1. General Information
Nexus of Integrated Clinical Science (NICS) welcomes original, high-quality manuscripts that align with the journal’s scope. Submissions must be unpublished and not under consideration elsewhere. Manuscripts should be written in clear, concise English and comply with international reporting and ethical standards.
2. Article Types
- Original Research Articles: Observational, interventional, and real-world evidence studies.
- Evidence Synthesis: Systematic reviews, meta-analyses, scoping reviews.
- Clinical Audits and Case Series: Retrospective audits and structured case series.
- Diagnostic Imaging and Clinical Diagnostics: Studies on diagnostic accuracy, imaging evaluation, and decision-support tools.
- Study Protocols: Registered clinical, translational, or health services research protocols.
- Clinical Guidelines and Consensus Statements: Evidence-based recommendations using transparent methodology.
- Prediction Models and Clinical Algorithms: Development, validation, and clinical application.
- Commentaries and Editorials: Expert perspectives on emerging clinical issues.
3. Manuscript Preparation
- Structure: Title page, Abstract, Keywords (3–6), Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, Clinical Relevance and Implications for
Patient Care, Acknowledgments, Funding, Conflicts of Interest, References (Vancouver style).
- Abstract: Structured abstracts are required for research articles (Background, Methods, Results, Conclusion, and Implications for Patient Care). For other article types, structured or unstructured abstracts may be used as appropriate. Authors are encouraged to indicate clinical relevance where applicable.
- Keywords: 3–6 standard medical subject terms.
- References: Follow Vancouver style; accuracy is the author’s responsibility.
4. Reporting Guidelines
- CONSORT (clinical trials), STROBE (observational), PRISMA (reviews), TRIPOD (prediction models).
5. Submission Process
All manuscripts must be submitted via the online system, including required metadata and files.
6. Ethics and Data Availability
- Ethical approval and informed consent required for human studies.
- Disclosure of conflicts of interest.
- Data Availability Statement mandatory; authors are encouraged to share data publicly.
7. Peer Review
Double-blind peer review by at least two independent experts. Section Editors oversee review; final decision by Editor-in-Chief.
8. Article Processing Charges (APC)
- International authors: Free.
- Iranian authors: Original Research/Reviews: 25,000,000 IRR; Other Articles: 10,000,000 IRR.
- Collaborative articles with international co-authors: 50% discount.
- APC covers open-access publication under CC BY 4.0. Fee waivers available in special circumstances.
9. Open Access and Copyright
Authors retain copyright. All content published under CC BY 4.0.
10. Post-Acceptance
Copyediting, typesetting, and proof review required. Articles are published continuously online upon finalization.
11. Use of AI in Editing
- Permitted only for language, grammar, and clarity improvements.
- Prohibited for data generation or analysis manipulation.
- AI use must be disclosed in Acknowledgments. Follow TRIPOD-AI and CONSORT-AI standards.
