Guide for Authors

This guide provides essential information for authors preparing manuscripts for submission to the journal. Authors are encouraged to read this guide carefully before submission and to consult the journal's Aims and Scope, Article Types, Open Access and Fees, and Journal Policies pages where applicable.

The journal publishes scholarly work in evidence-based medicine, evidence synthesis, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, clinical epidemiology, public health evidence, real-world evidence, health outcomes research, guideline methodology, health technology assessment, implementation of evidence, research methodology and related interdisciplinary fields.

The journal welcomes rigorous empirical, methodological and scholarly work that advances the generation, appraisal, synthesis, interpretation and implementation of evidence in health and medicine. Manuscripts should report research questions, protocols, methods, data sources, risk of bias, certainty of evidence, statistical analysis, limitations and transparency materials with sufficient clarity to support critical appraisal and, where appropriate, reproducibility.

Manuscripts that do not meet the journal's requirements may be returned for correction before editorial assessment or peer review. Submission of a manuscript does not guarantee external peer review or acceptance.

Before submitting a manuscript, authors should ensure that the work is suitable for the journal and that all required materials are prepared.

Authors should:

· read the journal's Aims and Scope to confirm that the manuscript fits the journal's academic focus and target readership;

· select the appropriate article type and follow the relevant requirements for structure, word limits, references, tables, figures and supplementary materials;

· ensure that the manuscript is original, has not been formally published previously and is not under consideration by another journal;

· obtain approval from all authors for the submitted version;

· ensure that authorship, author order and corresponding author details have been agreed by all authors before submission;

· prepare all required statements, including ethics approval or exemption, informed consent where applicable, author contributions, competing interests, funding, data availability, protocol registration and AI-use statements where applicable;

· register systematic reviews, clinical trials, protocols or other studies in an appropriate public registry where required or applicable;

· follow appropriate reporting guidelines according to the study design;

· make search strategies, protocols, statistical analysis plans, data extraction forms, risk-of-bias assessments, evidence tables, statistical code or other transparency materials available where possible and appropriate;

· obtain permission for any third-party material, including figures, tables, evidence profiles, guideline materials, questionnaires, datasets, code or substantial text reproduced or adapted from other sources;

· review the journal's policies on peer review, publication ethics, authorship, research ethics, data availability, use of AI, copyright, licensing and post-publication updates.

Authors who are unsure whether their manuscript is suitable for the journal may contact the Editorial Office with a pre-submission inquiry. A pre-submission inquiry should include the manuscript title, author list, abstract and a brief explanation of the manuscript's relevance to the journal. A positive response to a pre-submission inquiry does not guarantee peer review or acceptance.

Preprints and Prior Dissemination

The journal considers manuscripts that have been posted on recognized preprint servers, provided that the work has not been formally published and is not under consideration by another journal at the same time.

Authors must disclose any preprint, conference abstract, thesis, report, protocol, registry record, guideline document, health technology assessment report, white paper or other prior dissemination at submission. Where applicable, authors should provide the preprint server name, DOI, registry link or citation.

If the manuscript is accepted, authors are encouraged to update the preprint, protocol or repository record with a citation and link to the final published article.

Online Submission

Manuscripts must be submitted through the journal's online submission system. Authors should create a user account, log in and submit the manuscript following the instructions in the system. Submissions sent by email are generally not considered unless specifically requested by the Editorial Office.

The maximum file size for individual uploaded files is 50 MB, unless otherwise specified by the submission system.

The journal considers several types of manuscripts. Authors should select the article type that best matches the purpose, design and scope of their work.

Detailed requirements for each article type, including word limits, abstract format, reference limits, figure and table limits and required sections, are provided on the Article Types page.

Common article types may include:

Original Research Article

Reports original empirical research in clinical epidemiology, public health, health services research, real-world evidence, outcomes research, methodological research or related areas. Original Research Articles should generally include Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion sections.

Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Presents a systematic search, selection, appraisal and synthesis of existing evidence. Authors should provide protocol registration or protocol availability where applicable, report full search strategies, describe study selection and data extraction processes, assess risk of bias, and present synthesis methods transparently.

Scoping Review

Maps the extent, range and nature of evidence on a topic and identifies key concepts, types of evidence and knowledge gaps. Authors should describe the review question, eligibility criteria, search strategy, study selection, data charting and synthesis approach.

