JMIR Research Protocols

Ongoing trials and protocols, grant proposals, and current methods and approaches. 

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It should be stressed however that most authors do not publish their protocols for "impact" or citations, rather to document their ideas to how to design experiments, to document their successful grant proposals, or to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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Systematic Review Protocols

The increased incidence of breast cancer implies the appearance of frequent symptoms associated with disease and treatments, such as pain. For the management of this issue, auricular therapy has been used in a complementary manner, especially for its safety and analgesic action.

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Non-Randomized Studies (funded, non-eHealth)

Patients with post–COVID-19 condition (PCC) experience a wide range of complaints (physical, cognitive, and mental), sometimes with high levels of disability in daily activities. Evidence of effective interdisciplinary rehabilitation treatment is lacking. A person-centered, biopsychosocial, interdisciplinary rehabilitation program, adapted to expert opinions and the patient’s needs, was therefore developed.

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Scoping Review Protocols

Learning styles are biological and developmental configurations of personal characteristics that make the same teaching method effective for some and ineffective for others. Studies support a relationship between learning style and career choices in medicine, resulting in learning style patterns being observed in different residency programs, including in general surgery, from medical school to the last stages of training. The methodologies, populations, and contexts of the few studies pertinent to the matter are very different from one another, and a scoping review on this theme will enhance and organize what is already known.

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Systematic Review Protocols

Root canal failure and secondary endodontic infection are frequent clinical scenarios in dentistry. The main microorganisms implicated in root canal therapy failure are persistent Enterococcus faecalis, Candida albicans, and Staphylococcus aureus. To combat the impact of disease resistance, scientists are concentrating on alternative antimicrobial root canal sealers. Nanomaterials are a recent development in endodontic materials that exhibit great antimicrobial properties, making them an ideal material choice for root canal sealers.

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NIH funded proposals with peer-review reports (USA)

Stress related to Alzheimer disease and related dementias (ADRD) is common, particularly among those who care for persons with challenging behaviors and personality or mood changes. Mindfulness and self-compassion programs are efficacious for managing stress. The skills of mindfulness and self-compassion, however, must be integrated with behavioral management skills in order to effectively improve caregiver stress.

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NIH mHealth - funded projects

HIV disproportionately affects sexual minority men (SMM; eg, gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men) in Lima, Peru; epidemiological data estimate that 32% to 39% of new HIV infections occur among adult cisgender SMM within primary partnerships (ie, male couples). Most HIV prevention-care research in Lima, Peru, has focused on SMM as individuals and not couples. To help address this critical gap in prevention care, we developed Para Ti, Para Mí, Para Nosotros (P3): a couples-based, digital HIV serostatus-neutral intervention (DHI) for adult cisgender SMM couples in Lima, Peru. The P3 DHI is designed to facilitate couples with skill-building, communication, decision-making, and working together to form and adhere to a detailed prevention care plan that aligns with their explicit sexual agreement. The P3 DHI is theoretically informed, self-guided, directed, sequential, and fully automated.

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Formative Studies and eHealth/mHealth Development

Digital mental health tools, designed to augment traditional mental health treatments, are becoming increasingly important due to a wide range of barriers to accessing mental health care, including a growing shortage of clinicians. Most existing tools use rule-based algorithms, often leading to interactions that feel unnatural compared with human therapists. Large language models (LLMs) offer a solution for the development of more natural, engaging digital tools. In this paper, we detail the development of Socrates 2.0, which was designed to engage users in Socratic dialogue surrounding unrealistic or unhelpful beliefs, a core technique in cognitive behavioral therapies. The multiagent LLM-based tool features an artificial intelligence (AI) therapist, Socrates, which receives automated feedback from an AI supervisor and an AI rater. The combination of multiple agents appeared to help address common LLM issues such as looping, and it improved the overall dialogue experience. Initial user feedback from individuals with lived experiences of mental health problems as well as cognitive behavioral therapists has been positive. Moreover, tests in approximately 500 scenarios showed that Socrates 2.0 engaged in harmful responses in under 1% of cases, with the AI supervisor promptly correcting the dialogue each time. However, formal feasibility studies with potential end users are needed.

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RCTs - Protocols/Proposals (eHealth)

The outcome disparities for African American recipients of kidney transplant is a public health issue that has plagued the field of transplant since its inception. Based on national data, African American recipients have nearly twice the risk of graft loss at 5 years after transplant, when compared with White recipients. Evidence demonstrates that medication nonadherence and high tacrolimus variability substantially impact graft outcomes and racial disparities, most notably late (>2 years) after the transplant. Nonadherence is a leading cause of graft loss. Prospective multicenter data demonstrate that one-third of all graft loss are directly attributed to nonadherence. We have spent 10 years of focused research to develop a comprehensive model explaining the predominant risk factors leading to disparities in African American kidney recipients. However, there are still gaps in patient-level data that hinder the deeper understanding of the disparities. Lack of data from the patient often lead to provider biases, which will be addressed with this intervention. Culturally competent, pharmacist-led interventions in medication therapy management will also address therapeutic inertia. Pharmacist interventions will mitigate medication access barriers as well (cost and insurance denials). Thus, this multidimensional intervention addresses patient, provider, and structural factors that drive racial disparities in African American kidney recipients.

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Non-randomized Protocols and Methods (ehealth)

Botswana has made significant investments in its health care information infrastructure, including vertical programs for child health and nutrition, HIV care, and tuberculosis. However, effectively integrating the more than 18 systems in place for data collection and reporting has proved to be challenging. The Botswana Health Data Collaborative Roadmap Strategy (2020-24) states that “there exists parallel reporting systems and data is not integrated into the mainstream reports at the national level,” seconded by the Botswana National eLearning strategy (2020), which states that “there is inadequate information flow at all levels, proliferation of systems, reporting tools are not synthesized; hence too many systems are not communicating.”

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Non-randomized Protocols and Methods (ehealth)

For more responsive care provision for motor neuron disease and caregivers, a digital system called Telehealth in MND-Care (TiM-C) was created. TiM-C sends regular symptom questionnaires to users; their responses are sent to health care professionals (HCPs). To enable people with motor neuron disease to participate in research studies more easily, a parallel platform was developed from TiM-C, called Telehealth in MND-Research (TiM-R). TiM-R can advertise studies, collect data, and make them available to MND researchers.

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Scoping Review Protocols

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a pivotal element in health care, leading to significant advancements across various medical domains, including palliative care and hospice services. These services focus on improving the quality of life for patients with life-limiting illnesses, and AI’s ability to process complex datasets can enhance decision-making and personalize care in these sensitive settings. However, incorporating AI into palliative and hospice care requires careful examination to ensure it reflects the multifaceted nature of these settings.

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Non-Randomized Studies (funded, non-eHealth)

Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) are emerging pollutants of concern with ubiquitous presence in global ecosystems. MNPs pose potential implications for human health; however, the health impacts of MNP exposures are not yet understood. Recent evidence suggests that MNPs can cross the placental barrier, underlying the urgent need to understand their impact on reproductive health and development.

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Preprints Open for Peer-Review

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