JMIR Research Protocols

Protocols, grant proposals, registered reports (RR1)

Editor-in-Chief:

Amy Schwartz, MSc, Ph.D., Scientific Editor at JMIR Publications, Ontario, Canada


Impact Factor 1.4 CiteScore 2.4

JMIR Research Protocols  (JRP, ISSN 1929-0748) is a unique journal indexed in PubMed, PubMed Central (PMC), MEDLINE, Sherpa Romeo, DOAJ, Scopus, Web of Science(WoS)/ESCI/SCIE, and EBSCO, publishing peer-reviewed, openly accessible research ideas and grant proposals, and study and trial protocols (also referred to as Registered Report Stage 1 papers). 

In 2024, JMIR Research Protocols received a Journal Impact Factor™ of 1.4 (5-Year Journal Impact Factor™: 1.5) according to the latest release of the Journal Citation Reports™ from Clarivate, 2024. 

With a CiteScore of 2.4, JMIR Research Protocols ranks in the 66th percentile (#211 of 636) as a Q2 journal in the field of General Medicine.

It should be stressed however that most authors do not publish their protocols for "impact" or citations, rather to document their ideas to how to design experiments, to document their successful grant proposals, or to publish (and maybe brag a little about) their already funded protocols (which do not require additional peer-review). We offer this platform for scientists to publish peer-reviewed protocols for a very low APF, and unfunded protocols for a reasonable fee that includes peer-review. 

While the original focus was on eHealth studies, JRP now publishes protocols and grant proposals in all areas of medicine, and their peer-review reports, if available (preliminary results from pilot studies, early results, and formative research should now be published in JMIR Formative Research).

JRP is fully open access, with full-text articles deposited in PubMed Central.

Why should I publish my protocol? 

  • JRP publishes research protocols, grant proposals, pilot/feasibility studies and early reports of ongoing and planned work that encourages collaboration and early feedback, and reduces duplication of effort.
  • JRP will be a valuable educational resource for researchers who want to learn about current research methodologies and how to write a winning grant proposal.
  • JRP creates an early scientific record for researchers who have developed novel methodologies, software, innovations or elaborate protocols.
  • JRP provides a "dry-run" for peer-review of the final results paper, and allows feedback/critique of the methods, often while they still can be fixed.
  • JRP enhances rigor and demonstrates to reviewers of subsequent results papers that authors followed and adhered to carefully developed and described a-priori methods, rather than fishing for P-values (HARKing).
  • JRP facilitates and guarantees subsequent publication of results demonstrating that the methodology has already been reviewed, and reduces the effort of writing up the results, as the protocol can be easily referenced.
  • JRP is compatible with the concept of "Registered Reports" and since May 2018, published protocols receive an International Registered Report Identifier (What is a Registered Report Identifier?) and acceptance of the subsequent results paper is "in principle" guaranteed in any JMIR journal and partner journals - see What is a Registered Report?. We assign an IRRID (International Registered Report Identifier) to each published protocol, faciliating the linking between protocol and final study, and also indicating that results papers of studies are also "in principle accepted" for subsequent publication in other JMIR journals (or other members of the IRRID Registry Network) as long as authors adhere to their original protocol - regardless of study results (even if they are negative), reducing publication bias in medicine.
  • Authors publishing their protocols in JRP will receive a 20% discount on the article processing fee if they publish their results in another journal of the JMIR journal family (for example, JMIR for e-health studies, i-JMR for others).

Need more reasons? Read the Knowledge Base article on "Why should I publish my protocol/grant proposal"!

 

Recent Articles

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RCTs - Protocols/Proposals (funded, already peer-reviewed, eHealth)

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) contributes to significant morbidity and mortality for Chinese immigrants in the United States, exacerbated by social determinants of health (SDOH) barriers such as language barriers, limited access to healthy foods, and low health literacy.

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RCTs - Protocols/Proposals (eHealth)

Persistent infection of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) can lead to cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, cervical cancer, and even death. HPV vaccination for girls aged 9-14 years can effectively prevent the occurrence of cervical cancer. Some Chinese provinces and cities have launched free HPV vaccination programs for school-age girls; however, due to the lack of supportive government policies, the high price and supply shortage of HPV vaccines, and vaccine hesitancy, some parents refuse to vaccinate their daughters.

