Author Guidelines

Author Guidelines

Authors are requested to read these guidelines carefully before preparing and submitting a manuscript. Manuscripts not conforming to these guidelines may be returned without review.

  1. Types of Submissions

Article Type

Word Limit

Abstract

References

Original Research

≤6,000

Structured ≤300 words

≤50

Methodological Paper

≤7,000

Structured ≤300 words

≤60

Systematic Review / Meta-Analysis

≤8,000

Structured ≤350 words

No limit

Short Communication

≤2,500

Unstructured ≤150 words

≤20

Tutorial / Technical Note

≤5,000

Unstructured ≤200 words

≤40

Registered Report (Stage 1)

≤4,000

Structured ≤250 words

≤40

Software / Data Report

≤3,000

Unstructured ≤150 words

≤25

Editorial / Perspective

≤2,000

None

≤15

 

  1. Submission Declaration and Verification

By submitting a manuscript, all authors confirm that:

  • The work is original, has not been published previously, and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere in any language.
  • All authors have approved the submitted version and agree to the order of authorship.
  • Any prior public presentation (conference abstract, preprint, or thesis chapter) is disclosed in the cover letter.
  • Ethical approval for studies involving human participants or animals has been obtained and is documented in the manuscript.
  • All funding sources, grants, and conflicts of interest are fully disclosed.
  • Data, code, and materials needed to reproduce the study are available or described in a data availability statement.
  1. Manuscript Preparation

3.1 Title Page (separate file)

The title page must include:

  • Full article title (concise, informative, ≤20 words; avoid abbreviations)
  • Running title (≤50 characters including spaces)
  • Full names of all authors (given name, family name)
  • Affiliations: Department, Institution, City, Country for each author
  • ORCID iD for all authors (strongly required)
  • Corresponding author: name, postal address, telephone, email
  • Author contributions (CRediT taxonomy)
  • Acknowledgements
  • Funding statement (grant numbers and sponsor names)
  • Conflict of interest statement
  • Data availability statement
  • Word count (excluding title page, abstract, references, tables, and figure captions)

3.2 Abstract

Structured abstracts (≤300 words) are required for Original Research, Methodological Papers, and Systematic Reviews, using the following headings:

  • Introduction
  • Methods
  • Results
  • Conclusion

The abstract must be self-contained and must not cite references. Abbreviations should be avoided unless standard. Abstracts are indexed by PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science and serve as the primary means by which readers discover articles; they should accurately and completely summarize the study.

3.3 Keywords

Provide 5–8 keywords immediately following the abstract. Keywords should be selected from MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) where applicable. Avoid repeating words already in the title. Keywords directly influence indexing and discoverability in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science.

3.4 Main Text Structure

Original research articles should be organized as follows:

Introduction: Background, knowledge gap, and objectives. End with a clear statement of the study aim.

Methods: Study design and setting; participants/data sources; variables and measurements; statistical analysis plan including software and version; ethical approval statement. Sufficient detail to permit replication.

Results: Report findings objectively. Present all primary and key secondary outcomes. Include exact p-values (not p<0.05), effect sizes with 95% confidence intervals.

Discussion: Interpret findings in context of existing literature; address limitations explicitly; discuss generalizability; consider clinical and public health implications.

Conclusions: Brief, evidence-based conclusions directly supported by the results. Avoid overgeneralizations.

Conflict of Interest: Required for all manuscripts.

Funding: Required for all manuscripts.

Data Availability Statement: Required for all manuscripts.

Author Contributions: Using CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy).

References: Vancouver style, consecutively numbered.

Tables and Figures: At end of manuscript or as separate files.

3.5 Reporting Guidelines

Authors must follow and cite the appropriate reporting guideline for their study type. JBE requires completion of the relevant reporting checklist as a condition of submission:

Randomized controlled trials: CONSORT (with appropriate extension: cluster, pilot, etc.)

Observational studies (cohort, case-control, cross-sectional): STROBE

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses: PRISMA (with relevant extension: NMA, IPD, etc.)

