Author Guidelines

SYNAPSE Journal of Healthcare Innovation & Future Technologies welcomes original scholarly contributions related to healthcare innovation, digital health, artificial intelligence, medical technology, future healthcare systems, translational innovation, and emerging technologies relevant to clinical practice and health sciences.

Authors should ensure that manuscripts are original, ethically conducted, clearly presented, and prepared according to the journal's requirements. Submission of a manuscript indicates that the authors have reviewed and complied with these guidelines.

Article Types and Word Limits

SYNAPSE accepts the following article types:

Word limits generally refer to the main manuscript text and do not include references, tables, figure legends, or supplementary material unless otherwise specified.

Editorials and Perspectives are normally commissioned, although unsolicited submissions may be considered at the editors' discretion.

Abstract and Keywords

• Original Research: Structured abstract of no more than 250 words.
• Systematic Review/Meta-analysis: Structured abstract of no more than 250 words.
• Review Article: Unstructured abstract of no more than 250 words.
• Short Communication: Abstract of no more than 150 words.
• Case Report/Case Study: Abstract of no more than 150 words.
• Editorial/Perspective: Abstract is generally not required unless requested by the editors.
• Letter: No abstract is required.

Authors should provide 3–6 keywords that accurately represent the manuscript. Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms should be used where applicable.

Manuscript Formatting Requirements

Manuscripts should be prepared according to the following formatting requirements:

• Submit the manuscript in Microsoft Word or RTF format.
• Times New Roman, 12-point font is preferred.
• Use double line spacing throughout the manuscript.
• Use 2.5 cm margins on all sides.
• Number all pages continuously.
• Use clear and consistent headings and subheadings.
• Define abbreviations at first use and avoid unnecessary abbreviations.
• Ensure that tables and figures are numbered consecutively and cited in the manuscript.
• Provide figure legends at the end of the manuscript.
• Tables should be submitted in an editable format rather than as images.
• Figures should be supplied separately in high-resolution JPEG, TIFF, or PNG format.
• Photographic figures should generally have a minimum resolution of 300 dpi.
• Line-art figures should have a minimum resolution of 600 dpi.
• Supplementary material may be submitted when it provides relevant supporting information that cannot reasonably be included in the main manuscript.

References

References should follow the Vancouver/NLM referencing style.

• References should be numbered consecutively in the order in which they first appear in the manuscript.
• Use Arabic numerals in square brackets for in-text citations.
• The reference list should correspond exactly to the citations used in the manuscript.
• Authors should check all references for accuracy and completeness before submission.
• Authors should avoid unnecessary or excessive citation of their own work or the work of particular journals or authors.

Reporting Guidelines

Authors should use appropriate reporting guidelines when preparing manuscripts. Reporting guidelines improve the completeness, transparency, and reproducibility of research reporting and should be used alongside the journal's Author Guidelines.

Other relevant reporting guidelines may be required depending on the study design, subject area, or methodology. Authors should identify and follow the appropriate guideline before submission and provide the relevant checklist or supporting documentation where applicable.

AI and Machine Learning Research Reporting

Manuscripts in which artificial intelligence, machine learning, deep learning, predictive modelling, or other computational methods form part of the research methodology should provide sufficient methodological detail to allow readers and reviewers to understand, assess, and, where reasonably possible, reproduce the work.

Where applicable, authors should report:

• The AI or machine-learning method, model, architecture, or algorithm used.
• The model, software, or framework name and relevant version.
• The source, characteristics, size, and selection criteria of the dataset.
• Data collection procedures and relevant inclusion and exclusion criteria.
• Data preprocessing, cleaning, normalization, feature engineering, and handling of missing data.
• How data were divided into training, validation, and test datasets, where applicable.
• Model training procedures and relevant parameters.
• Methods used to address overfitting and improve model robustness.
• Evaluation methods and the performance metrics used.
• External or independent validation, where performed.
• Procedures used to assess or address bias, class imbalance, data leakage, and other relevant sources of methodological bias.
• Software, tools, libraries, and computational environments where these details are relevant to reproducibility.
• The limitations, uncertainty, generalizability, and potential clinical or practical implications of the model.
• Any use of external datasets, pretrained models, third-party tools, or proprietary systems that materially affects the research.

