- Journal of Diseases
- ISSN 2997-1977
- Open access · CC BY 4.0
Aims and Scope
The Journal of Diseases (JD) publishes research on the etiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of human diseases across clinical, translational and public health research.
Aims
What the journal sets out to do
- To publish rigorous research on what causes human disease, how it develops, how it is diagnosed and treated, and how it can be prevented.
- To connect clinical, laboratory, translational and public health findings, so that advances in understanding disease reach patients and populations.
- To report evidence from every region and health-care setting, including conditions that are rare or under-studied.
- To make this research openly available, so that researchers, clinicians, public health practitioners and educators can read and reuse it freely.
Scope
Research areas, indexed by disease group
JD considers research on any human disease. Like the index of a clinical reference, the eight groups below organize the field; they are illustrative and form part of a wider scope, and work that crosses several groups is welcome.
- Infectious diseases
- Bacterial, viral, fungal and parasitic infections, including zoonotic infections, antimicrobial resistance, emerging pathogens and vaccines.
- Chronic diseases
- Cardiovascular, metabolic, respiratory, renal and neurological disease, including long-term management.
- Genetic and hereditary disorders
- Monogenic and polygenic conditions, genomic medicine and inherited metabolic disease.
- Immunological diseases
- Autoimmune disease, immunodeficiency, hypersensitivity and transplantation immunology.
- Cancer
- Tumor biology, cancer genetics, screening, treatment and survivorship.
- Rare and orphan diseases
- Diagnostic challenges, natural history and access to treatment for under-studied conditions.
- Congenital conditions
- Birth defects, developmental anomalies, prenatal diagnosis and early intervention.
- Environmental and occupational diseases
- Toxic and workplace exposures, exposure assessment and prevention.
Across every group: pathophysiology, diagnostics, therapeutics, epidemiology and prevention, in clinical, laboratory and population studies.
A disease or topic that is not named above is within scope when it concerns the etiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment or prevention of human disease.
Study designs
Designs and approaches welcomed
JD considers quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods research. Study designs are reported within the article types listed below; a cohort study or a randomized trial, for example, is submitted as Original Research.
- Clinical studies
- Observational studies, randomized and non-randomized trials, and studies of diagnosis, prognosis and treatment response.
- Diagnostic research
- Studies of the accuracy, validity and clinical use of diagnostic tests, imaging and biomarkers.
- Laboratory and translational research
- Studies of disease mechanisms in human samples, cell systems and animal models that connect to human disease.
- Epidemiology and public health
- Studies of disease burden, risk factors, surveillance, outbreaks and prevention programs.
- Evidence synthesis
- Systematic reviews, meta-analyses and other structured reviews of the evidence on a disease or an intervention.
- Case-based reports
- Individual cases and short case series that add to clinical or scientific knowledge.
- Methodological research
- New, adapted or validated methods for studying, diagnosing or treating disease, and protocols for planned studies.
Eligibility
What makes a manuscript a fit
Manuscripts are assessed for their relevance to human disease, the soundness of their methods and whether their conclusions are proportionate to the evidence. Work in any region and any health-care setting is considered.
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Case reports
Case Reports, including short case series, are accepted when the case adds to clinical or scientific knowledge, such as an unusual presentation, a diagnostic challenge, a response to treatment or an adverse event.
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Commentaries and perspectives
Commentaries and Perspectives are accepted when they make a reasoned argument, supported by evidence and cited sources, on a question about disease or on work published in JD.
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Methods
Methods papers are accepted when the method serves the study, diagnosis or treatment of disease and is described in enough detail for others to apply it.
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Studies in animals and cells
Laboratory, cell-culture and animal-model studies are considered when they address mechanisms of human disease. Animal studies follow the ethics and reporting requirements in the Editorial Policies.
Unsupported opinion, meaning assertion without evidence or reasoned argument, is outside the journal's scope.
Formats
Article types
The journal publishes the article types below. Guidance on the structure, abstract and reporting standard for each type is given in the Instructions for Authors.
- Original ResearchEmpirical studies of human disease, including clinical, laboratory, translational, epidemiological and public health studies, trials and diagnostic studies.
- ReviewCritical, balanced reviews of the literature on a disease, a mechanism or a clinical question.
- Systematic Review and Meta-AnalysisSystematic syntheses of evidence on a defined question, with or without meta-analysis.
- Case ReportIndividual cases or short case series that add to clinical or scientific knowledge.
- Short CommunicationConcise reports of a focused or preliminary finding of importance to the study of disease.
- MethodsNew, adapted or validated methods, and protocols for planned studies.
- Commentary or PerspectiveEvidence-based argument on a current question about disease or on published research.
- EditorialShort pieces on a topic of interest to the journal's readers, written by or for the editors.
- LetterBrief responses to articles published in JD, or short observations of relevance to the study of disease.
Where a manuscript sits between types, authors choose the closest type and explain the choice in the cover letter, and the editors confirm the classification. A short case series is classified as a Case Report, a scoping review as a Review, a study protocol as Methods, and a clinical trial or a diagnostic accuracy study as Original Research.
Questions
Scope questions
Is my topic within scope?
A manuscript is within scope when it concerns the etiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment or prevention of human disease, whatever its discipline or setting. If you are unsure, send the title and abstract to the editorial office at info@openaccesspub.org before submitting.
Does JD consider studies from a single center or country?
Yes. Single-center, national, regional and multi-country studies are all considered. Authors of single-setting studies explain how their findings relate to other populations or settings.
Are laboratory studies within scope?
They are considered when they address a mechanism, diagnosis, treatment or prevention strategy for human disease.
Can I submit work that has been posted as a preprint?
Yes. Posting a preprint is compatible with submission to JD. Cite the preprint and its DOI in the cover letter.
For authors
Preparing a submission
Read the Instructions for Authors and the Editorial Policies before submitting.