Diagnostic/prognostic accuracy studies: TRIPOD / STARD

Clinical prediction models (development/validation): TRIPOD+AI (for AI-based models)

Qualitative research: COREQ or SRQR

Economic evaluations: CHEERS

Animal studies: ARRIVE 2.0

AI/ML studies: CONSORT-AI, SPIRIT-AI, TRIPOD-AI as applicable

Registered Reports: JBE Registered Report template

3.6 Statistical Reporting Standards

JBE follows the recommendations of the American Statistical Association (ASA) on p-values and statistical significance. Authors are required to:

  • Report exact p-values to 3 decimal places (e.g., p = 0.023), not p < 0.05.
  • Accompany p-values with effect sizes and 95% confidence intervals (or credible intervals for Bayesian analyses).
  • Avoid the sole use of statistical significance as a criterion for interpreting results.
  • Specify all statistical software used (name, version, package/library names) in the Methods section.
  • Pre-specify primary and secondary outcomes and analysis plans before data collection where applicable.
  1. Figures and Tables

Figures

  • Submit figures as separate high-resolution files (TIFF, EPS, or PDF; minimum 300 dpi for halftones, 600 dpi for line art).
  • Each figure must be interpretable independently, with a complete legend.
  • Figures should be designed for accessibility: use colorblind-friendly palettes and label elements directly where possible.
  • Reprinted or adapted figures require written permission from the copyright holder and a full citation.

Tables

  • Tables should be submitted as editable text, not images.
  • Each table must have a descriptive title and footnotes explaining all abbreviations.
  • Tables should complement, not duplicate, the text.
  1. References

JBE uses Vancouver reference style. References are numbered consecutively in the order they first appear in the text, using superscript numerals. Reference list entries follow ICMJE format. Include DOIs for all references where available.

Example (journal article):

Zhang Y, Wang X, Li J, Chen H. Bayesian hierarchical modeling of COVID-19 infection dynamics across multiple regions. J Biostat Epidemiol. 2022;8(2):120–135. doi:10.18502/jbe.v8i2.XXXX

  1. Reproducibility and Data Sharing

JBE is committed to reproducible research. All authors are required to include a Data Availability Statement. Authors are strongly encouraged to:

  • Deposit data, analysis code, and computational materials in an open, trusted repository (Zenodo, Dryad, OSF, GitHub with a DOI snapshot, or domain-specific repositories).
  • Provide sufficient code, parameters, and workflow documentation to enable independent replication of reported results.
  • Pre-register study protocols and analysis plans in public registries (e.g., ClinicalTrials.gov, OSF, PROSPERO) before data collection.
  • Submit reproducible analysis files (R Markdown, Quarto, Jupyter notebooks) as supplementary materials.
  1. AI-Assisted Tools in Manuscript Preparation

Authors may use AI-assisted tools (including large language models, chatbots, and AI writing assistants) for grammar checking, language editing, or organizational assistance. Any such use must be explicitly disclosed in the Methods section or an AI Use Disclosure statement. Authors must specify the tool, version, and purpose of use. AI tools cannot be listed as authors and cannot be used to generate, fabricate, or misrepresent scientific content, data, or interpretations. The full responsibility for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of all content remains with the human authors. See the AI and Generative AI Policy for full details.

  1. Submission Process
  • All manuscripts must be submitted via the journal's online submission system at https://jbe.tums.ac.ir.
  • Submissions must include: (i) blinded manuscript file, (ii) title page (separate), (iii) reporting guideline checklist, (iv) cover letter, (v) figures and tables.
  • Blinded manuscript: remove all author names, affiliations, and identifying information for double-blind review.
  • Authors may suggest up to 3 preferred and up to 2 non-preferred reviewers, with justification.
  • Manuscripts must be written in clear, accurate English. Non-native speakers are encouraged to use professional English editing services before submission.
  1. After Acceptance
  • Accepted manuscripts undergo copyediting and typesetting. Authors will receive proofs for correction within the specified timeframe.
  • Only essential corrections to proofs are permitted. No substantial changes are allowed at proof stage.
  • Authors should ensure all ORCID iDs and funding details are correct before proof approval.
  • Upon publication, the corresponding author will receive the article DOI and a link to the published version for sharing.