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What are the article types for JMIR Publications journals?

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Virtually all JMIR journals publish Original Papers, Short Papers, Research Letters, Tutorials, Viewpoints, Commentaries, Editorials, Reviews, and Corrigenda and Addenda. Special article types only accepted by specific JMIR Publications journals are specified below.

Article Types

Author Instructions applicable for each article type are provided below. See also Additional Author Instructions Resources.

 

Original Paper

An Original Paper presents original research studies of various study designs.

* If an article does not fit into this structure, authors should consider submitting the work as a Tutorial, Viewpoint, or Proposal.


Short Paper

Short papers contain a maximum word count of 1500 words. The rest of the requirements are the same as those of Original Papers. 


Review

This article type includes, for example, scoping literature reviews, systematic literature reviews, and narrative literature reviews. Note that not all journals consider narrative literature reviews.

Studies that review or systematically analyze apps or websites are Original Papers, not literature review articles. The Review article type is reserved for studies that review other papers in the literature.  

For JMIR Biomedical Engineering, narrative literature reviews may have main headings that are topic-focused and not necessarily IMRD structure. Such narrative reviews must be focused and provide an up-to-date, evidence-based, and balanced review on a topic of current and general interest in biomedical engineering. Narrative literature reviews are uncommon, as the preferred and recommended literature review approach is typically a systematic literature review or scoping literature review.


Research Letter

Research Letters should present new, early, or preliminary research findings. 

  • Maximum word count: 750 words
  • Maximum references: 10
  • Tables/Figures: 2
  • Abstract: Not required, however, it is recommended to include a summary sentence about the Research Letter content in the abstract field.  
  • Manuscript structure: Main headings must be IMRD: Introduction - Methods - Results - Discussion.

Read the Editorial published in Journal of Medical Internet Research on the Research Letter article type:
Brilliant Ideas Can Come in All Sizes: Research Letters

The manuscript must adhere to Research Letter format (word count, quantity of references, and number of tables/figures) throughout the peer review process and at the time of acceptance. If the manuscript exceeds the stated formatting above, then the APF for an original research paper will apply. See: JMIR Publications Fee Schedule.

 

Special Requirements for JMIR Dermatology

In addition to the above requirements, Cochrane Corners must also adhere to Cochrane's Co-Publication Policy.

 

Viewpoint

A Viewpoint is an opinion article or paper that offers a scholarly perspective that is clearly expressed with key message(s) or opinions that are evidence-based, citing peer-reviewed scientific literature appropriately. Viewpoints that also consider counterarguments or differing perspectives in a balanced manner are particularly encouraged. Original data and literature reviews are not typical features of Viewpoints. Viewpoints can include, for example, position papers as products of scientific events or workshops, or scholarly expressions of a personal experience. Authors may consider using section headers that organize the work according to the content presented. All Viewpoints should be grounded in the focus/scope of a given journal. Viewpoints are peer reviewed.

The abstract should be unstructured (narrative).

Note that Personal Perspectives are also a related article type in JMIR Mental Health and Patient Perspectives are also a related article type in the Journal of Participatory Medicine.


Tutorial

A Tutorial is a "how-to" paper on an important practical or research issue. Tutorial requirements include:

  • Title: Must include "Tutorial" in the second part of the study title. See also: What are JMIR's guidelines for article titles?
  • Abstract: Unstructured (maximum 450 words), however, if evaluative data are presented, the abstract should be structured with the following headers: Background - Objectives - Methods - Results - Conclusions
  • Manuscript structure: Unstructured with logical and descriptive major headings; OR structured, with main headings in IMRD format: Introduction - Methods - Results - Discussion. 
  • Appendices: Submission of slides or audio/video files as multimedia appendices (for publication) is strongly recommended. 

See previously published examples of tutorials here.


Implementation Report

Only accepted by JMIR Medical Informatics

Implementation Reports present real-world accounts of the implementation of health technologies and clinical interventions. This article type is intended to promote rapid documentation and dissemination of the perspectives and experiences of those involved in implementing digital health interventions and assessing the effectiveness of digital health projects.

