2470-5020
ISSN
For authors
Instructions for Authors
Journal of Neurological Research and Therapy · ISSN 2470-5020
How JNRT expects a neuroscience or neurology manuscript to be prepared, reviewed and published: article types and manuscript structure, ethics and consent, references and figures, and the submission process.
There is no submission or review fee. The article processing charge of USD 2,100 is invoiced after acceptance. Withdrawal after submission is subject to the journal's withdrawal policy.
Before you submit
Submission checklist
If your manuscript meets these, you are ready to submit. Items marked “where applicable” depend on your article type; see the requirements by article type.
- An original manuscript within basic, clinical, applied, experimental and translational research in neuroscience and neurology, in one of the accepted article types, and not under review elsewhere.
- Title, author details and affiliations (ORCID iDs recommended), running title, and a short list of specific keywords.
- The abstract your article type requires: structured, unstructured, or none for a Letter to the Editor.
- Main sections organized for your article type: Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion for empirical studies; the structure set out for each other format (Review, Case report, Study protocol, Methodology, Perspective, Letter to the Editor and Commentary).
- Where applicable: methods detailed enough to replicate, hypotheses and endpoints stated, statistics (including any sample-size or power calculation) and software named, and the matching reporting guideline followed.
- Where applicable, ethics approval number and informed consent, or a waiver documented by the ethics committee, for studies involving people; for animal research, approval from an institutional animal care and use committee or animal ethics committee (with the reference number), compliance with applicable national and institutional animal-welfare regulations and the 3Rs, and reporting in line with the ARRIVE guidelines.
- For a Case report (including a short case series), written patient consent and all identifiers removed.
- Numbered references in order of appearance (see the examples below), permission for any reused material, supplementary files cited in the text, and a disclosure of any AI use.
- Declarations: author contributions (CRediT), funding, conflicts of interest, and data availability (state “Not applicable” where no data were generated or analyzed).
Ready to submit?
JNRT submits through ManuscriptZone, our online editorial and peer-review system. Start from the submit page. Each submission is acknowledged and screened by the editorial office before peer review.
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Submission process
How to submit in three steps
Prepare your manuscript
Format your paper to the structure for your article type below and include the sections and declarations it requires, with a cover letter stating its significance.
Submit through one route
Primary route: ManuscriptZone, the publisher's editorial and peer-review system. Alternative route: the simple manuscript submission form. Assisted route: email the editorial office at [email protected]. Authors must use only one submission route for the same manuscript. Each submission is acknowledged and screened by the editorial office before peer review.
Peer review and decision
Single-blind by default; double-blind review is available on request. Manuscripts that proceed to external peer review are normally evaluated by at least two independent subject-matter experts. Decisions are made by the handling editor (see the editorial board). You may revise or appeal under our editorial policies.
Tip: include a cover letter stating the significance of your work and confirming it is not under consideration elsewhere.
What we publish
Article types
JNRT welcomes basic, clinical, applied, experimental and translational research in neuroscience and neurology in the formats below. Basic and experimental studies are eligible without an immediate clinical application, provided they address a clear neuroscience or neurological question with appropriate scientific methods.
JNRT welcomes well-documented case reports, including short case series, alongside original research and reviews.
Original research
Novel empirical studies in basic, clinical, applied, experimental or translational neuroscience and neurology, with clear methods and findings.
Review
Narrative, scoping or topical overviews of a defined area of neuroscience or neurology.
Systematic review and meta-analysis
A protocol-driven synthesis of the evidence on a focused neuroscience or neurology question, following a recognized reporting guideline such as PRISMA.
Case report
A well-documented single case or a short case series of clinical or diagnostic significance, with patient consent. A short case series is submitted and classified as a Case report.
Short communication
A concise report of a single key result or a focused preliminary finding.
Brief report
A complete but small-scale study, reported in shortened form.
Study protocol
The design and methods of an ongoing or planned study, reported before results are available, following a guideline such as SPIRIT.
Methodology
A new or substantially improved method, model or analytical approach, with enough detail and validation for others to apply it.
Perspective
A forward-looking, evidence-grounded viewpoint on a question or development in neuroscience and neurology.
Letter to the Editor
A short response to work published in JNRT or a focused scientific point; may be invited.
