How to prepare, structure and submit your manuscript to the open-access journals of Directive Publications.
These guidelines apply to authors submitting to any of the peer-reviewed journals published by Directive Publications, an international open-access publisher launched in 2026 with a portfolio of approximately 96 journals across medicine, the life sciences and public health. Our editorial policies follow the COPE Core Practices and the ICMJE Recommendations, and every article is published Open Access under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence.
This is the general, publisher-wide standard. Individual journals may add requirements specific to their field or article types; where a journal page states something more specific, the journal-specific requirement takes precedence. Browse titles and their aims & scope on the journals directory.
Use the matrix below to self-check length and structure before submission. Word counts exclude the abstract, references, tables and figure legends. These are general limits; a journal may set its own.
| Article type | Word limit | Abstract | References | Figures/Tables |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original Research | up to 5,000 | Structured, 200–250 | up to 60 | up to 8 |
| Review | up to 6,000 | Structured, 200–250 | up to 100 | up to 8 |
| Systematic Review / Meta-analysis | up to 6,000 | Structured, 200–250 | as required | up to 8 |
| Case Report | up to 2,000 | Unstructured, up to 150 | up to 20 | up to 4 |
| Short Communication | up to 2,000 | up to 150 | up to 25 | up to 3 |
| Editorial / Commentary | up to 1,500 | Optional | up to 15 | up to 2 |
| Letter to the Editor | up to 800 | None | up to 10 | up to 1 |
Original research should follow the standard IMRaD order: Title, Structured Abstract, Keywords, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, followed by back matter (Declarations, Acknowledgements, References). Descriptive subheadings within sections are encouraged for readability.
The Introduction gives rationale and objectives. The Methods must provide enough detail to reproduce the work and must state ethics approval, informed consent, trial registration, the reporting guideline followed, and any use of generative-AI tools. Results present findings without interpretation; the Discussion interprets them and states limitations and implications; the Conclusion summarises the take-home message.
Our journals operate double-blind peer review (see peer review). Prepare two files:
Use the Vancouver numbered style, citing sources sequentially in the order they appear. Include DOIs where available, cite datasets and preprints appropriately, verify every reference against the primary source, and do not cite retracted articles as if valid.
Match your manuscript to the relevant checklist from the EQUATOR Network: CONSORT (randomized trials), PRISMA (systematic reviews/meta-analyses), STROBE (observational studies), ARRIVE (animal research), CARE (case reports), STARD (diagnostic accuracy), SPIRIT (protocols) and CHEERS (economic evaluations). Clinical trials must be prospectively registered in a WHO ICTRP primary registry or ClinicalTrials.gov, with the registration number stated in the abstract.
All listed authors must meet all four ICMJE criteria: (1) substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, or the acquisition, analysis or interpretation of data; (2) drafting the work or critically reviewing it for important intellectual content; (3) final approval of the version to be published; and (4) accountability for all aspects of the work. Contributors who do not meet all four criteria should be recognized in the Acknowledgements, not listed as authors.
Describe each author's role using the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy). Ghost, gift and guest authorship are prohibited. The corresponding author is responsible for communication during review, confirming all co-authors' agreement and approvals, ensuring consents are obtained, and responding to post-publication queries. Authorship changes require the written agreement of all authors and editorial approval; see publication ethics.
Include the following standardized headings after the main text:
Every manuscript must carry a Data Availability Statement saying exactly where the supporting data reside — in a public repository (with accession number or DOI), within the supporting information, or available on reasonable request with a stated justification. Deposit in recognized repositories and citation of datasets are strongly encouraged.
AI and large-language-model tools cannot be listed as authors. Any use in the research or writing process must be disclosed in the Methods or Acknowledgements. Authors remain fully accountable for the accuracy, originality and integrity of all content, including any produced with AI assistance.
Manuscripts must be original, and all submissions undergo similarity screening. Plagiarism, duplicate or redundant publication, salami-slicing, and data or image fabrication or manipulation are unacceptable and may lead to rejection or post-publication action. Corrections, expressions of concern and retractions are handled in line with COPE guidance to protect the scholarly record; the published article is the version of record. See our plagiarism policy and corrections policy.
Posting a preprint does not preclude submission. Disclose the preprint and its DOI in the cover letter and cite it in your manuscript; on publication, link the version of record to the preprint.
All articles are Open Access under the irrevocable Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence, and authors retain copyright. Readers may share and adapt the work — including for commercial purposes — provided proper attribution is given. Authors are free to self-archive and reuse their own work. Publication fees are disclosed at submission or on request; read more on open access and copyright.
Write in clear scholarly English, use SI units, define abbreviations at first use, and follow standard nomenclature (genes, species in italics, drugs by International Nonproprietary Name). Use inclusive, non-discriminatory language throughout.
Supplementary files should be clearly labelled (S1, S2, …), cited in the main text, and supplied in standard formats. They are hosted alongside the article.
Submit via the target journal's page or the central submission portal, uploading the title page, anonymized manuscript, figures, tables and any supplementary files. Your cover letter should state that the work is original and exclusively submitted, explain its significance and fit with the journal, identify the corresponding author, disclose any related or prior work and preprints, and may suggest suitable reviewers.
Manuscripts undergo double-blind peer review. You may be asked to revise; return a clear point-by-point response alongside a tracked-changes file. Appeals and complaints are handled in line with COPE guidance, as set out in our editorial policies; an appeal should address the specific editorial or reviewer points and will be considered by an editor who was not involved in the original decision.
Once your manuscript is accepted, it is copy-edited and typeset, and you receive proofs to check for accuracy. Only essential corrections are possible at the proof stage — this is not an opportunity to add new material. The corresponding author is responsible for reviewing and returning the approved proofs promptly.
On publication, each article receives a Crossref-registered DOI under our prefix 10.52338, and its metadata is made available through OAI-PMH and in JATS XML so that harvesting and discovery services can index the record. The published article is the version of record; any subsequent corrections, expressions of concern or retractions follow our corrections policy to keep the scholarly record accurate. For continuity of access, content is maintained with off-site backups while we pursue a formal digital-archiving arrangement.
Researchers who would like to contribute to the community as peer reviewers are welcome to apply through become a reviewer. If you have questions about these guidelines, contact the editorial office at [email protected].