Author Guidelines
MINDSET welcomes submissions within its aims and scope. All submissions are first assessed by an editor. Manuscripts that fall outside the scope, do not meet minimum standards of quality, or do not follow these guidelines may be returned without peer review.
Article Types
| Article type | Word limit (excluding abstract, tables, and references) | Abstract | Reporting guideline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research Article | 3,500 to 5,000 | Structured, 200 to 250 words | CONSORT, STROBE, COREQ, or SRQR; TIDieR for intervention studies |
| Instrument Development and Validation | 3,500 to 5,500 | Structured, 200 to 250 words | COSMIN |
| Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis | 4,000 to 7,000 | Structured, 200 to 250 words | PRISMA 2020 |
| Narrative Review | 4,000 to 6,000 | Unstructured, 200 to 250 words | SANRA |
| Case Report | 1,500 to 2,500 | Unstructured, up to 150 words | CARE |
Studies that evaluate an intervention, including randomised and non-randomised trials, quasi-experimental studies and quality improvement projects, must also submit a completed TIDieR checklist describing the intervention in sufficient detail for replication. Where an intervention study is reported with CONSORT, the TIDieR checklist is submitted in addition to the CONSORT checklist.
Structured abstracts use the headings Background, Aim, Methods, Results, and Conclusion.
Files to Submit
- Title page, containing the title, author names, affiliations, ORCID iDs, corresponding author details, and all declarations listed below.
- Anonymised manuscript, with all information that could identify the authors removed. The name of the ethics committee and the approval number are replaced with [blinded for review] in this file.
- Completed checklist for the relevant reporting guideline.
- Ethics committee approval document, for research with human participants.
- Tables and figures, if not embedded in the manuscript.
Declarations
The following declarations must appear on the title page. A statement is required even where there is nothing to declare.
- Ethics approval: name of the committee, approval number, and date, or the reason approval was not required.
- Informed consent: how consent to participate was obtained; for case reports, consent for publication.
- Conflicts of interest: for every author.
- Funding: the funder and grant number, or a statement that the study received no funding.
- Data availability: where the data can be accessed, or why they cannot be shared.
- Author contributions: described using the CRediT taxonomy.
- Use of generative AI: as set out in the AI Policy.
- Clinical trial registration: registry name and number, where applicable.
Formatting and Style
- Language: English. Manuscripts that require substantial language editing may be returned before review.
- File format: Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx).
- Text: 12-point Times New Roman, 1.5 line spacing, numbered pages and lines.
- Keywords: 3 to 5 terms from Medical Subject Headings (MeSH).
- References: APA 7th Edition, with DOIs for all references where available.
- Tables and figures: numbered in order of citation, each with a self-explanatory title.
Related Policies
Before submitting, please read the Ethical Principles and Publication Policy, the Plagiarism Policy, and the Editorial Policies, which cover preprints, corrections, and appeals.
