Table of Contents

• Editorial Vision: Scope, Aims, Values
• Eligible Authors and Content: Author Eligibility, Types of Content
• Commissioning Process
• Pitch Guidelines
• Article Instructions
• Review and Publication Process

Editorial Vision

The News and Perspectives section of the Journal of Medical Internet Research features grounded, well-researched news stories and original perspectives in digital health. News and Perspectives articles are different from research manuscripts and undergo separate submission and review processes. They are commissioned or invited news-type articles that fall under the purview of JMIR Publications’ Scientific News Editor, are coordinated by the Editorial News Coordinator, and are consistent with the below scope, aims, and values. 

Scope

News and Perspectives articles include timely, insightful analyses, interviews, and commentary that go deeper than traditional news headlines and reflect a diverse range of voices. They focus on relevant topics, themes, and trends in digital health, including artificial intelligence and health data; digital therapeutics and consumer health; science policy, regulation, and publishing trends; research findings and clinical applications; emerging technologies; privacy, security, and ethics; business and entrepreneurship; and health equity and access; and otherwise fit within the Journal of Medical Internet Research’s scope.

Aims

News and Perspectives articles keep researchers, industry experts, policymakers, healthcare professionals, and innovators informed and inspired. They provide credible, trustworthy information that helps stimulate new research ideas and tech developments, inform policy decisions, and facilitate ethical, effective practice. 

Values

While different from JMIR research manuscripts, News and Perspectives articles nonetheless keep similar principles and values at their core:

• Rigor: Thoroughness and accuracy in research and reporting. The information presented is factual, precise, and well-supported by evidence, whether from peer-reviewed studies, firsthand interviews, or reputable data sources.
• Integrity: Honesty and strong moral principles as a foundation. The information presented is unbiased, balanced, transparent, fair, and conflict of interest-free.
• Intellectual responsibility: Thoughtfulness, consideration, and accountability in approach. The information presented is unsensationalized, incorporates diverse perspectives, and does not oversimplify, overstate, or misrepresent.
• Empowerment: Actionable and meaningful in contribution. The information presented provides readers with knowledge or tools to take action or make informed decisions. 

Eligible Authors and Content

Author Eligibility

News and Perspectives authors do not necessarily need to have a specific set of credentials. Instead, they need to have:

• Deep expertise, experience, and/or passion for digital health
• A keen eye for patterns, trends, or meaningful events within or that impact the field
• The ability to write engaging, incisive, high-quality articles that adhere to our standards and values

Authors may, for example, be journalists, scientific writers, researchers, thought leaders, entrepreneurs, or other digital health experts. A wide range of global voices and diverse perspectives from across the digital health ecosystem are welcome.

Types of Content

Provided they are consistent with the News and Perspectives scope, aims, and values, there is flexibility in the type of content appropriate for publication in this section. For example, suitable articles may include (but are not limited to):

• Analysis/Commentary: In-depth examination of a specific trend, policy, research finding, or controversy in digital health.
• Op-Eds/Opinion Pieces: Well-reasoned, evidence-based statements on an issue relevant to digital health, reflecting your professional experience and perspective while remaining balanced and unbiased.
• News Analysis: Deeper analysis of current news (e.g., major funding rounds, political or regulatory changes, product launches), going beyond headlines to explore and explain contributing factors and implications. Not simply reporting breaking news.
• "How-To" or "Lessons Learned" Pieces: Practical advice or insights drawn from real-world experience in implementing digital health initiatives, research, or policy.
• Interviews with Key Thought Leaders: Question-and-answer pieces with influential researchers, policymakers, business leaders, and other digital health experts. 

In general, articles that are timely and touch on recent events or advances in digital health; accessible to a knowledgeable, non-specialist audience; and interview- and narrative-driven are preferred.

Commissioning Process

Articles are commissioned through:

• Specific commission requests: Requests for articles on specific topics or themes are typically solicited via social media and website call-outs, or you may be approached directly if you have expertise in the topic or theme of interest.
• Open pitch calls or calls for collaboration: Collaboration is welcome on an ongoing basis. You can share your e-mail to express interest here or contact our news team directly to submit your pitch or share your ideas.

Following submission and acceptance of your first pitch/commission request response, you will be invited to a brief online meeting with the Scientific News Editor to discuss and confirm the details of your article, and provided with a contract to review and sign. All articles are typically compensated at 1 USD per word. Once your article is submitted by the agreed-upon deadline, it undergoes an initial edit, scientific review, copy editing, and production editing. Once the article has passed scientific review and final word count and project ID have been confirmed by the Editorial News Coordinator, you can submit your invoice for payment. 

Pitch Guidelines

Both original pitches and responses to specific commission requests should typically include the following information:

• A compelling title that engages attention and reflects the main thrust of your article.
• The key insights or information (3-5 bullet points) you plan to cover.
• The rationale (1-3 sentences) for why this story is relevant, valuable, and timely for our audience.
• Your planned sources (3-5 bullet points), e.g., peer-reviewed research, professional experiences, interviews with specific experts, etc.
• The proposed word count for your article, with a brief rationale if it is less than or exceeds our typical range of 800 - 1200 words.
• A brief bio, including your name, current role(s) or affiliation(s), 2-3 links to previous publications, and a note describing how your background or expertise make you well-suited to contribute on the topic you’ve selected. 