Commentary
A brief commentary on published work or a focused scientific question; may be invited.
Editorials are commissioned by the editors.
Work without a clear neuroscience or neurology focus is outside our scope. See the full Aims and Scope →
Preparing your manuscript
Structure & formatting
Requirements depend on the article type. The general requirements apply to every submission; the requirements by article type then set out the abstract, main sections and reporting guideline for each format. Manuscripts should be complete and self-contained.
General requirements (all article types)
- Title
- Clear and concise; no undefined abbreviations; reflects the content of the article.
- Author details
- Full names, institutional affiliations, ORCID iDs (recommended), and a designated corresponding author.
- Double-blind review
- For double-blind review, remove author names, affiliations, acknowledgments, funding details, institution names, and other identifying information from the reviewer manuscript. Provide identifying information separately in the title-page file or submission form.
- Running title
- A shortened version of the title for page headers.
- Abstract
- Set by the article type (see the requirements by article type below): structured (Background, Methods, Results, Conclusions, with headings adapted where the format requires, for example for a Study protocol); unstructured; or none.
- Keywords
- A short list of specific, searchable terms; use MeSH terms where applicable.
- Main text
- Organized as set out for your article type below. The Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion (IMRaD) structure applies only to empirical formats.
- Reporting guideline
- Where applicable, report to the guideline that matches your design, for example CONSORT, STROBE, STARD, ARRIVE, PRISMA, SPIRIT or CARE.
- Ethics and consent
- Where applicable, ethics approval and consent statements (see Ethics).
- Declarations
- Author contributions (CRediT), funding statement, conflict-of-interest disclosure, and a data-availability statement (state “Not applicable” where no data were generated or analyzed).
- References
- Numbered in order of appearance, in the journal style (see References & figures).
Requirements by article type
Hypotheses, endpoints, statistical analysis and power calculations, and Methods and Results sections, apply only where the design calls for them.
- Original research
- Abstract: structured. Main sections: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion. State the research question and, where applicable, the hypothesis and primary and secondary endpoints; describe statistical methods, including any sample-size or power calculation, where applicable. Reporting: the guideline for your design, for example CONSORT (randomized trials), STROBE (observational studies), STARD (diagnostic accuracy) or ARRIVE (animal research).
- Review
- Abstract: unstructured. Main sections: an Introduction stating the aim and scope of the review, thematic sections organized by topic, and a concluding synthesis of gaps and future directions; Methods and Results sections are not required. Describe how the literature was identified where relevant; scoping reviews follow PRISMA-ScR.
- Systematic review and meta-analysis
- Abstract: structured. Main sections: Introduction; Methods (eligibility criteria, information sources and search strategy, study selection, data extraction, risk-of-bias assessment and synthesis methods); Results; Discussion. Reporting: PRISMA, with a flow diagram. Register the protocol (for example in PROSPERO) where applicable and give the registration number.
- Case report (including short case series)
- Abstract: brief, unstructured. Main sections: Introduction; Case presentation (history, examination, investigations, diagnosis, treatment, outcome and follow-up; a timeline is recommended); Discussion stating the clinical or diagnostic lesson. Hypotheses, endpoints and power calculations do not apply. Reporting: CARE. Consent: written informed consent for publication from the patient or next of kin, stated in the manuscript, with all identifiers removed.
- Short communication
- Abstract: structured. Main sections: a condensed Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion focused on the single key result or preliminary finding. Reporting: as for Original research, where applicable.
- Brief report
- Abstract: structured. Main sections: a shortened Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion for a complete small-scale study, with statistical methods where applicable. Reporting: as for Original research, where applicable.
- Study protocol
- Abstract: structured, with headings adapted to a protocol (for example Background, Methods and design, Ethics and dissemination, Registration). Main sections: Background and rationale; objectives and, where applicable, hypotheses; Methods and design (setting, participants, interventions or exposures, outcomes or endpoints, sample size and timeline); planned statistical analysis; ethics approval and study registration; dissemination. There is no Results section, because the protocol is reported before results are available. Reporting: SPIRIT for trial protocols, or the protocol guideline for your design (for example PRISMA-P for systematic review protocols); give the registry name and number where applicable.
