Instructions for authors
Please submit through this site’s submission system and accept the current agreement.
1. Language and files
Submissions are welcome in Chinese or English. An English version is required before Release and serves as the Version of Record if the article is Approved. Authors may provide their own English version or use the journal’s optional paid translation service. A Chinese submission does not need an English abstract at upload. Upload a typesettable source (Word, PDF, TeX, or zip, up to 100 MB). Public HTML is typeset by the office; it is not your upload shown as-is.
2. Exclusive submission
While the paper is Released you may not send it elsewhere. If fewer than three formal reviews exist 60 days after Released v1, you may withdraw and submit elsewhere, or leave it Released. After withdrawal the public version is kept and marked Withdrawn.
3. Technical check and fees
The first step is a private technical check. If it fails, you get a private note and no technical processing fee (TPF). After the English master file is ready, TPF is 50 USD, then Released. TPF is not refunded after Release. Requesting Approved does not itself incur an APC. The APC becomes payable only after editorial certification and before DOI registration. See fees.
4. Pseudonymous review (not double-blind)
After Release, formal reports sit on the article page. Reviewers use a verified pseudonym; the office holds the real name. Paths: editor-invited; author-invited (labelled, hard conflicts do not count); volunteer (identity check, office decides whether it counts). At least three formal reviews. To be eligible for Approved status, authors must respond publicly to each formal review. Differing review opinions do not automatically exclude certification; the editorial office makes a combined assessment.
5. Approved
After three reviews and a public reply to each, you may request Approved (the Version of Record). The 800 USD APC is due after editorial certification and before the DOI is registered; you may also stay Released and pay no APC. Requesting Approved does not itself certify the paper. After Approved the English text is frozen, reviews stay open, and the licence is CC BY-NC 4.0.
6. Article types and tags
When you submit, choose one primary type. You may add up to two further controlled tags (three in total). The starting types are Review, Theoretical Exploration, Digital Medicine, Clinical Research, Experimental Study, and Experience Transmission. Use Other when none of those fit; the office may reclassify or add a type. Free-text keywords are also allowed. What each type is for is explained under scope.