Instructions for Authors
How to prepare and submit a manuscript to the Journal of Implementation Science: submission routes, article types, manuscript structure, reporting standards, ethics statements and fees.
- Volume 1, 2026
- Open access · CC BY 4.0
- Published by Open Access Pub
Submission routes
- Primary route
ManuscriptZone
The publisher's online submission and review system.
- Alternative route
Simple manuscript submission form
A single-page form that opens with the Journal of Implementation Science selected.
- Assisted route: editorial email
[email protected]
For authors who are unable to use either online route.
Authors must use only one submission route for the same manuscript.
JIS publishes the article types below. Requirements depend on the format: hypotheses, outcomes, sample-size calculations and a Methods and Results structure apply where the design calls for them.
Original Research
Empirical studies of implementation using quantitative, qualitative or mixed methods, including hybrid effectiveness–implementation, pragmatic and cluster trials, quasi-experimental, observational and economic designs.
- Abstract
- Structured: Background, Methods, Results, Conclusions.
- Main text
- Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions. State the research question, the implementation framework or theory used where applicable, the implementation and effectiveness outcomes, and the sample-size calculation where the design calls for one. Describe the intervention, the implementation strategies and the setting.
- Reporting
- StaRI for implementation studies, with TIDieR for the intervention and the guideline for the design, for example CONSORT, STROBE, TREND or COREQ.
Review
Systematic, scoping or mapping reviews of implementation evidence, with or without meta-analysis.
- Abstract
- Structured.
- Main text
- Introduction; Methods (eligibility criteria, information sources and the full search strategy, study selection, data extraction, quality or risk-of-bias assessment where applicable, and synthesis); Results with a flow diagram; Discussion. Give the protocol registration where applicable.
- Reporting
- PRISMA 2020; PRISMA-ScR for scoping and mapping reviews.
Study Protocol
The design, outcomes and analysis plan of a planned implementation study, trial or review.
- Abstract
- Structured, with headings adapted to the protocol.
- Main text
- Background and rationale; aims; design and setting; intervention and implementation strategies; outcomes; sample size; analysis plan; ethics approval and registration; dissemination. A protocol has no Results section.
- Reporting
- SPIRIT for trial protocols, StaRI for implementation studies and PRISMA-P for review protocols, where applicable.
Methods Article
New, adapted or validated methods, measures, designs or frameworks for implementation research.
- Abstract
- Structured, with headings adapted to the method.
- Main text
- Rationale; a description of the method with the detail, code or materials others need to apply it; validation or a worked application, compared with existing approaches where available; limitations.
- Reporting
- The guideline for the design used to test the method, where applicable.
Implementation Case Study
A structured account of implementing a program, service or policy in a defined setting, with an analysis of what the experience shows for others.
- Abstract
- Brief, structured or unstructured.
- Main text
- Introduction and context; the intervention and the implementation approach; methods used to collect and analyze information about implementation; findings, including adaptations and what supported or hindered delivery; lessons and limitations. Patient-level case reports are not accepted.
- Reporting
- StaRI or SQUIRE 2.0, as suits the case.
Short Communication
A concise report of a focused or preliminary finding.
- Abstract
- Brief, structured.
- Main text
- A condensed Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion centered on the main finding.
- Reporting
- As for Original Research, where applicable.
Commentary
An evidence-based argument on a current implementation question or on published research.
- Abstract
- Brief, unstructured.
- Main text
- Free structure with descriptive headings; claims supported by cited evidence and conclusions proportionate to it. Methods and Results sections are not required.
- Reporting
- Reference the evidence for each claim.
Letter
A brief response to an article published in JIS, or a short observation of relevance to implementation.
- Abstract
- None.
- Main text
- Short text without section headings and with a small number of references. A letter about a published article cites it in full, and its authors may be invited to reply.
- Reporting
- Reference the article or evidence discussed.
Length. There are no fixed length limits for any article type; manuscripts should be concise and proportionate to their content.
Choosing a type. Where a manuscript sits between types, choose the closest type and explain the choice in the cover letter; the editors confirm the classification. A mapping review is classified as a Review.
Preparing the manuscript
These requirements apply to every article type. The structure of the main text follows the guidance for the type above.
- Files
- The main text as an editable word-processing file (for example, Microsoft Word), with figures, tables that cannot be edited in the text, and supplementary material supplied as separate files.
- Title page
- A concise, informative title; full names, affiliations and ORCID iDs (recommended) of all authors; and the corresponding author's contact details.
- Double-blind review
- For double-blind review, remove author names, affiliations, acknowledgments, funding details, institution names, and other identifying information from the reviewer manuscript. Provide identifying information separately in the title-page file or submission form.
- Abstract
- As set for the article type. Structured abstracts use the headings Background, Methods, Results and Conclusions.
- Keywords
- A short list of specific, searchable terms.
- Implementation detail
- Name the implementation framework or theory, if any; describe the strategies used, preferably with a recognized taxonomy; and report implementation outcomes (for example adoption, fidelity, reach or sustainment) separately from effectiveness outcomes.