Umbrella Review / Overview of Reviews

Synthesizes evidence from multiple systematic reviews. Authors should describe eligibility criteria, search strategy, review selection, quality assessment, overlap assessment, evidence certainty and limitations.

Network Meta-analysis

Compares multiple interventions using direct and indirect evidence. Authors should describe the network structure, eligibility criteria, assumptions, statistical model, assessment of transitivity, inconsistency, heterogeneity, ranking methods and certainty of evidence.

Individual Participant Data Meta-analysis

Synthesizes individual-level data from multiple studies. Authors should describe data acquisition, harmonization, participant eligibility, data integrity checks, statistical models, subgroup analyses, governance arrangements and data sharing limitations.

Clinical Epidemiology Study

Reports observational, cohort, case-control, cross-sectional, diagnostic, prognostic, causal inference or prediction research. Authors should define data sources, exposures, outcomes, covariates, confounding control, missing data, statistical analysis and limitations.

Real-world Evidence / Registry Study

Reports studies using registries, administrative databases, claims data, electronic health records, surveillance systems, routinely collected health data or linked databases. Authors should describe data governance, source population, coding definitions, linkage methods, data quality, validation procedures and limitations.

Evidence-based Guideline / Consensus / Recommendation

Provides evidence-based or expert consensus recommendations on a specific topic. The methodology for evidence review, panel composition, conflict-of-interest management, stakeholder involvement, evidence-to-decision process, consensus development and recommendation grading should be clearly described.

Guideline Methodology / Evidence Methods Article

Reports methods related to guideline development, evidence grading, evidence-to-decision frameworks, rapid reviews, living reviews, evidence mapping, recommendation development, implementation or methodological innovation.

Health Technology Assessment / Economic Evaluation

Reports health technology assessment, cost-effectiveness analysis, cost-utility analysis, budget impact analysis or other economic evaluations. Authors should describe perspective, time horizon, comparators, data sources, model structure, cost categories, utility estimates, uncertainty analysis and limitations.

Evidence Map / Evidence Gap Map

Describes the distribution, characteristics and gaps of evidence in a defined field. Authors should report eligibility criteria, search strategy, coding framework, evidence classification, visualization method and limitations.

Research Protocol

Describes a planned systematic review, scoping review, clinical trial, observational study, real-world evidence study, guideline project, economic evaluation or other research project. Authors should provide registration information where applicable and clearly describe rationale, objectives, methods and planned analysis.

Data Resource / Methods Resource Article

Describes a dataset, registry, evidence database, search strategy resource, methodological tool, software package, risk-of-bias tool, evidence dashboard or reusable research resource of clear value to the field.

Review Article

Provides a comprehensive, balanced and critical overview of a defined topic. Review Articles should synthesize current knowledge, identify gaps and discuss implications for research, practice or policy.

Brief Report / Short Communication

Reports concise but significant findings that may not require a full-length article. These submissions should present clear methods, focused results and a well-supported conclusion.

Commentary / Perspective

Presents expert opinion, critical discussion or interpretation of current issues in evidence-based medicine, evidence synthesis, epidemiology, health policy or methodology. These article types are usually commissioned, but unsolicited submissions may be considered at the editors' discretion.

Letter to the Editor

Provides brief comments on articles published in the journal or concise observations of interest to readers.

Manuscripts should be prepared clearly, concisely and consistently. Authors should write for an international scholarly audience and avoid unnecessary jargon, unsupported claims or excessive technical detail that is not essential to understanding the work.

File Format

Manuscripts should be submitted in an editable format, such as Microsoft Word. LaTeX files may be accepted where appropriate. Figures, tables, evidence profiles, search strategies, datasets, code and supplementary materials should be prepared according to the journal's file and formatting requirements.

Title Page

The title page should include:

· manuscript title;

· full names of all authors;

· author affiliations;

· corresponding author name, email address and full contact details;

· ORCID iDs, where available;

· equal contribution or co-corresponding author notes, where applicable;

· short running title, if required;

· word count, number of figures, number of tables and number of supplementary files, if requested.

Abstract and Keywords

The abstract should accurately summarize the purpose, methods, main findings and conclusions of the manuscript. Original Research Articles, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, epidemiological studies and guideline-related articles should generally use a structured abstract where required by the article type.

Authors should provide keywords that are specific, searchable and relevant to the manuscript. Standardized medical, epidemiological, evidence synthesis or methodological terms should be used where appropriate.