Implementation Reports requirements include:

  • Abstract: Required. Structured (maximum 450 words), with the following headers: Background - Objectives - Methods - Results - Conclusions.
  • Manuscript structure: Main headings must be IMRD: Introduction - Methods - Implementation (Results) - Discussion. They do not follow the traditional IMRD format.
  • Maximum word count: 3000 (excludes abstract, tables, figures, acknowledgments, references)
  • Appendices: Providing the i-CHECK-DH implementation report checklist is required. See What reporting guidelines should I follow for my article? 

Additional important notes:

  • For additional information on how to prepare an Implementation Report, see: iCHECK-DH: Guidelines and Checklist for the Reporting on Digital Health Implementations
  • In exceptional cases, however, the editor may allow a longer article (more than 3000 words), for example if the implementation report describes a national scale-up or a complex implementation involving several interventions.
  • Each report section has requirements for reporting specific to the article type. Please refer to our guidance on implementation reports, including the implementation report checklist, when preparing your article for submission.
  • For implementation reports with a research component, ethical approval or a waiver from an appropriate ethics committee is required. For those without a research component, ethical considerations may still be relevant, but do not necessarily require approval or waiver. Authors may consult this article for further guidance on ethical considerations in their specific context.
  • For JMIR Publications’ Data Sharing Policy, please see What is your data sharing policy? – JMIR Publications 
  • Implementation Reports that are rejected from JMIR Medical Informatics have an option to transfer to JMIR Formative Research as a case report or case study. See next section and also JMIR Publications policy on cascading peer review.

 

Case Report

Only accepted by JMIR Dermatology, JMIRx Med, Interactive Journal of Medical Research, and JMIR Formative Research

Clinical case reports provide a detailed account of an individual patient's experience with a medical condition, highlighting a unique or unusual aspect of the clinical case that contributes to medical knowledge or practice (e.g., diagnostic or care management considerations). Clinical case reports are only considered in JMIR Dermatology, Interactive Journal of Medical Research, and JMIRx Med (with an associated preprint). In JMIR Formative Research, the case report article type typically focuses on a technology or innovation, rather than on a clinical case, with an analysis and detail about a unique or unusual aspect of the case; as a result, these are typically presented as a case study, and adhere to the same requirements below. 

  • Abstract: Unstructured (maximum 450 words), however, if data are presented, the abstract should be structured with the following headers: Background - Objectives - Methods - Results - Conclusions
  • Manuscript structure: Unstructured with logical and descriptive major headings; OR structured, with main headings in IMRD format: Introduction - Methods - Results - Discussion. **
  • Figures/Tables: See How many tables and figures can I include in my article? A Case Report should include at least one clinical image (appropriate to the discipline).
  • Appendices: For clinical case reports, authors may optionally consider adherence to the CARE reporting guideline when preparing a manuscript. For more information, see What reporting guidelines should I follow for my article?

**Important: It is required for authors to attest to having obtained the necessary informed consent from the patient or their proxy. Authors should clearly state in their cover letter that they have obtained the necessary consent, and also include a statement in their manuscript also stating that they have obtained consent. Without author attestation that patient consent was obtained, a case report submission would be returned to the authors without review. 

JMIR Publications does not require authors to provide the signed consent form. However, authors should be prepared to provide one if it is requested. 

Authors should adhere to a standard form for obtaining patient consent that is applicable to and adheres to to local/institutional or regional/national regulations for obtaining patient consent. If none are available, authors are responsible for ensuring that a patient/proxy consent form includes all recommended elements (e.g., refer to COPE guidance). A suggested patient consent form from JMIR Publications is forthcoming. 

 

Special Requirements for JMIR Dermatology

In addition to the above requirements, Case Reports submitted to JMIR Dermatology also require the following:

  • Maximum word count: 1000
  • Maximum references: 10
  • Figures/Tables: maximum of 10; among figures/images, a histopathological picture of each (and all) skin condition(s) described. All case reports without such images will be returned to the authors for revision.

 

Protocol

Only accepted by JMIR Research Protocols and JMIR Public Health & Surveillance

All protocols should be submitted to JMIR Research Protocols. JMIR Public Health and Surveillance also publishes protocols and system descriptions if they are relevant for public health and form the basis for subsequent regular Rapid Surveillance Reports.