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Non-Randomized Studies (funded, non-eHealth)

Persons with dementia spend a large part of the day without care and encounters, often without activity, as confirmed by numerous studies. However, no scientific analysis has examined how persons with dementia experience these periods. Such knowledge would be highly relevant for health care professionals and relatives to develop adequate strategies for dealing with times without care.

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Non-Randomized Study Protocols and Methods (Non-eHealth)

There is an increasing need for evidence-based postoperative rehabilitation strategies to optimize patient outcome. Knowledge of potential prognostic factors could steer the development of rehabilitation protocols and could result in better treatment outcomes and higher patient satisfaction.

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Scoping Review Protocols

Human trafficking is a human rights violation in every region of the world. The African continent is not spared. Every year, millions of people experience significant health and social consequences. International organizations and governments combating human trafficking are hindered by a lack of knowledge about what factors influence domestic (within-country) human trafficking.

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Scoping Review Protocols

Syphilis is a systemic, preventable, and curable infection caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum. Despite being treatable, syphilis continues to have a high incidence, with a resurgence observed even in countries with strong health surveillance systems. This highlights the need to understand the various strategies used globally to improve access to care for individuals with syphilis.

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Scoping Review Protocols

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major global public health concern, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where resources and infrastructure for an adequate response are limited. The World Health Organization (WHO) Global Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System (GLASS) was introduced in 2016 to address these challenges, outlining recommendations for priority pathogen-antibiotic combinations. Despite this initiative, implementation in Africa remains understudied. This scoping review aims to assess the current state of implementing WHO GLASS recommendations on antimicrobial sensitivity testing (AST) in Africa.

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Non-Randomized Study Protocols and Methods (Non-eHealth)

Research in the developmental origins of health and disease provides compelling evidence that adverse events during the first 1000 days of life from conception can impact life course health. Despite many decades of research, we still lack a complete understanding of the mechanisms underlying some of these associations. The Newcastle 1000 Study (NEW1000) is a comprehensive, prospective population-based pregnancy cohort study based in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, that will recruit pregnant women and their partners at 11-14 weeks’ gestation, with assessments at 20, 28, and 36 weeks; birth; 6 weeks; and 6 months, in order to provide detailed data about the first 1000 days of life to investigate the developmental origins of noncommunicable diseases.

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NIH mHealth - funded projects

Approximately 100,000 patients undergo fecal ostomy operations annually across the United States. This patient population experiences high surgical complication rates and poor biopsychosocial outcomes. Surgical teams are not trained to address the psychosocial needs that often arise during recovery after fecal ostomy surgery.

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Scoping Review Protocols

Mucopolysaccharidosis type IVA (MPS IVA), also known as Morquio A syndrome, is a rare lysosomal storage disease characterized by autosomal recessive inheritance of mutations in the N-acetylgalactosamine-6-sulfatase (GALNS) gene. This leads to a deficiency of the GALNS enzyme, causing the accumulation of glycosaminoglycans in tissues. Morquio A syndrome primarily affects the skeletal system and joints but can also impact various organs, resulting in symptoms such as hearing and vision loss, respiratory issues, spinal cord compression, heart diseases, and hepatomegaly. The genotype-phenotype relationship is diverse, with studies highlighting variants associated with classic, nonclassic, or intermediate phenotypes. Understanding these genetic factors is crucial for predicting disease prognosis and tailoring effective treatment strategies for individuals with Morquio A syndrome.

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Proposals (eHealth)

Occupational safety hazards include physical, chemical, ergonomic, biological, and psychological hazards. Technological innovation in screening for occupational stress, especially among female workers, is needed to improve their health and productivity.

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NIH funded proposals with peer-review reports (USA)

The majority of people living with HIV in the United States are men who have sex with men (MSM), with race- and ethnicity-based disparities in HIV rates and care continuum. In order to uncover the neighborhood- and network-involved pathways that produce HIV care outcome disparities, systematic, theory-based investigation of the specific and intersecting neighborhood and social network characteristics that relate to the HIV care continuum must be engaged.

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Preprints Open for Peer-Review

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Open Peer Review Period:

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