Main Text

Original Research Articles should generally include:

· Introduction;

· Methods;

· Results;

· Discussion;

· Conclusions, where appropriate.

Systematic reviews and evidence syntheses should describe the research question, eligibility criteria, information sources, search strategy, selection process, data extraction, risk-of-bias assessment, synthesis methods, certainty of evidence and limitations.

Epidemiological and real-world data studies should describe data sources, study design, setting, population, exposure, outcome, covariates, missing data, confounding control, statistical methods and limitations.

The Discussion should interpret findings in the context of existing evidence, acknowledge uncertainty and avoid overstating causal claims, certainty of evidence or practice implications.

Search Strategies and Evidence Selection

For evidence syntheses, authors should provide complete search strategies for at least one major database and sufficient information for replication. Search dates, databases, trial registries, preprint servers, grey literature sources and language restrictions should be reported where applicable.

Authors should describe the study selection process, number of reviewers, conflict resolution method, data extraction process and verification procedures.

Risk of Bias, Certainty of Evidence and Recommendations

Authors should use appropriate tools to assess risk of bias, methodological quality or certainty of evidence according to study design. Where recommendations are made, authors should describe how evidence certainty, benefits and harms, patient values, resource considerations, feasibility, acceptability and equity were considered.

Claims and recommendations should be proportionate to the certainty, directness, consistency and applicability of the evidence.

Tables and Figures

Tables and figures should be numbered consecutively in the order in which they are cited in the text. Each table and figure should have a clear title and legend.

Evidence tables, summary-of-findings tables, forest plots, network diagrams, risk-of-bias figures, flow diagrams, evidence maps and certainty profiles should be clearly labeled and interpretable.

Where figures or tables are reproduced or adapted from another source, authors must obtain appropriate permission and provide proper attribution.

Supplementary Materials

Supplementary materials should be directly relevant to the manuscript and should support, but not replace, the main text. Supplementary files may include search strategies, extracted data, excluded studies with reasons, risk-of-bias assessments, evidence profiles, statistical code, protocols, data dictionaries, analytic scripts, model specifications or other supporting information.

References

References should be accurate, complete and relevant. Authors are responsible for checking all references before submission. References should be formatted in accordance with the journal’s reference style. Please click here to download the journal’s EndNote output style.

Authors should avoid inappropriate citation practices, including excessive self-citation, citation manipulation or citation of unreliable sources.

Language and Style

Manuscripts should be written in clear English. Authors should use precise, balanced and non-promotional language. Statements about effectiveness, causality, certainty of evidence, clinical recommendation or policy implication should be supported by appropriate evidence.

Authors who are not fluent in English may consider professional language editing before submission. Language editing does not guarantee editorial review or acceptance.

Authors should follow appropriate reporting guidelines according to study design and should submit completed checklists where required.

Relevant guidelines may include:

· PRISMA for systematic reviews and meta-analyses;

· PRISMA-P for systematic review protocols;

· PRISMA-ScR for scoping reviews;

· PRISMA-NMA for network meta-analyses where applicable;

· MOOSE for meta-analyses of observational studies where applicable;

· STROBE for observational studies;

· RECORD for studies using routinely collected health data;

· CONSORT for randomized trials;

· SPIRIT for clinical trial protocols;

· STARD for diagnostic accuracy studies;

· TRIPOD or TRIPOD+AI for prediction model studies;

· CHEERS for economic evaluations;

· AGREE or RIGHT for guideline-related manuscripts;

· GRADE or other appropriate approaches for certainty of evidence and recommendations where applicable;

· CARE for case reports;

· ENTREQ for qualitative evidence synthesis where applicable.

Authors should consult the EQUATOR Network or relevant field-specific guidance to identify the most appropriate reporting guideline for their study design.

Systematic Reviews and Evidence Syntheses

For systematic reviews, meta-analyses, scoping reviews, rapid reviews, umbrella reviews, network meta-analyses or evidence maps, authors should describe the review question, protocol, eligibility criteria, search strategy, study selection, data extraction, risk-of-bias assessment, synthesis methods and certainty of evidence.

Where applicable, authors should report:

· protocol registration number or protocol availability;

· databases and information sources searched;

· full search strategy and search dates;

· language, publication status or date restrictions;

· study selection process and number of reviewers;

· data extraction process and verification;

· risk-of-bias or methodological quality tool;

· effect measures and statistical models;

· heterogeneity, inconsistency and publication bias assessment;

· subgroup analyses and sensitivity analyses;

· certainty or quality of evidence assessment;

· deviations from protocol and reasons for changes.