Although most of the protocols we currently publish are "dry lab" research, we also publish "wet lab" protocols of methods in biochemistry, genomics, etc. in JMIR Research Protocols.

See also: Why should I publish my protocol or grant proposal?

 

Proposal

Only accepted by JMIR Research Protocols

The Proposal article type includes grant proposals and policy proposals.

For grant proposals, we strongly advise authors to lightly reorganize the work from a grant application (especially for funded grants and studies) into a publishable manuscript. See the formatting requirements for a Protocol above.

Policy proposals should be based on a thorough review of the literature and stakeholder consultations, workshops, consensus-building processes, etc. If the manuscript reflects the opinion of an individual (or small group of individuals), submit the article as a Viewpoint to an appropriate JMIR Publications journal. JMIR Public Health and Surveillance publishes proposals and system descriptions, only if they are relevant for public health and form the basis for subsequent regular Rapid Surveillance Reports.


Commentary

A commentary is an invited article type published alongside other articles. They may or may not be peer-reviewed. The abstract can be a summary sentence or up to 300 words (unstructured, narrative format). The main text should be no longer than 1000 words. The main headings within the paper can be IMRD or free. Additionally, up to 10 references and a maximum of 1 figure or table can be included. (See: How do I submit a commentary?)


Editorial

Editorials may or may not be peer-reviewed (check the information at the bottom of an editorial). If an editorial contains data, we prefer to send it out for external peer review.

The abstract should be unstructured (narrative), although if data are presented, a structured abstract (Background, Objectives, Methods, Results, Conclusions) should be used. The main headings within the paper can be IMRD or free.


Guest Editorial

These editorials are invited and written by guest editors. They feature the perspectives of important researchers, clinicians, policy leaders, and patients. They also may be written by a Guest Editor of a theme issue or e-collection published in a JMIR Publications journal. 

Guest Editorials typically are not peer-reviewed; if an Editorial contains data, it may be sent out for external peer review.

The abstract should be unstructured (narrative), although if data are presented, a structured abstract (Background, Objectives, Methods, Results, Conclusions) should be used. The main headings within the paper can be IMRD or free. 


Letter to the Editor

Letters to the editor must comment on a previously published article in a JMIR Publications journal (usually not older than 6 months*) and must contain important additional information or critical questions adding value to the understanding of the published paper. See: How to Submit a Letter for further details.

We do not allow brief research reports as Letter to the Editor; instead, see: Research Letter


Rapid Surveillance Report

Only accepted by JMIR Public Health and Surveillance

JMIR Public Health and Surveillance is dedicated to supporting rapid open data sharing and rapid open access to surveillance and outbreak data. As one of the novel features, we plan to publish Rapid Surveillance Reports (examples) or even real-time surveillance reports and open data.

Rapid Surveillance Reports are brief reports with unstructured abstracts, which primarily report new data in table format from an existing well-described surveillance system, making some sections redundant. The idea of this new article type is to allow rapid publication of emerging trends or continuous publication in regular intervals of public health relevant data. If a method or system description has been published previously in JMIR Public Health and Surveillance or JMIR Research Protocols, the report does not have to be peer-reviewed again (although, in many cases, they still are).

An IMRD structure for the text is recommended but not mandated. Please follow this structure as closely as possible with relevant headings.

The methods and description of the surveillance system may be peer-reviewed and published only once in detail, in a  "baseline report" (in a JMIR Res Protoc or a JMIR Public Health & Surveill paper). Authors then have the possibility to publish data and reports in frequent intervals rapidly and with only minimal additional peer-review (we call this article type "Rapid Surveillance Reports"). JMIR Publications may even work with authors/researchers and developers of selected surveillance systems on APIs for semi-automated reports (e.g., weekly reports to be automatically published in JPHS and indexed in PubMed, based on data-feeds from surveillance systems and minimal narratives and abstracts).

Furthermore, during epidemics and public health emergencies, submissions with critical data will be processed with expedited peer review to enable publication within days or even in real-time.


Open Source/Open Data

Only accepted by JMIR Public Health and Surveillance

JPH also publishes descriptions of open data resources and open-source software. Where possible, we can and want to publish or even host the actual software or dataset on the journal website.