- Methodology
- Abstract: structured, with headings adapted to the method. Main sections: Rationale (the gap or limitation the method addresses); Method description, with enough detail, parameters, materials or code for others to apply it; Validation (performance, comparison with existing approaches where available, and limitations); Discussion of applications. Statistical methods where applicable; share code and data where possible.
- Perspective
- Abstract: brief, unstructured. Main text: free structure with descriptive headings, presenting an evidence-referenced argument with conclusions proportionate to the cited evidence. No Methods or Results sections, hypotheses or statistics are required.
- Letter to the Editor
- Abstract: none. Main text: short and without section headings, responding to work published in JNRT (cite the article) or making a focused scientific point, with a small number of references.
- Commentary
- Abstract: brief, unstructured. Main text: free structure, an evidence-referenced discussion of published work (cited in full) or of a focused scientific question. No Methods or Results sections are required.
- Editorials (commissioned)
- Commissioned by the editors and not open to unsolicited submission; format is agreed with the commissioning editor.
Main sections for empirical formats
For Original research, Short communication, Brief report, and Systematic review and meta-analysis. Other formats follow the structure above.
- Introduction
- Objectives, essential background, and the research question or, where applicable, the hypothesis.
- Methods
- Detail sufficient for replication: design, participants or materials, interventions or exposures, outcome measures and, where applicable, predefined endpoints; statistical methods, including any sample-size or power calculation where applicable (name the software); and ethics approval where applicable.
- Results
- Findings presented logically, with tables and figures; report p-values and confidence intervals where statistical testing is used.
- Discussion
- Principal findings, comparison with prior work, strengths and limitations, implications, future directions.
- Conclusion
- Concise summary of the key findings and their clinical or scientific significance, proportionate to the evidence.
There are no fixed length limits for any article type; manuscripts should be concise and proportionate to their content.
Choosing a format: if your manuscript sits between formats, choose the closest one and explain why in your cover letter; the editors confirm the classification. For example, a short case series is submitted as a Case report, a scoping review as a Review, a systematic review without meta-analysis as a Systematic review and meta-analysis, and a systematic review protocol as a Study protocol.
Clear writing helps reviewers assess the work. Authors may use a language-editing service before submission; its use does not affect peer review or the editorial decision. Email [email protected] for information.
References, tables & figures
How to cite and present data
- Reference style
- Numbered citations in order of appearance. List the first five authors, then use et al. Give a DOI or stable URL where one exists. Authors are responsible for accuracy. Examples for each source type are given below.
- Tables
- Each on a separate page with a descriptive title and legend; numbered consecutively (Table 1, Table 2, and so on).
- Figures
- High resolution (300 dpi minimum) in TIFF, EPS or high-quality JPEG; caption below each figure; text legible after reduction. Remove patient identifiers from all clinical images.
- Reused material
- To reproduce or adapt a figure, table or text that has been published elsewhere, obtain written permission from the copyright holder unless the material is already available under a license that permits reuse, and cite the original source in the legend. Material that cannot be published under CC BY 4.0 must be identified at submission.
- Supplementary files
- Additional data, tables, figures, video, code or completed checklists may be submitted as separate supplementary files. Number them (for example Supplementary Table S1), cite each in the main text, and list them with a short title and legend at the end of the manuscript. Supplementary files are made available with the article as supplied, so they must be final and free of participant identifiers; findings needed to support the conclusions belong in the main text.
- Abbreviations
- Define at first use; limit to those that genuinely improve readability.
Journal article: reference format
Author AA, Author BB, Author CC, Author DD, Author EE, et al. (Year) Title of the article. Journal Name. Volume(Issue):pages. DOI: 10.xxxx/xxxxx
Book
Author AA, Author BB (Year) Title of the Book. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher. DOI or ISBN where available
Book chapter
Author AA, Author BB (Year) Title of the chapter. In: Editor AA, Editor BB, editors. Title of the Book. Place of publication: Publisher. pages.
Webpage
Author AA or Organization (Year) Title of the page. Website Name. URL (accessed Month Day, Year)
Dataset
Author AA, Author BB (Year) Title of the dataset. Version. Repository Name. DOI or accession number
Preprint
Author AA, Author BB (Year) Title of the preprint. Preprint Server Name [Preprint]. DOI: 10.xxxx/xxxxx (cite the published version where one exists)
Trial registration
Sponsor or Principal Investigator (Year) Title of the trial. Registry Name. Registration number. Registered Month Day, Year. URL
Research ethics & integrity
Standards every submission must meet
The journal follows COPE-aligned ethics. See our editorial policies for the full statement.