Authors should clearly distinguish between model development, validation, and real-world application. Claims concerning clinical, diagnostic, predictive, or healthcare performance should be supported by appropriate validation and should remain within the limits of the evidence presented.

Requirements concerning generative AI, AI-assisted writing or editing, AI-generated images or data, AI use by reviewers, disclosure of AI use, data privacy, and responsibility for AI-assisted content are addressed separately in the journal's AI & Generative AI Policy.

Ethical and Research Requirements

Authors must ensure that research has been conducted in accordance with applicable ethical standards.

• Appropriate institutional review board or ethics committee approval must be obtained where applicable.
• Informed consent must be obtained when required.
• Clinical trials should be prospectively registered.
• Funding sources and the role of funders must be disclosed.
• Financial and non-financial conflicts of interest must be declared.
• All listed authors must satisfy applicable authorship requirements and approve the final manuscript.
• Where appropriate, author contributions should be reported using the CRediT taxonomy.
• Manuscripts must be original and must not contain fabricated, falsified, plagiarized, or improperly reproduced material.

SYNAPSE follows recognized principles of publication ethics, including relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

Submission Process

Authors should submit manuscripts through the journal's designated online submission system.

Before submission, authors should confirm that:

1. The manuscript fits the scope of SYNAPSE.
2. The appropriate article type has been selected.
3. The manuscript follows the applicable word, abstract, reference, table, and figure limits.
4. Required reporting guidelines have been followed.
5. Ethical approval and informed consent information has been provided where applicable.
6. Funding and conflict-of-interest information has been disclosed.
7. The requirements of the AI & Generative AI Policy have been followed where applicable.
8. All authors have reviewed and approved the submitted manuscript.
9. Tables, figures, references, supplementary files, and other required materials are complete and correctly prepared.

There is no fee for manuscript submission, peer review, acceptance, or publication at launch.

Editorial Screening and Peer Review

After submission, manuscripts undergo an initial editorial assessment for:

• Scope and suitability for the journal.
• Completeness of the submission.
• Basic scientific quality.
• Ethical requirements.
• Originality and similarity concerns.
• Compliance with the journal's submission requirements.

The journal aims to complete the initial editorial screening within 7 days.

Manuscripts that pass the initial assessment are sent for double-blind peer review. The journal normally seeks reviews from at least two independent subject experts for Original Research, Reviews, Systematic Reviews, Short Communications, and Case Reports. Additional review may be requested when necessary.

The target for the first editorial decision is within 4 weeks after completion of the initial screening.

Revision and Resubmission

Authors may be asked to revise their manuscripts following editorial and reviewer comments.

• Minor revisions: normally within 14 days.
• Major revisions: normally within 30 days.
• Extensions may be considered where a reasonable request is made to the editorial office.

Authors submitting a revised manuscript should provide a clear response to the reviewers' comments and indicate how the manuscript has been revised. Where a requested change has not been made, the authors should provide a clear explanation.

A revised manuscript may be returned to the original reviewers or evaluated by the editor, depending on the nature of the revisions.

Acceptance and Publication

Following satisfactory completion of peer review and revision, the editor makes the final publication decision. The journal aims to issue a final decision within 14 days after satisfactory revision or re-review.

Once a manuscript is formally accepted, it proceeds to the journal's publication process. Authors remain responsible for reviewing the final version of their work and promptly reporting any errors identified before publication.

All published articles are made available through the journal's open-access model.

Author Responsibility

Submission of a manuscript confirms that the authors take responsibility for the accuracy, originality, ethical integrity, and completeness of their work.

Authors should retain appropriate research records and supporting documentation and should cooperate with the journal if questions concerning the integrity, authorship, ethics, or reliability of a published article arise.