Research Articles

Open Submission

Research Articles present the findings of original research that address a clearly defined question and advance the body of academic knowledge.

SJOH welcomes Research Articles across the natural sciences, medicine, engineering, and the related social sciences and humanities. Consistent with our commitment to publishing all methodologically and ethically rigorous research, we consider Research Articles that report negative and null results.

Research Articles typically include the following sections:

• Abstract
• Introduction
• Materials and Methods
• Results
• Discussion
• Conclusions

All submitted Research Articles are assessed against the SJOH criteria for publication and must adhere to the author submission guidelines.

Articles Introducing New Methods

SJOH welcomes Research Article submissions in which new methods, software, databases, or tools form the primary focus of the work. These must also satisfy the utility, availability, and validation criteria outlined in the guidelines for specific study types.

Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses

SJOH considers Research Article submissions that conduct systematic reviews and meta-analyses — that is, reviews of a clearly formulated research question that apply explicit, systematic methods to identify, select, and critically evaluate relevant literature, and that collect and analyse data from the included studies. For further details, see our submission guidelines for systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

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Clinical Trials

Open Submission

Clinical Trials report the results of studies in which participants are prospectively assigned to a health-related intervention in order to assess the effects on health outcomes. SJOH evaluates Clinical Trial manuscripts against the same publication criteria as Research Articles, but they must also fulfil the additional requirements set out in the submission guidelines for Clinical Trials.

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Lab Protocols

Open Submission

Lab Protocols are peer-reviewed articles that present comprehensive, step-by-step descriptions of experimental and computational techniques. They have been developed through a collaboration between SJOH and protocols.io and consist of:

• A step-by-step protocol posted to protocols.io, using specialised tools for communicating methodological details, including reagents, measurements, formulae, video clips, and dynamic flow charts.
• A peer-reviewed SJOH article contextualising the protocol, with sections covering applications, limitations, expected results, and sample datasets from using the protocol.

SJOH considers Lab Protocol submissions across all areas of the journal scope. For further details on submission requirements and evaluation criteria, see the Lab Protocols submission guidelines.

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Study Protocols

Open Submission

Study Protocols set out detailed plans for conducting research, covering the background, rationale, objectives, methodology, statistical plan, and organisation of a research project. SJOH accepts Study Protocol submissions for any study type that falls within the journal's scope.

Read the Study Protocols submission guidelines for information on submission requirements and evaluation criteria.

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Registered Reports

Open Submission

Registered Reports are research articles that undergo peer review at the study design or protocol stage, prior to the conduct of experiments, data collection, or analysis. The Registered Report format is designed to support a strong methodological approach, improve the reproducibility of results, and reduce publication bias. Read more on our blog.

Assessment takes place in two stages and results in two linked publications:

1. Registered Report Protocol: an article describing the study design, rationale, timeline, and proposed methodology for data collection and analysis, together with relevant ethical approvals. Accepted Registered Report Protocols are published in the journal and receive an in-principle accept for the future article reporting the study's results upon completion.
2. Registered Report: a Research Article presenting the complete study and its findings upon completion, incorporating the methods information originally set out in the Registered Report Protocol. Peer review focuses on adherence to the protocol and the appropriateness of any deviations. The published Research Article and Registered Report Protocol are linked on the journal website.

Read the Registered Report Protocol and Registered Report submission guidelines for further information.

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Commissioned Article Types

Collection Reviews

Commissioned only

SJOH considers Collection Review articles within pre-planned Collections with the aim of providing deeper insight into one or more of the topics covered in the Collection. These are compelling narrative reviews that discuss current developments in a particular field under the Collection's scope and draw substantive conclusions that advance knowledge in the field. They should be balanced, coherent, and representative of the literature on the topic covered.

Collection Reviews should include:

• An introduction outlining the background of the topic and the purpose of the review.
• A conclusion that succinctly identifies the key points.
• Where possible, a discussion of implications for the field and recommendations grounded in the evidence presented.

Collection Overviews

Commissioned only

SJOH considers Collection Overview articles within pre-planned Collections. Collection Overviews address the relevant history and scientific background of a Collection and situate the articles included in the Collection within the broader context of knowledge in the field. Collection Overviews are commissioned by Guest Editors or Collection partners, or may be commissioned by staff editors.

Formal Comments

Commissioned only

Formal Comments are invited by SJOH editors to advance scientific discourse about SJOH articles. They contribute additional perspectives or context on a publication, particularly in areas of policy, societal relevance, or ongoing scientific debate.

SJOH may invite a Formal Comment as:

• A response to scientific criticism or a re-analysis by authors whose work is disputed in an SJOH publication.
• An article that offers an expert, wide-ranging, and balanced perspective on an SJOH publication, or that adds context on the potential editorial, societal, or policy implications of the findings.

Formal Comments should be concise, coherent, well-argued, and of timely relevance to the field. They undergo peer review. SJOH editors do not consider unsolicited Formal Comments.

Formal Comments are not intended to address concerns about publication ethics. Direct any ethics concerns to the SJOH Publication Ethics team and copy the journal.

Topic Pages

Commissioned only

Topic Page articles are intended to expand the coverage of scientific topics on Wikipedia. Topic Pages are written in the style of a Wikipedia article and, following open peer review on the SJOH Wiki, become a published article of record with a dynamic version posted on Wikipedia.

While Academic Editors most often invite Topic Pages from researchers in their areas of expertise, we also welcome new proposals and enquiries for editorial consideration. Proposals should address topics of interest to the scientific community and wider general public that are not yet covered or are currently underdeveloped on Wikipedia. To propose a Topic Page, please contact our editorial office at sjoh@safesociety.org.

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Post-Publication Notices

SJOH publishes Editorial Notes, Corrections, Expressions of Concern, and Retraction notices as required, to address issues that arise after an SJOH article has been published.