- Studies involving people
- Must have ethics-committee approval (include the approval number) and informed consent, or a waiver documented by the ethics committee, where applicable. Participant confidentiality must be protected.
- Clinical trials
- Interventional clinical trials must be registered in an accepted public trial registry at or before the first participant provides consent for enrollment. The registry name, registration number, and registration date must be reported in the manuscript.
- Animal research
- Studies involving animals must have prior approval from the relevant institutional animal care and use committee or animal ethics committee; state the committee name and approval reference number in the Methods. The work must comply with applicable national and institutional animal-welfare regulations, apply the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement), and be reported in line with the ARRIVE guidelines.
- Case reports
- Require written informed consent from the patient or next of kin for publication, with all identifying details removed or anonymized. State in the manuscript that consent was obtained.
- Conflicts of interest
- Disclose all financial and non-financial competing interests for every author. Handling editors and reviewers recuse where a conflict exists.
- Data availability
- Include a data-availability statement; sharing of de-identified data is encouraged where consent and ethics permit.
- Integrity
- Zero tolerance for plagiarism, fabrication or falsification. All submissions undergo similarity screening.
- Use of AI tools
- Generative-AI and large-language-model tools cannot be listed as authors. Disclose any use of AI in writing the manuscript or in producing data, figures or analyses, stating the tool and how it was used, in the Methods or Acknowledgments. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality and integrity of the work.
Fees
Article processing charge
There is no fee to submit or to be reviewed. A single article processing charge is invoiced after acceptance, and manuscripts that are not accepted incur no APC. Withdrawal is subject to the terms below.
| Article type | Charge (USD) |
|---|---|
| All article types | 2,100 |
| Submission & review fee | None |
What the charge covers
- Independent peer review and editorial handling
- Professional copyediting and typesetting
- Crossref DOI registration and XML/PDF production
- Open-access hosting, with Crossref DOI registration and open metadata that support discovery in scholarly search services
Invoiced after acceptance. See the full charges policy.
Manuscript withdrawal
Withdrawal terms are as follows.
- Contact
- Authors should contact the editorial office promptly and wait for written confirmation before submitting the work elsewhere.
- Within 3 days
- Manuscripts withdrawn within 3 days of submission are not subject to a withdrawal charge.
- After 3 days
- Manuscripts withdrawn more than 3 days after submission incur a withdrawal charge equal to 30% of the journal's APC. For JNRT, 30% of the APC amounts to USD 630.
- Before submitting elsewhere
- Authors must receive official withdrawal confirmation before submitting the manuscript to another journal.
After acceptance: your paper is copyedited and typeset, you review proofs, and the final article is published open access with a permanent Crossref DOI. View on Crossref → · View on OpenAlex →
Author questions
Frequently asked questions
How do I submit my manuscript to JNRT?
ManuscriptZone is the primary route. The simple manuscript submission form and editorial email are also available, as described under How to submit. Authors must use only one submission route for the same manuscript. Each submission is acknowledged and screened by the editorial office before peer review.
Is there a fee to submit?
No. There is no submission or review fee. The article processing charge is invoiced after acceptance. Withdrawal after submission is subject to the journal's withdrawal policy, set out under Fees.
How much is the article processing charge (APC)?
A single charge of USD 2,100 applies to all article types and is invoiced after acceptance. Manuscripts that are not accepted incur no APC. Withdrawal after submission is subject to the journal's withdrawal policy; see Manuscript withdrawal under Fees.
How long does the first decision take?
Timing depends on reviewer availability and the revisions required; the editorial office keeps authors informed.
What type of peer review does JNRT use?
Single-blind by default; double-blind review is available on request. Manuscripts that proceed to external peer review are normally evaluated by at least two independent subject-matter experts.
What article types does JNRT publish?
Original research, Review, Systematic review and meta-analysis, Case report (including short case series), Short communication, Brief report, Study protocol, Methodology, Perspective, Letter to the Editor and Commentary. Editorials are commissioned by the editors.
Is the journal open access? Who holds copyright?
