Article types
Frontiers offers multiple article types to maximize your options for disseminating your work. Some article types, such as those that mention medicine, are section-specific. Only article types that appear in the drop-down menu during the submission process are available for submission to the selected section.
Please refer to your preferred journal and section to clarify which article types are available.
Ensure that any manuscript you submit conforms to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) recommendations for ethics, as well as to the general Frontiers article requirements. All submitted manuscripts will be checked by plagiarism detection software.
All Frontiers articles are peer-reviewed, receive a DOI, are citable, published in PDF and HTML format, and submitted for indexing in relevant digital archives.
More useful information about submitting:
Original Research
Original Research articles report on primary and unpublished studies. Original Research may also encompass confirming studies and disconfirming results which allow hypothesis elimination, reformulation and/or report on the non-reproducibility of previously published results. Original Research articles are peer-reviewed, have a maximum word count of 12,000 and may contain no more than 15 Figures/Tables. Authors are required to pay a fee (A-type article) to publish an Original Research article. Original Research articles should have the following format: 1) Abstract, 2) Introduction, 3) Materials and Methods, 4) Results, 5) Discussion.
Review
Review articles cover topics that have seen significant development or progress in recent years, with comprehensive depth and a balanced perspective. Reviews should present a complete overview of the state of the art (and should not merely summarize the literature), as well as discuss the following: 1) Different schools of thought or controversies, 2) Fundamental concepts, issues, and problems, 3) Current research gaps, 4) Potential developments in the field. Review articles are peer-reviewed, have a maximum word count of 12,000 and may contain no more than 15 Figures/Tables. Authors are required to pay a fee (A-type article) to publish a Review article. Review articles should have the following format: 1) Abstract, 2) Introduction, 3) Subsections relevant for the subject, 4) Discussion. Review articles must not include unpublished material (unpublished/original data, submitted manuscripts, or personal communications) and may be rejected in review or reclassified, at a significant delay, if found to include such content.
Policy and Practice Reviews
Policy & Practice Reviews provide a comprehensive coverage and balanced overview of current and relevant topics related to policy, regulations, and guidelines that may be coming from academia, relevant societies, regulatory bodies, industries and others. In contrast to Policy Briefs, this article type provides authors with more space to elaborate on policies and/or guidelines. Policy & Practice Reviews are peer-reviewed, have a maximum word count of 12,000 and may contain no more than 15 Figures/Tables. Authors are required to pay a fee (A-type article) to publish a Policy & Practice Review. Policy & Practice Reviews should have the following format: 1) Abstract, 2) Introduction, 3) Sections on assessment of policy/guidelines options and implications, 4) Actionable Recommendations, 5) Discussion.
Perspective
Perspective articles present a viewpoint on a specific area of investigation. They should provide the following: 1) Discuss current advances and future directions, 2) Clear presentation of the authors’ perspective, 3) Accurate presentation and citations of other authors’ work, 4) May include original data as well as personal insights and opinions. Perspective articles are peer-reviewed, have a maximum word count of 3,000 and may contain no more than 2 Figures/Tables. Authors are required to pay a fee (B-type article) to publish a Perspective article. Perspective articles should have the following format: 1) Abstract, 2) Introduction, 3) Subsections relevant for the subject, 4) Discussion.
Clinical Trial
Clinical Trial articles describe the results of interventional studies related to health. These articles can include pilot studies, safety and efficacy trials, surrogate endpoint studies, and proof-of concept studies. Clinical Trial articles are peer-reviewed, have a maximum word count of 12,000 and may contain no more than 15 Figures/Tables. Authors are required to pay a fee (A-type article) to publish a Clinical Trial article. Clinical Trial articles should have the following format: 1) Abstract (please include the clinical trial registry number), 2) Introduction, 3) Materials and Methods (including flow diagram when applicable, for example the CONSORT FLOW DIAGRAM- http://www.consort-statement.org/consort-statement/flow-diagram), 4) Results, 5) Discussion. All clinical trials must be registered in a public trials registry to be considered for publication, and authors should be compliant with the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT).
