Nexus of Integrated Clinical Science (NICS) is an international, peer-reviewed, open-access journal dedicated to advancing knowledge across biomedical science, clinical medicine, nursing, midwifery, allied health, diagnostics, therapeutics, rehabilitation, public health, healthcare delivery, and health professions education.
NICS provides an interdisciplinary platform for the publication of scientifically rigorous research that contributes to the understanding, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, monitoring, rehabilitation, and management of human health conditions, as well as the improvement of patient care and healthcare delivery.
The journal aims to connect biomedical discovery with clinical practice and real-world healthcare, while encouraging collaboration across professional and disciplinary boundaries.
NICS welcomes contributions from researchers, clinicians, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, allied health professionals, public health researchers, educators, and other qualified healthcare professionals from around the world.
Nexus of Integrated Clinical Science (NICS) is an open-access, peer-reviewed journal. All published articles are freely and immediately accessible online without subscription fees, payment, or mandatory registration.
All scholarly content published by NICS is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This license permits users to read, download, copy, distribute, and adapt the published material for any lawful purpose, including commercial use, provided that appropriate credit is given to the original authors and source and any changes are indicated.
Authors retain copyright of their published work while granting the journal the rights necessary for publication and dissemination under the stated open license.
NICS is committed to transparent licensing, unrestricted access to scholarly content, and the responsible dissemination of scientific knowledge.
NICS is designed to bring together complementary areas of biomedical and healthcare science within a coherent multidisciplinary framework.
The journal's scope encompasses, but is not limited to:
Biomedical and Translational Sciences
Clinical Medicine and Medical Specialties
Nursing and Nursing Science
Midwifery and Women's Health
Pharmacy, Pharmacology, and Therapeutics
Dentistry and Oral Health Sciences
Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine
Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy
Speech, Language, Hearing, and Communication Sciences
Nutrition and Dietetics
Anesthesiology and Perioperative Care
Medical Laboratory Science and Pathology
Radiology, Medical Imaging, and Diagnostics
Public Health, Epidemiology, and Preventive Medicine
Behavioral and Social Medicine
Healthcare Systems, Quality, and Patient Safety
Health Policy, Implementation Science, and Health Economics
Digital Health, Clinical Informatics, and Artificial Intelligence
Patient-Centered Outcomes and Interprofessional Care
Medical and Health Professions Education
Through this multidisciplinary structure, NICS supports research that examines health and healthcare from complementary scientific, clinical, patient-centered, professional, and systems-level perspectives.
The journal particularly welcomes research in which integration across disciplines contributes meaningfully to scientific understanding, clinical practice, patient care, prevention, healthcare delivery, or health outcomes.
NICS operates a double-blind peer-review system.
Manuscripts undergo an initial editorial assessment followed, where appropriate, by independent evaluation by qualified external reviewers. Normally, manuscripts are assessed by at least two independent reviewers, although the number and expertise of reviewers may vary according to the article type, subject area, and methodological complexity.
Editorial decisions are based on scientific quality, methodological rigor, relevance, ethical compliance, reporting quality, and conformity with the journal's aims and scope.
Further information is provided in the journal's Peer Review Policy.
NICS is committed to maintaining high standards of research integrity and responsible scholarly publishing.
The journal follows internationally recognized publication-ethics principles and relevant guidance from organizations including the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).
The journal maintains policies addressing:
Research and publication misconduct
Authorship and contributorship
Conflicts of interest
Funding disclosure
Ethical approval and informed consent
Clinical trial registration
Data availability and research transparency
Image and data integrity
Peer-review ethics
Artificial intelligence and generative AI
Corrections, retractions, and Expressions of Concern
Editorial complaints and appeals
NICS is committed to protecting the integrity of the scholarly record and to handling ethical concerns through transparent and appropriate editorial procedures.
NICS values research that has meaningful implications for human health and healthcare.
Depending on the nature of the study, published research may contribute to:
Clinical practice and decision-making
Patient-centered care
Nursing and midwifery practice
Rehabilitation and allied health practice
Diagnosis and therapeutic management
Medication management and pharmaceutical care
Prevention and public health
Patient safety and quality improvement
Interprofessional and integrated care
Healthcare delivery and health systems
Digital and technology-enabled healthcare
Health professions education
Biomedical and translational research
NICS recognizes that scientific relevance is not limited to immediate clinical application. Basic, methodological, epidemiological, educational, and health-systems research may also make important contributions when they provide a clear and substantive connection to human health, healthcare, or biomedical science.
Nexus of Integrated Clinical Science (NICS) is committed to the broad and equitable dissemination of scientific knowledge. As a fully open-access journal, NICS provides free and immediate access to all published articles without subscription fees or registration requirements.
NICS follows a continuous publication model.
Following acceptance, manuscripts proceed through the editorial and production stages, which may include copyediting, formatting, typesetting, metadata preparation, and author proof review.
Articles are published individually online after completion of the required editorial and production processes rather than being held for a later issue.
This model supports timely dissemination of accepted research while maintaining the journal's standards for editorial review, production quality, and bibliographic accuracy.
NICS welcomes research contributions from authors and institutions worldwide.
The journal seeks to provide an inclusive scientific platform that facilitates communication among different healthcare professions, research disciplines, and areas of clinical and biomedical investigation.
By bringing together complementary perspectives from medicine, nursing, midwifery, pharmacy, allied health, public health, diagnostics, rehabilitation, health systems, and related fields, NICS aims to encourage interdisciplinary research and collaboration.
The journal's editorial and peer-review processes are designed to evaluate manuscripts according to their scientific and methodological merits rather than the authors' geographic location, institutional affiliation, or professional background.
Authors are permitted to deposit the published version of their articles in institutional, subject-based, or other repositories of their choice, provided that the original publication in Nexus of Integrated Clinical Science (NICS) is properly acknowledged and the article's DOI and applicable Creative Commons license are included.
The mission of Nexus of Integrated Clinical Science (NICS) is to advance reliable scientific knowledge and support evidence-informed healthcare by connecting biomedical research, clinical practice, patient care, health professions, public health, and healthcare systems.
NICS seeks to:
Promote rigorous and transparent biomedical and healthcare research
Facilitate translation of scientific knowledge into appropriate clinical and healthcare applications
Support evidence-based patient care and professional practice
Encourage collaboration across healthcare disciplines
Advance research in diagnosis, treatment, prevention, rehabilitation, and healthcare delivery
Promote patient safety, quality improvement, and patient-centered outcomes
Support responsible innovation in digital health, clinical informatics, and artificial intelligence
Encourage high-quality research in nursing, midwifery, allied health, and other healthcare professions
Disseminate scientifically sound evidence through an accessible Open Access model
Through these objectives, NICS aims to contribute to the development of a rigorous, transparent, and interconnected body of knowledge across the biomedical and healthcare sciences.
