Researchers are interested in maximizing the impact and dissemination of their research. While "salami publication" (redundant publication) is discouraged, a multi-year research project will (and has to) produce multiple publications (some of which are required to get larger grants such as R01s), which may form the basis of a PhD project or constitute the output of a research group.
JMIR journals cater to the entire "lifecycle" of research and development in this area. We strongly suggest to pick the most suitable journal rather than starting with the "top impact factor journal", to avoid delays in publishing.
As a general rule, JMIR journals with a good impact factor (above 2.5) are likely to be more selective and will not easily accept "pilot" studies unless they are in the area of avionics or constitute surprising results or real breakthroughs. Results of exploratory studies are probably better suited for JMIR Formative Res.
Our top-ranked journals in the field (flagship journals: Journal of Medical Internet Research, and JMIR mHealth and uHealth, with current impact factors of around 5 and with a future target impact factor of 10), we prefer to publish the final summative results of studies (for example from R01 grants) and clinically relevant research, whereas pilot and formative studies with preliminary results or demonstrating only "feasibility" should be published primarily in JMIR Formative Res, JMIRx, or clinical sister journals (see Which journal titles are JMIR Publications currently publishing? (Journal Portfolio)). As a general rule, papers that are reporting interim, feasibility, or pilot results (e.g. results of R21 grants), which are primarily written up to attract further funding for the next round of grant proposals, should not be submitted to our flagship journals. For our flagship journals we have the ambition to attract seminal papers that make an impact beyond future fundraising for future research.
These are not hard rules, so we remain open to your arguments, and will make transfer recommendations if we encounter manuscripts that do not meet these criteria (see also Why has my article been transferred to another journal (or a transfer has been suggested), and what are my options?).
For guidance on how to evaluate digital health interventions and products, check out this UK guide - not surprisingly, this guidel from Public Health England cites many JMIR studies and showcases a range of different methods and research outputs.
The following is an example of a publication roadmap showing possible research outputs and various stages, and illustrating how a researcher can maximize impact and dissemination of his research program, using a fictional mHealth app MobiDiab as an example.
All submissions (regardless of the journal) will be immediately published on our Preprint server and are citable from the day of submission unless authors opt out (What are JMIR Preprints?).
Research Status | Journal | Sample Title |
Ideation (Solution Seeking) | JMIR Challenges | "A $5000 Award for the Best Ideas in Innovating Diabetes Self-Management" |
Needs assessment, System Descriptions, R21 research grant final reports | JMIR Formative Res or specialty journals such as JMIR Diabetes [JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting, JMIR Mental Health, JMIR Cardio, JMIR Rehab...] | "What do Young People Want from an Diabetes [Depression, Hypertension] App? Focus Group and Stakeholder Interviews |
Research Ideas, Protocols, Funding Proposal (e.g. for a R21) | JMIR Res Protoc | "Development and Evaluation of an App for Adolescents with Type II Diabetes: Research Proposal" |
Formative Evaluation, R21 reports | JMIR Formative Res | "Maximizing Sustained Use of an App for Diabetes: Feasibility, Usability and Acceptance Study" |
Usability Evaluation | JMIR Human Factors | "Design Principles to Avoid Data Entry and Interpretation Errors when Self-Tracking Blood Glucose: Observational Usability Study" |
Patient Involvement | J Participat Med | "A Roadmap for Patient Involvement in Diabetes Management: Focus Groups with Patient and Health Professionals" |
Software Development, Algorithms, Privacy Issues, EHR | JMIR Med Inform | "Linking Cloud-based Data to an Electronic Health Record" |
Hardware Development | JMIR Biomed Eng | "A Glucometer Add-On for the Apple IPhone: Development and Pilot Validation" |
Full Protocol e.g. of an RCT (R01) | JMIR Res Protoc | "An App for Adolescents with Type II Diabetes: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial" |
Primary Results (Interim) | JMIR mHealth and uHealth | "An App for Adolescents with Type II Diabetes: Usage Data and Clinical Outcomes after 6 Months" |
Primary Results (e.g. RCT) | "An App for Adolescents with Type II Diabetes: Long-Term Clinical Outcomes after 12 months" | |
Secondary Results | Specialty journals such as JMIR Diabetes, JMIR Mental Health, JMIR Cardio, JMIR Rehab. | "An App for Adolescents with Type II Diabetes: Improvement in Adherence and Perceived Quality of Life" |
Methodological Issues | JMIR Serious Games etc | "Maximizing Engagement Through Gamification of a Virtual Reality Diabetes App" |
Failed RCT | JMIR Human Factors | "Why Doctors Did Not Look at Personal Health Records Data: Lessons Learned from a Failed RCT" |
Public Health/Policy Implications | JMIR Public Health | "Home-Monitoring by Diabetes Patients: Public Health Impact, Policy Implications and Remuneration Considerations for Health Care Professionals" |
Data | JMIR Data | "Primary De-Identified Data from the MobiDiab Trial" |
Any, in any field | JMIRx - What is JMIRx? |
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