- Journal of Drug Resistant Pathogen Research
- Open access · CC BY 4.0
Aims and Scope
The Journal of Drug Resistant Pathogen Research publishes basic, experimental, clinical and public-health research on antimicrobial resistance in bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites.
What the journal sets out to do
- To publish rigorous research on how bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites become resistant to drugs, and on how resistance spreads.
- To advance the detection, surveillance and characterization of resistance, from rapid diagnostics to genomic and epidemiological methods.
- To report evidence that informs the treatment, stewardship and control of resistant infections in every region, including settings where resources are limited.
- To make this research openly available, so that researchers, clinicians, public-health practitioners and educators can read and reuse it freely.
Research areas
JDRPR considers basic, experimental, clinical and public-health research on antimicrobial resistance across bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites. The areas below are examples, not a closed list, and include:
- Genetic determinants of resistance
- Horizontal gene transfer and mobile genetic elements
- Efflux pumps and target modification
- Biofilms and persistence
- Multidrug-resistant bacterial infections
- Drug-resistant tuberculosis
- Antiviral drug resistance
- Antifungal resistance
- Antimalarial and parasitic drug resistance
- Rapid resistance detection and diagnostics
- Genomic prediction of resistance
- Outbreak investigation
- Regional and global resistance surveillance
- Antibiotic discovery and combination therapy
- Phage and peptide approaches
- Antimicrobial stewardship and infection control
- One Health: human, animal and environmental reservoirs
- Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of antimicrobials
- Vaccines and non-antibiotic strategies to limit resistance
- Health systems, policy and economics of antimicrobial resistance
Contributions from the molecular, genomic, clinical, pharmacological, epidemiological and computational sciences are welcome when they address antimicrobial resistance. A topic that is not named above is within scope when it meets that test.
Designs and approaches welcomed
JDRPR considers laboratory, clinical, epidemiological, computational and qualitative research. Study designs are reported within the article types listed below; a cohort or genomic study, for example, is submitted as Original Research.
- Laboratory and mechanistic studies
- Studies of resistance mechanisms, gene transfer, efflux, biofilms and persistence, in vitro and in animal models.
- Genomic and molecular studies
- Whole-genome sequencing, molecular epidemiology and genomic prediction of resistance.
- Clinical studies
- Observational studies and trials of treatment, dosing, combinations and outcomes in resistant infection.
- Surveillance and outbreak analyses
- Analyses of resistance surveillance data and systems, and investigations of outbreaks and clusters.
- Diagnostics
- Development and evaluation of tests for rapid and accurate detection of resistance.
- Pharmacology and drug discovery
- Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies, antimicrobial discovery, phage and peptide approaches.
- Modeling and prediction
- Mathematical, statistical and simulation models of transmission, burden and the effects of interventions.
- Stewardship and health systems
- Evaluations of stewardship, infection-control programs and policies, including implementation and economic evaluation.
- Evidence synthesis and methods
- Systematic and narrative reviews, meta-analyses, and new or validated methods.
What makes a manuscript a fit
Manuscripts are assessed for their relevance to antimicrobial resistance, the soundness of their methods and whether their conclusions are proportionate to the evidence. Single-setting, laboratory and clinical studies are considered when they address resistance in bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites.
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Case reports
Case Reports, including short case series, are accepted when the case carries a lesson for diagnosis, treatment or control of resistant infection, such as an unusual resistance profile, a treatment failure or a new route of spread.
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Commentaries and letters
Commentaries and Letters to the Editor are accepted when they make a reasoned argument, supported by evidence and cited sources, on a question in antimicrobial resistance or on work published in JDRPR.
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Short communications and data notes
Short Communications and Data Notes are accepted when they report focused findings or datasets with clear methods, appropriate controls and an account of their limitations.
Unsupported opinion, meaning assertion without evidence or reasoned argument, is outside the journal's scope.
Article types
The journal publishes the article types below. Guidance on the structure, abstract and reporting standard for each type is given in the Instructions for Authors.
- Original ResearchEmpirical studies of antimicrobial resistance, from laboratory and genomic work to clinical and population studies.
- Review ArticleNarrative or critical reviews of a defined question on drug-resistant pathogens, with a transparent approach to the literature.
- Systematic Review and Meta-AnalysisSystematic syntheses of evidence on a defined question, with or without meta-analysis.
- Methods and ProtocolsNew, adapted or validated methods for detecting, characterizing or treating resistance, and protocols for planned studies.
- Short CommunicationConcise reports of a focused or preliminary finding.
- Surveillance or Outbreak ReportFindings from resistance surveillance systems and investigations of outbreaks of resistant pathogens.
- Data NoteDescriptions of datasets such as isolate collections, susceptibility data or genome sequences, their collection, quality and access.
- Case ReportIndividual cases or short case series of resistant infection with a lesson for diagnosis, treatment or control.
- CommentaryEvidence-based argument on a current question in antimicrobial resistance or on published research.
- Letter to the EditorBrief responses to articles published in JDRPR, or short observations of relevance to resistance.
Where a manuscript sits between types, authors choose the closest type and explain the choice in the cover letter, and the editors confirm the classification. A short case series is classified as a Case Report, a scoping review as a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, a study protocol as Methods and Protocols, and an outbreak investigation as a Surveillance or Outbreak Report.
Scope questions
Is my topic within scope?
A manuscript is within scope when it reports basic, experimental, clinical or public-health research on antimicrobial resistance in bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites. If you are unsure, send the title and abstract to the editorial office at info@openaccesspub.org before submitting.
Does JDRPR consider studies from a single country or local setting?
Yes. Local, national, regional and multi-country studies are all considered. Authors of single-setting studies explain how their findings relate to other settings.
Are studies of viruses, fungi and parasites in scope as well as bacteria?
Yes. The journal covers drug resistance in bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites, including antiviral, antifungal and antimalarial or other antiparasitic resistance.
Can I submit work that has been posted as a preprint?
Yes. Posting a preprint is compatible with submission to JDRPR. Cite the preprint and its DOI in the cover letter.
Preparing a submission
Read the Instructions for Authors and the Editorial Policies before submitting.