See the following author guidelines for the recommended article structure.


Notes from the Field

Only accepted by JMIR Public Health and Surveillance

Short practical case studies.

The abstract can be unstructured (narrative), although if data are presented, the structure of an Original Paper can be used.

The main headings within the paper can be IMRD or free.


Early Reports

Only accepted by JMIR Formative Research

Early reports, formative research articles (e.g., describing the development of an intervention), methods articles, articles describing recruitment and engagement, etc., all have the "Original Paper" format IMRD and a structured abstract (see above under "Original Paper"). However, sometimes the "Results" section may be very short.
If your submission is a Protocol, it should be submitted as such to JMIR Research Protocols.


Personal Perspectives

Only accepted by JMIR Mental Health

In addition to regular original papers and the other article types listed above, JMH features special sections entitled Personal Perspectives.

These articles will outline the opinions and views of leaders in the field (including industry and patients) and offer a forum to share evolving ideas. We welcome, in particular, the discussion of personal experiences with new tools, methods, apps, devices, or personal experiences about the role of technology in mental health. We will aim to publish one personal perspective per month and thus expect we will not be able to publish all potential submissions. In keeping with JMIR’s innovative publishing model, we encourage patients to submit their perspectives on mental health and technology.

Papers in this category should be 600 words or less and contain no more than 10 references. The headings are free. There should be a short unstructured abstract.

Article processing fees for Personal Perspectives in JMIR Mental Health will be heavily discounted (only US $350). They can be waived entirely for patients without funding and no commercial interest in the discussed topic.


Patient Perspectives

Only accepted by Journal of Participatory Medicine

This is a special article type in which patients provide free narratives on a topic. Since these papers are written by patients, they do not need a full address or phone number for the corresponding author; just City/State/Country is acceptable. We recommend including the author's Twitter handle and/or email address in lieu.

The structure of the text can be free. A short unstructured abstract is required.  

Article processing fees for Patient Perspectives in Journal of Participatory Medicine will be waived.

 

In Memoriam

Currently only accepted by JMIR Dermatology

‘In Memoriam’ articles feature posthumous tributes to highly accomplished, internationally recognized individuals in the field of the relevant JMIR Publications journal. While we invite nominations from readers, these articles are written by Editorial Board members of JMIR Publications journals. ‘In Memoriam’ articles summarize the life and impact of the individual featured. The articles should follow JMIR’s title guidelines, be at most 750 words (headings are free) and contain a black-and-white image of the referenced individual. Additionally, an 'In Memoriam' should be a recent death, which occurred in the last three years, and be written by authors who personally knew the deceased. They are not peer reviewed, and an abstract, tables and additional figures are not required.

 

Extraordinary Lives

Currently only accepted by Journal of Participatory Medicine

‘Extraordinary Lives’ articles are biographic pieces and life tributes of patients, caregivers, and professionals who exemplify what participatory medicine is all about. These represent essays celebrating and commemorating advocates and pioneers the world has lost, yet who have left a lasting impact on participatory medicine. ‘Extraordinary Lives’ articles summarize the life and impact of the individual featured. The articles should follow title guidelines, be at most 750 words (headings are free) and contain a black-and-white image of the referenced individual. They are not peer reviewed, and an abstract, tables and additional figures are not required.

There is no APF for Extraordinary Lives in Journal of Participatory Medicine.

 

 

How to State the Article Type in your Manuscript

Please state the article type at the beginning of your manuscript (just before the article title), particularly if it is not a standard Original Paper.

In Microsoft Word, use the default Heading Style H2 for the article type (H1 for the article title, and H2 for all IMRD subheadings, H3 to H5 for sub-subheadings). (see: How should headings be formatted?)

Additional Author Instructions Resources

See JMIR Publications' Author Hub for all resources and FAQs on submitting work to JMIR Publications journals.

What is the maximum word count? See also: Extended Copyediting Service

Which elements of my article are included in the word count?

How many tables and figures can I include in my article? See also: What types of figures are not permitted in JMIR articles?

Guidelines for Writing Abstracts

What are JMIR's guidelines for article titles? See also: What are some examples of methods/study designs that should appear in the article title?

What reporting guidelines should I follow for my article?

 

For staff:

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