- Statistics
- Describe statistical methods in enough detail for replication; report effect estimates with confidence intervals, and name the software and version. For cluster designs, state how clustering was handled.
- Declarations
- Author contributions (CRediT), funding, conflicts of interest including any relationship to the program studied, ethics approval and consent where applicable, data availability and any use of AI tools.
- Cover letter
- States the article type and the relevance of the work to implementation, confirms that the manuscript is not under consideration elsewhere, and notes any preprint and any request for double-blind review.
- Language
- Clear English, with abbreviations defined at first use.
Reporting guidelines
Guidelines and checklists are collected by the EQUATOR Network.
Authors follow the reporting guideline that matches the design and submit the completed checklist with the manuscript, where applicable.
| Study design | Guideline |
|---|---|
| Implementation studies | StaRI (Standards for Reporting Implementation Studies) |
| Intervention description | TIDieR |
| Quality improvement studies | SQUIRE 2.0 |
| Randomized trials | CONSORT |
| Non-randomized evaluations of interventions | TREND |
| Observational studies (cohort, case-control, cross-sectional) | STROBE |
| Studies using routinely collected health data | RECORD |
| Systematic reviews and meta-analyses | PRISMA 2020 |
| Scoping reviews | PRISMA-ScR |
| Trial and review protocols | SPIRIT; PRISMA-P |
| Qualitative research | SRQR or COREQ |
| Economic evaluations | CHEERS 2022 |
References, tables and figures
- Reference style
- Numbered in order of first citation. List the first five authors, then et al., and give a DOI or stable URL where one exists. Authors are responsible for the accuracy of references.
- Reference examples
-
Journal article: Surname AB, Surname CD. Title of the article. Journal Title. 2026;1(1):1–10. doi:10.xxxx/xxxxx
Book: Surname AB. Title of the Book. 2nd ed. City: Publisher; 2024.
Web page: Organization. Title of the page. Published 2025. Accessed March 3, 2026. https://example.org/page
Dataset: Surname AB. Title of the dataset. Repository name. 2025. doi:10.xxxx/xxxxx
Preprint: Surname AB, Surname CD. Title of the preprint. Preprint server. Posted January 10, 2026. doi:10.xxxx/xxxxx
Trial registration: Registry name. Title of the trial. Identifier. Registered February 5, 2025. https://example.org/trial - Tables
- Numbered consecutively, each with a descriptive title; abbreviations and symbols explained in a footnote.
- Figures
- High resolution (at least 300 dpi) in TIFF, EPS, PNG or high-quality JPEG, with a caption for each figure and text that remains legible after reduction. Logic models and process diagrams are welcome when they are legible at journal width.
- Supplementary files
- Numbered (for example, Supplementary Table S1), cited in the text and listed with short titles at the end of the manuscript. They are published as supplied, so they must be final and free of participant identifiers.
- Reused material
- Written permission from the copyright holder for any figure, table or text reproduced from another source, supplied with the submission. See Data Archiving and Permissions.
Each manuscript includes the statements below that apply to it.
- Ethics approval. The name of the research ethics committee or institutional review board and the approval reference number, or a statement of why review was not required and which body decided.
- Consent. Informed consent was obtained, or consent was waived as documented by the ethics committee, where applicable. Quality-improvement studies state how the activity was reviewed.
- Trial registration. Interventional clinical trials must be registered in an accepted public trial registry at or before the first participant provides consent for enrollment. The registry name, registration number, and registration date must be reported in the manuscript.
- Data availability. Every empirical research manuscript must include a data-availability statement.
- Funding and conflicts of interest. All sources of funding and the role of the funder, and the authors' relationship to any program or organization evaluated.
- Use of AI tools. Any use of generative AI in preparing the manuscript, analyzing data or producing figures, with the tool named and its use described. AI tools are not listed as authors.
Peer review and decisions
Single-blind by default; double-blind review is available on request. To request double-blind review, state the request in the cover letter and prepare the reviewer manuscript as described above.
All submissions undergo initial editorial screening. Manuscripts that meet the journal's scope and minimum requirements proceed to independent peer review. Manuscripts that proceed to external peer review are normally evaluated by at least two independent subject-matter experts.
Editorial decisions are based on scope, scientific quality, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, reporting quality, and relevance to the journal. Revised manuscripts include a point-by-point response to the reviewers.
Fees
The article processing charge is USD 1,200 for every article type. It is payable only after acceptance; withdrawal after submission is subject to the journal's withdrawal policy. Fee-relief inquiries are considered case by case; contact the editorial office before or at submission. See the Article Processing Charges page.
Final checklist
- The work addresses how evidence is put into practice, within the Aims and Scope.
- The manuscript is prepared as one of the journal's article types.
- The title page, abstract, keywords and main text follow the guidance for the type.
- For double-blind review, the reviewer manuscript is anonymized.
- Ethics approval, consent and trial registration are stated, where applicable.
- The reporting-guideline checklist is attached, where applicable.
- Declarations, data availability and any AI use are stated.
- Permissions for reused material and final supplementary files are supplied.
- The cover letter is complete.
Questions about preparing a manuscript can be sent to [email protected].