Article Instructions

If your pitch has been approved and/or you’ve been commissioned to write a News and Perspectives piece, the below instructions provide general guidance on the structure, format, and other aspects of your article:

• Submission: Submit your article via e-mail within the agreed-upon timeline. Plan accordingly to avoid late submissions; where unavoidable, contact the Editorial News Coordinator as soon as possible with written notice and a new timeline. Please note that while efforts will be made to accommodate extenuating circumstances, there may be times where late submissions result in cancellation of the article.
• File format: Submit your article as a Google Doc or Word Document.
• File name: Use the following standard file naming convention:  “N&P_Your last name_Abbreviated article title_ddmmyy.
• Article length: Articles are typically 800 - 1200 words or less, though exceptions may be made depending on the article topic and type.
• Images: Please include a professional headshot with your first submission, to be used for our Table of Contents webpage. If you wish to provide images to accompany your article, please  note that copyrighted images should not be used; use images that are freely available, CC-BY licensed, iStock images, images you have taken yourself, or images provided to you with permission for inclusion in the publication, with the permission documented. Relevant images provided by interview sources are preferred; please ensure you submit any such images with permission to use and any attributions which should be included documented. Submit images both in the body of the article and as separate files. Images should be high-quality PNG files with a maximum size of 5MB and 1200x1200pi.
• Article structure: As long as it is coherent, logical, and engaging, with relevant subtitles, you can use your judgment to structure the article as you see fit. The required components of your article should, however, be presented in the following order: Title, Key Takeaways, Keywords, Conflict of Interest Statement.
• Source attributions: For clarity and transparency, please make sure your sources are clearly and accurately identified in the text. This is particularly important when it comes to including quotes. It should, for example, be immediately clear to the reader whether a quote was obtained via firsthand interview or whether it is drawn from a published work. If the former, please include the source's relevant affiliations and credentials. If the latter, please hyperlink the published work in the text where it is first referenced. Please ensure that direct quotes have been checked for accuracy and fidelity with sources prior to submission. 
• Required components: Include the following components in your article submission:
  • Title: Use a brief, descriptive statement that accurately reflects the content. Engaging titles are welcome; overly provocative titles are discouraged.
  • Key Takeaways: Provide 2-3 bullet points that reflect the core messages that you hope readers will take away from your article.
  • Keywords: Provide at least 5 keywords to assist with indexing and article visibility. These keywords should capture the core themes, topics, concepts, and/or methods referenced in your article. Additional keyword selection guidelines can be found here.
  • In-Text Citations: Ensure all claims are appropriately supported and all online, news, and academic sources are hyperlinked in-text. Peer-reviewed literature should be used selectively to support key claims, with sources drawn from reputable journals. To ensure that News and Perspectives articles remain credible and evidence-based without becoming academic summaries, articles should typically cite at least 2, but ideally no more than 8, peer-reviewed studies.
  • Conflict of Interest Statement: Avoid potential conflicts of interest in cited research or reporting wherever possible. Where not possible, disclose any potential conflicts of interest to the Editorial News Coordinator prior to writing to determine the appropriateness of proceeding with publication. If publication is deemed appropriate, provide a Conflict of Interest Statement. Include this statement even if no conflicts of interests exist (“None declared”).
• Use of GenAI: We support the incorporation of new tools, including generative AI, for increasing efficiency under certain conditions. These tools may be used solely for process-oriented tasks (e.g., initiating literature searches, summarizing public datasets, formatting), and we encourage you to review and fact-check the output of such uses. However, when it comes to the content of your article, we value and want to hear your ideas, your perspective, and your voice. As such, GenAI and other such tools may not be used to draft or write News and Perspectives articles either in whole or in part. 

Review and Publication Process

Once your article is submitted, the Editorial News Coordinator coordinates the subsequent review and publication process and serves as your primary point of contact throughout. 

Articles are not peer-reviewed but undergo careful editing and quality checks. The Scientific News Editor reviews and edits all submissions first, adding a brief news 'abstract' and selecting relevant quotes to highlight. This first-pass edit is followed by Scientific Review by a credentialed member of the JMIR Publications Editorial Team. All articles are evaluated according to the following criteria:

• Accuracy: Claims and interpretations are supported by evidence, appropriately contextualized, and presented accurately.
• Credibility: Sources are credible, appropriate, and properly cited.
• Objectivity: Language is measured, objective, and not sensationalized. Positions are substantiated, unexaggerated, and unbiased.
• Clarity: Level of scientific language is suitable for the audience and free of unnecessary jargon.
• Balance: Approach is balanced where a topic is controversial or evolving, with multiple relevant perspectives and limits of certainty acknowledged.
• Transparency: Conflicts of interest in the research or reporting are avoided where possible and disclosed where unavoidable.

Minor concerns and clarifications may result in minor revisions being required; larger concerns may require significant rewrites; and egregious concerns will result in cancellation of the article’s publication.

After successfully passing this review, payment is coordinated and articles proceed to copy and production editing. Editing at this stage is light and focused on grammar, spelling, and consistency of style. The Editorial News Coordinator will review any major changes with you and share a final proof of the article to sign off on before publication.

At this point, you’ll be a published JMIR Correspondent - congratulations! - and you’ll receive a link to the publication. It will be included in the News and Perspectives section of the journal, indexed and citable similarly to research articles, and promoted through various distribution channels—including our LinkedIn newsletter, the Digital Health Debrief—to expand its reach and impact. You are also welcome to share your article through your social media, website, or professional portfolio once published; please ensure that you tag JMIR Publications and include the original article link.