Case Report
Case Reports highlight unique cases of human or animal patients that present with an unexpected/ diagnosis, treatment outcome, or clinical course. Case Reports are peer-reviewed, have a maximum word count of 3,000 and may contain no more than 4 display items (figures, tables, or videos). Authors are required to pay a fee (B-type article) to publish a Case Report article. Authors should follow the CARE guidelines and submit a completed CARE checklist as a supplementary file (template available here: https://www.care-statement.org/checklist).
Case Reports should have the following format: 1) Abstract, 2) Introduction: including what is unique about the case and medical literature references, 3) Case description: including de-identified patient information, relevant physical examination and other clinical findings, relevant past interventions and their outcomes, 4) A figure or table showcasing a timeline with relevant data from the episode of care, 5) Diagnostic assessment, details on the therapeutic intervention, follow-up and outcomes, as specified in the CARE guidelines, 6) Discussion: strengths and limitations of the approach to the case, discussion of the relevant medical literature (similar and contrasting cases), take-away lessons from the case, 7) Patient perspective. Authors are required to obtain written informed consent from the patients (or their legal representatives) for the publication. Only Case Reports that are original and significantly advance the field will be considered. All Case Reports should carry the title “Case Report: ‘area of focus’”. More information on CARE guidelines here: https://www.care-statement.org/
Community Case Study
A community case study documents local experience in delivering a service to meet an identified need, in contrast to investigator-driven research that is typically evidence-based. Herein, community case studies are defined as a description of, and reflection upon, a program or practice geared towards improving the health and functioning of a targeted population. Under this article type, a broad spectrum of manuscripts will be considered that describe novel public health interventions at the behavioural, organizational, community, environmental and/or policy level. Community Case Study articles are peer-reviewed, have a maximum word count of 5,000 and may contain no more than 5 Figures/Tables. Authors are required to pay a fee (B-type article) to publish a Community Case Study article. Community Case Study articles should have the following format: 1) Abstract, 2) Introduction: Description of the nature of the problem being addressed and rationale for the proposed innovation, 3) Context (setting and population) in which the innovation occurs, 4) Detail to understand key programmatic elements, 5) Discussion section that shares practical implications, lessons learned for future applications, 6) Acknowledgment of any conceptual or methodological constraints.
Classification
Classification articles include a brief commentary and a set of classifications that have previously received scientific scrutiny by expert groups of investigators so as to bring definition and order to nomenclature. As such, Classification Articles will necessarily change from time to time, and be republished, as new information accrues. Classification articles are peer-reviewed, have a maximum word count of 2,000 and may contain no more than 15 Table/Figures. Authors are required to pay a fee (A-type article) to publish a Classification Article. Classification articles should have the following format: 1) Abstract, 2) Introduction (brief commentary) 3) Set of Classifications 4) Discussion.
Policy Brief
Policy Briefs articles are short reports that provide a practical and evidence-based evaluation of policy-related issues. This article type also provides policy options and actionable recommendations which allows it to be used as a decision-making tool. Policy Briefs articles are peer-reviewed, have a maximum word count of 3,000 and may contain no more than 5 Tables/Figures. Authors are required to pay a fee (B-type article) to publish a Policy Brief article. Policy Brief articles should have the following format: 1) Abstract (up to 125 words in a bullet point format), 2) Introduction, 3) Sections on Policy Options and Implications, 4) Actionable Recommendations, 5) Conclusions.
Brief Research Report
Brief Research Report articles present original research and/or preliminary findings in a more succinct way, and with fewer details, than Original Research articles. Additionally, in line with the Frontiers ethos of publishing scientifically-sound discoveries, Brief Research Reports also encourage submission of negative results and may report on the non-reproducibility of previously published results. Brief Research Reports articles are peer-reviewed, have a maximum word count of 4,000 and may contain no more than 4 Figures/Tables. Authors are required to pay a fee (B-type article) to publish a Brief Research Report. Brief Research Report articles should have the following format: 1) Abstract, 2) Introduction, 3) Method, 4) Results, 5) Discussion. Supplementary material may be included with Brief Research Reports.
General Commentary
General Commentary articles provide critical comments on a previous publication at Frontiers. Authors wishing to submit commentaries on articles published outside of Frontiers are encouraged to reformat and submit them as an Opinion type. General Commentary articles are peer-reviewed, have a maximum word count of 1,000 words and may contain no more than 1 Figure/Table. They should not contain unpublished or original data. General Commentary articles must be submitted for consideration to the same Journal and Specialty as the original article. Authors are required to pay a fee (C-type article) to publish a General Commentary article. General Commentary articles should have the following format: 1) Title: “Commentary: Title of the original article” (mandatory), 2) Introduction, 3) Subsections relevant for the subject, 4) Discussion. At the beginning of your General Commentary, please provide the complete citation of the article being commented on.
