ethics Policy.

12. Open Access and Copyright

Health Nexus is a fully open-access journal. Published articles are freely accessible to readers without subscription or pay-per-view fees.

• Authors ordinarily retain copyright in their original scholarly contributions, subject to applicable lawful ownership arrangements.
• Authors or other relevant rights holders grant the publisher the non-exclusive rights necessary to publish and disseminate the article.
• Unless otherwise identified in an individual article's rights statement, published articles are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
• Readers may share and adapt licensed material, including for commercial purposes, subject to attribution and applicable licence conditions.
• Authors may share the Version of Record without a journal-imposed embargo.
• Third-party materials and sensitive clinical information may be subject to separate rights and restrictions.

Detailed information is available in the Copyright & Licensing Policy.

13. Article Processing Charges (APC)

14. Post-Acceptance and Publication

After formal acceptance, manuscripts proceed through the journal's production workflow, subject to completion of relevant publication documentation, ethics verification, rights arrangements, and applicable billing requirements.

The workflow normally includes:

• Final verification of author information, research ethics, and required declarations.
• Copyediting and editorial preparation.
• Typesetting and article formatting.
• Author review and correction of proofs.
• Verification of article metadata and applicable persistent identifiers.
• Publication of the final online Version of Record.
• Dissemination and preservation procedures in accordance with the journal's publishing arrangements.

Authors must examine proofs carefully and respond to production queries in a timely manner. Changes affecting scientific findings, authorship, ethical declarations, or material bibliographic information after acceptance may require further editorial assessment.

Health Nexus participates in LOCKSS, CLOCKSS, and the PKP Preservation Network (PKP PN) as part of its digital preservation framework. Specific preservation coverage is determined by the relevant archival records and successful deposit procedures.

Corrections, retractions, and other post-publication matters are handled according to the journal's applicable publication ethics and preservation policies.

15. Contact Information

Authors may contact the Health Nexus Editorial Office regarding manuscript preparation, submission requirements, editorial procedures, publication policies, and other legitimate journal inquiries.