Epidemiological and Real-world Evidence Studies

For observational, registry, administrative database, claims-based, surveillance, cohort, case-control, cross-sectional or real-world evidence studies, authors should describe the data source, study period, population, inclusion criteria, exposure, outcome, covariates, coding definitions, missing data, confounding control and limitations.

For routinely collected health data, authors should describe data governance, linkage methods, coding algorithms, validation procedures, completeness, representativeness and data quality.

Authors should avoid unsupported causal claims when using observational or routinely collected data. Where causal inference is intended, authors should state assumptions, define the target estimand and describe methods used to address confounding, selection bias and measurement error.

Guideline, Consensus and Recommendation Articles

For guideline, consensus or recommendation articles, authors should describe the evidence review process, panel composition, stakeholder involvement, conflict-of-interest management, recommendation development process, voting or consensus methods, evidence-to-decision framework and grading of recommendation strength where applicable.

Recommendations should be clearly linked to the certainty of evidence, balance of benefits and harms, patient values, resource use, feasibility, equity and implementation considerations.

Health Technology Assessment and Economic Evaluation

For health technology assessment and economic evaluation studies, authors should describe the decision problem, perspective, comparators, target population, time horizon, data sources, model structure, cost categories, outcome measures, utility values, assumptions, uncertainty analyses and limitations.

Authors should disclose funding, commissioning body involvement and any sponsor role in analysis, interpretation or reporting.

Protocol Registration and Data Sharing

Systematic reviews and evidence syntheses should provide a protocol registration number or a publicly accessible protocol where applicable. Authors should disclose and explain important deviations from the protocol.

Clinical trials and interventional studies should be registered in a publicly accessible registry before participant recruitment begins where applicable. The registry name and registration number should be provided in the manuscript.

Manuscripts reporting clinical trials should include a data sharing statement where required by applicable standards or journal policy. The statement should indicate whether de-identified individual participant data will be shared, what data will be shared, whether related documents such as the study protocol or statistical analysis plan will be available, when and for how long data will be available, and the conditions for access.

Authors must include all statements required by the journal and applicable policies. These statements should usually appear in the manuscript file, title page, acknowledgements section or submission system, according to the journal's instructions.

Required statements may include:

Ethics Approval

Studies involving human participants, human data, health records, registry data, administrative data, claims data, survey data, biological data, genomic data, geolocation data, linked data, animals or other sensitive information must include the name of the ethics committee, institutional review board or relevant authority, approval number or reference, and any relevant exemption information where applicable.

Informed Consent

For studies involving human participants, authors should state whether informed consent was obtained. For studies using routinely collected data, registries, administrative data, linked datasets or public datasets, authors should explain the ethical, legal or governance basis for data use, including consent, waiver of consent, data use agreement or public availability where applicable.

Clinical Trial Registration

Clinical trials and interventional studies should provide the registry name and registration number where applicable. Registration should occur before participant recruitment begins.

Protocol Registration

Systematic reviews, scoping reviews, evidence syntheses, clinical trials and other protocol-driven studies should provide registration information or protocol availability where applicable.

Author Contributions

Authors should describe each author's contribution to the work. The journal encourages use of the CRediT taxonomy where appropriate.

Competing Interests

All authors must disclose any financial or non-financial competing interests. For evidence-based medicine research, relevant disclosures may include employment, consultancy, advisory roles, grants, guideline panel membership, health technology assessment work, commissioned reviews, policy advocacy positions, statistical support, writing assistance, data access arrangements or relationships with funders, healthcare organizations, government agencies, insurers, pharmaceutical companies, device companies, technology providers, guideline developers or sponsors.

Funding

Authors should disclose all funding sources and grant numbers. The role of funders, sponsors, data providers or commissioning bodies in study design, protocol development, search strategy, data access, data analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation and the decision to submit should be stated. If the work received no specific funding, this should also be declared.

Data Availability

Authors should include a Data Availability Statement describing where the data supporting the findings can be accessed or explaining why data cannot be shared.

For evidence syntheses, authors should make search strategies, extracted data, risk-of-bias assessments, evidence tables and analytic code available where possible and appropriate. For epidemiological studies, restrictions due to privacy, ethics, legal, commercial, data provider agreements, registry governance or re-identification risks should be clearly explained.