Yes. Every article is published open access under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license, and authors retain copyright of their work.
What is the journal scope?
JNRT welcomes basic, clinical, applied, experimental and translational research in neuroscience and neurology that advances understanding of the nervous system and neurological disorders, including their prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation. Coverage includes molecular, cellular, systems and computational neuroscience; laboratory and animal-model investigations; clinical studies; neuroimaging; neurotechnology; therapeutics; and rehabilitation. Basic and experimental studies are eligible without an immediate clinical application, provided they address a clear neuroscience or neurological question with appropriate scientific methods. Work without a clear neuroscience or neurology focus is out of scope.
Are there word limits I should follow?
No. There are no fixed length limits for any article type; manuscripts should be concise and proportionate to their content. The abstract type and main sections differ by article type (a Letter to the Editor has no abstract), as set out in the requirements by article type.
What do I need for a Case report?
Written informed consent from the patient (or next of kin) for publication, with all identifying details removed or anonymized. State that consent was obtained, and ensure the case carries a genuine clinical or diagnostic lesson. The same applies to a short case series, which is submitted as a Case report.
What file formats and figure resolution do you require?
Submit the manuscript as an editable text file. Figures should be high resolution (300 dpi minimum) in TIFF, EPS or high-quality JPEG, with a caption below each figure and text that stays legible after reduction.
How should I format references?
Use numbered citations in order of appearance. List the first five authors, then use et al. Authors are responsible for the accuracy of every reference.
Is ORCID required for authors?
ORCID iDs are recommended for all authors and especially encouraged for the corresponding author, because they improve attribution and discoverability.
What ethics and integrity standards apply?
Studies involving people need ethics-committee approval (include the approval number) and informed consent, or a waiver documented by the ethics committee, where applicable. Animal studies need approval from an institutional animal care and use or animal ethics committee (include the reference number), must comply with applicable national and institutional animal-welfare regulations and the 3Rs, and must be reported in line with the ARRIVE guidelines. We follow COPE-aligned ethics and screen all submissions for similarity. We have zero tolerance for plagiarism, data fabrication and falsification. A data-availability statement and conflict-of-interest disclosure are required, and any use of AI tools must be disclosed.
Can I submit work that is under review elsewhere?
No. Submissions must be original and not under consideration by another journal. Please confirm this in your cover letter.
What happens after my article is accepted?
Your manuscript is copyedited and typeset, you review proofs, and the final article is published open access with a permanent Crossref DOI. Crossref DOI registration and open metadata support discovery in scholarly search services.
Summary
Editorial and publishing standards
- Manuscripts are handled by subject-expert editors in the relevant field.
- Each submission is acknowledged and screened by the editorial office before peer review.
- A permanent Crossref DOI on every article. Crossref DOI registration and open metadata support discovery in scholarly search services.
- You keep copyright under a Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license.
- There is no submission or review fee. The APC of USD 2,100 is invoiced after acceptance, and manuscripts that are not accepted incur no APC. Withdrawal after submission is subject to the journal's withdrawal policy.
Public Access and Funder Compliance
Some authors are required by their funders to make their research publicly available. Under the 2024 NIH Public Access Policy, Author Accepted Manuscripts accepted for publication on or after July 1, 2025, must be submitted to PubMed Central upon acceptance and made publicly available without embargo on the official date of publication.
What JNRT provides: JNRT publishes the Version of Record under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. The journal also permits authors to deposit their Author Accepted Manuscript in funder-designated repositories. Upon acceptance, we confirm the accepted manuscript version and record the funder and grant information supplied by the authors.
Author responsibility: JNRT does not currently deposit manuscripts in PubMed Central on behalf of authors. Authors are responsible for determining which funder requirements apply, initiating the appropriate repository submission and completing any required NIHMS approval steps.
Eligibility and successful processing through PubMed Central or NIHMS are determined according to the relevant funder and NIH/NLM requirements.
Important: The deposit of an individual article in PubMed Central may result in that article appearing in PubMed. It does not mean that JNRT is indexed in MEDLINE, included in the PMC Journal List or that all JNRT articles are available through PubMed. The journal's current coverage is listed on the Indexing page.
Ready to submit to JNRT?
Prepare your manuscript to the guidance above, then submit through ManuscriptZone, our online editorial and peer-review system.