Correction
Corrigendum/Addendum: should authors notice errors that affect the scholarly record or the integrity of the paper, authors are encouraged to submit a correction online. The correction must detail the reason(s) for the error(s) and include only the elements (e.g. sections, sentence, figure) of the manuscript being revised or corrected. All authors of the original paper need to agree to the request for changes. The contribution to the field statement should be used to clearly state the reason for the Correction. Depending on the extent of the correction required, corrections may require peer review. Authors are informed that requests for changes beyond that described here may not be accepted for publication.
Erratum: should authors notice differences between their approved galley proofs and the final published article, thus leading to errors that affect the scholarly record or the integrity of the paper, authors are encouraged to submit a request for erratum to the Frontiers Production Office (production.office@frontiersin.org), clearly specifying the error and the correct information.
Editorial
Editorials are submitted exclusively by the host editor(s) of a Frontiers Research Topic, to convey to the reader the aims and objectives of the research that pertains to the topic, as well as placing it in a broader context. The Editorial should present the contributing articles of the Research Topic but should not be a mere table of contents. As the final contributing article to the Research Topic, Editorials should be submitted once all expected articles have been accepted and published. Editorials should not include unpublished or original data and the inclusion of references is strongly encouraged. Editorial articles may contain 1 Figure and have a word count of 1,000 for Topics with 5-10 articles. The word limit can be increased for each additional article in the Topic, up to a maximum of 5,000 words for 50 articles or more. Topic editors are not required to pay a fee to publish an Editorial article. Submissions are required to have the title Editorial: "Title of Research Topic".
Registered Report
Registered Reports are peer-reviewed articles that present empirical qualitative or quantitative research (novel studies, replication studies, meta-analysis, analysis of existing data sets), outlining a proposed methodology and analysis which is pre-registered before data collection. At Stage 1 of peer review, Registered Reports are limited to a maximum of 3,000 words, 2 Figures/Tables and should follow the format: 1) Abstract, 2) Introduction, 3) Methods, 4) Preliminary results from any pilot experiments (if applicable). If the Registered Report is endorsed following peer-review and the research is conducted according to the approved methodology, the manuscript will be given an In-Principle Acceptance. Authors have 1 month to archive their protocol in OSF registries. Following the In-Principle Acceptance authors have 1 year to collect data and submit a complete manuscript for Stage 2 of peer review. A complete manuscript has a maximum word count of 12,000, may contain no more than 15 Figures/Tables and should follow the format: 1) Peer-reviewed sections from Stage 1 (Abstract, Introduction, Methods), 2) Results (if results include unregistered analysis, these should be indicated separately as 'Exploratory Analysis'), 3) Discussion. Please note that data should be made available to reviewers at Stage 2 of peer review, and after full publication made permanently and publicly available with a DOI using OSF, Zenodo or institutional repository or similar. Authors are required to pay a fee (A-type article) to publish a Registered Report. Should authors wish to withdraw their registered report after the In-Principle Acceptance, Frontiers will publish a Withdrawn Registration.
Study Protocol
Study Protocol articles document the design of prospective research and it is intended to facilitate dissemination of ongoing studies and promote transparency. Study Protocol articles are peer-reviewed, have a maximum word count of 12,000 and may include up to 15 Figures/Tables. Authors are required to pay a fee (A-type article) to publish a Study Protocol article. Study Protocol articles should have the following format: 1) Abstract (please include the clinical trial registry number for clinical studies), 2) Introduction, 3) Methods and Analysis (including design; selection/treatment of subjects; interventional methods; data analysis), 4) Discussion, 5) Ethics and Dissemination. For clinical studies, registration in a public clinical trial registry is mandatory prior to the submission of the manuscript and the authors are strongly encouraged to follow the SPIRIT guidelines (http://www.spirit-statement.org/) and checklist. Study Protocols are not considered if other articles relating to the study are already published or in review, if it reports any research data from the study, or for any pilot or feasibility study.