Use of AI and AI-assisted Technologies

AI tools and large language models cannot be listed as authors. Authors remain responsible for the accuracy, originality and integrity of all submitted content.

Use of generative AI or AI-assisted technologies beyond basic language editing should be disclosed according to the journal's AI policy. Authors should identify the tool used, describe how it was used and verify all AI-assisted content, including references, search results, extracted data, statistical outputs, certainty assessments and generated text.

Acknowledgements

Individuals or organizations that contributed to the work but do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged with their permission.

Before submitting a manuscript, authors should ensure that the following items are complete:

· the manuscript fits the journal's Aims and Scope;

· the correct article type has been selected;

· the manuscript follows the relevant structure and formatting requirements;

· the title page includes complete author, affiliation and corresponding author information;

· all authors have approved the submitted version;

· authorship, author order and corresponding author details have been confirmed;

· the abstract and keywords are included;

· all tables, figures and supplementary materials are cited in the text and uploaded in the required format;

· figure legends and table titles are complete;

· references are accurate and complete;

· protocol registration or protocol availability is provided where applicable;

· search strategies, study selection methods and evidence synthesis methods are reported where applicable;

· risk-of-bias assessments, evidence tables, certainty assessments and statistical methods are reported where applicable;

· ethics approval, informed consent and trial registration information are provided where applicable;

· author contributions, competing interests, funding and data availability statements are included;

· AI-use disclosure is included where applicable;

· reporting checklists and flow diagrams are uploaded for relevant study types;

· permission has been obtained for third-party material;

· the cover letter has been prepared;

· all required files have been uploaded to the submission system.

Manuscripts should be submitted through the journal's online submission system. Submissions sent by email are generally not considered unless specifically requested by the Editorial Office.

During submission, authors may be asked to provide:

· manuscript title and abstract;

· author names, affiliations and email addresses;

· corresponding author details;

· article type;

· keywords;

· cover letter;

· manuscript file;

· figures, tables and supplementary files;

· required statements and declarations;

· reporting checklists;

· suggested or opposed reviewers, where permitted;

· funding and competing interest information.

The cover letter should briefly explain the importance of the work, its relevance to the journal and why it may be of interest to the journal's readership. Authors should also disclose any related manuscripts, previous submissions, preprints, protocols, trial registry records, health technology assessment reports, guideline documents, white papers or overlapping work.

Authors may suggest potential reviewers where permitted by the submission system. Reviewer selection remains at the editors' discretion. Suggested reviewers must be independent and free from conflicts of interest.

After submission, the corresponding author will receive confirmation from the submission system. The Editorial Office may contact the corresponding author if required information is missing or if files need correction before editorial assessment.

If revision is invited, authors should submit the revised manuscript within the deadline stated in the decision letter. Extensions may be requested from the Editorial Office where necessary.

A revised submission should usually include:

· a clean version of the revised manuscript;

· a marked-up or tracked-changes version showing revisions;

· a detailed point-by-point response to all editor and reviewer comments;

· revised figures, tables or supplementary materials, where applicable;

· updated declarations or statements, if any changes have been made.

Authors should respond to each comment respectfully and clearly. Where authors disagree with a reviewer or editor comment, they should provide a reasoned explanation supported by evidence where appropriate.

If additional searches, revised eligibility decisions, updated analyses, new sensitivity analyses, revised risk-of-bias assessments or changed certainty ratings are added during revision, authors should update the Methods, Results, supplementary materials, protocol deviations and any relevant reporting checklist accordingly.

Submission of a revised manuscript does not guarantee acceptance. Revised manuscripts may be returned to reviewers, assessed by the editors or declined if concerns have not been adequately addressed.

After acceptance, authors may be required to complete a publishing agreement, confirm copyright and licensing arrangements, select open access options where applicable and pay any applicable publication charges.

The corresponding author will receive proofs for review before publication. Proof corrections should be limited to typographical errors, formatting issues and factual corrections. Substantial changes to the content, authorship, data, analysis or conclusions after acceptance may require editorial approval.

Accepted articles may be published online before assignment to an issue, where applicable. The final published article will be assigned a DOI.

After publication, authors may share their article according to the journal's article sharing and self-archiving policies. Requests for corrections, retractions, expressions of concern or other post-publication updates will be handled according to the journal's relevant policies.