Choose one of the seven open formats below. These limits are shared with the Author centre and author guidelines. An article type describes the form of the contribution; every submission also needs complete ethics, integrity and study-specific reporting.
What each format must provide
Research Article
Original experimental, observational, clinical or computational research with complete methods and justified conclusions. Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion. Main text: 6,000 words; references: 50. Main figures and tables: 8 combined.
Systematic Review
Reproducible evidence synthesis, including search, selection, appraisal, protocol and synthesis methods; meta-analysis where appropriate. Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion; PRISMA checklist and flow diagram. Main text: 8,000 words; references: 100. Main figures and tables: proportionate to the synthesis.
Narrative Review
Balanced, critical interpretation of an important health-related topic with a transparent account of how evidence was selected. Focused question, literature approach, critical synthesis, limitations and research gaps. Main text: 8,000 words; references: 100. Main figures and tables: proportionate to the argument.
Methodology Paper
Methods, tools, protocols or analytical approaches with validation across medicine, surgery, biotechnology and health-related computational research. Problem, method, implementation, comparator, validation, limitations and resource access. Main text: 5,000 words; references: 40. Main figures and tables: proportionate to validation.
Brief Communication
A focused research finding supported by sufficient design, analysis and reproducibility information for independent assessment. Concise background, complete methods, results and interpretation. Main text: 2,500 words; references: 25. Main figures and tables: 2 combined.
Perspective
An interpretation, commentary or forward-looking analysis that distinguishes established evidence from opinion and proposed directions. Evidence-informed viewpoint with clear argument and limitations. Main text: 2,000 words; references: 20. Main figures and tables: proportionate to the argument.
Case Report
An instructive clinical case with appropriate privacy protection and consent for publication; follow applicable CARE reporting items. Clinical context, patient information, timeline, assessment, intervention, outcome and consent. Main text: 3,000 words; references: 30. Main figures and tables: proportionate to the case.
Abstracts, counting and exceptions
The current workspace requires an abstract of 50–250 words and 5–8 keywords for all seven open types. Research Articles use Background, Methods, Results and Conclusions; use an appropriate abstract for other designs.
Main-text limits exclude abstracts, references, legends, tables and supplementary files. Main figures and tables count together: five figures plus three tables use the eight-item Research Article allowance. Multipanel figures must remain coherent and readable. Proportionate display sets are not unlimited; explain unusually large sets or other requested exceptions to the editor.
Methodology Papers cover the full health-related scope, including medicine, surgery, biotechnology and computational research. Editorials and Letters to the Editor are editor-restricted formats.
Prepare the selected format
Follow the manuscript structure instructions, design-specific reporting requirements and research standards. Download optional Word templates and complete the submission checklist. Start at the Author centre.