For Authors & Publishing Standards

Welcome to the Directive Publications resource centre. Whether you are preparing your first manuscript or reviewing for one of our journals, this page brings together everything that governs how we publish — our author guidance, our double-blind peer-review process, our publication ethics, and our open-access and licensing policies. Every policy below follows the COPE Core Practices and the ICMJE Recommendations, and every article we publish is assigned a Crossref-registered DOI and released Open Access under a CC BY 4.0 licence.

Getting Started

Author Guidelines — how to prepare, structure and format your manuscript.
Types of Articles We Publish — definitions, structure and requirements for each article type.
Submit Your Manuscript — begin a submission to any of our journals.
Article Processing Charges (APCs) — how open-access publishing is funded.
Fee Waivers & Discounts — support so the ability to pay is never a barrier.

Editorial & Peer Review

Peer Review Process — our independent, double-blind review workflow.
Reviewer Guidelines — guidance for our expert reviewers.
Become a Reviewer — join our community of peer reviewers.
Editorial Policies — the principles that govern editorial decision-making.

Research Ethics & Integrity

Publication Ethics & Malpractice Statement — the responsibilities of every party in publishing.
Research Integrity Statement — how we safeguard the accuracy and honesty of the record.
Plagiarism & Similarity Screening — our originality requirements and screening.
Corrections, Retractions & Withdrawals — how we maintain the published record.

Access, Rights & Data

Open Access & Licensing Policy — free, immediate access under CC BY 4.0.
Copyright & Author Rights — authors retain copyright; broad reuse for readers.
Data Availability & Sharing Policy — data-availability statements and the FAIR principles.
Digital Preservation & Archiving — how we support long-term access to the record.

Questions we haven't answered here? See our Frequently Asked Questions or contact the editorial office. To explore our titles, visit the journals directory.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where do I start if I want to submit a manuscript?

Begin with the Author Guidelines and the Types of Articles page to confirm your manuscript's structure and fit, then start your submission on the Submit page. Each journal's specific scope is on its own journal page.

Do all Directive Publications journals follow the same policies?

Yes. The policies linked on this page are publisher-wide and apply across all our journals. Individual journals may add field-specific requirements, which are noted on the journal's own page and take precedence where more specific.

How much does it cost to publish, and are waivers available?

We are an open-access publisher funded by Article Processing Charges; the applicable charge is disclosed during submission or on request. Fee waivers and discounts are available so that the ability to pay is never a barrier to publishing sound research.

What ethical standards do your journals follow?

Our policies follow the COPE Core Practices and the ICMJE Recommendations, covering authorship, peer review, competing interests, research integrity, plagiarism and corrections. See the Publication Ethics and Research Integrity pages for full detail.