- Journal of Radiation and Nuclear Medicine
- ISSN 2766-8630
- Open access · CC BY 4.0
Aims and Scope
The Journal of Radiation and Nuclear Medicine publishes research on nuclear imaging, radionuclide therapy, radiation oncology physics, dosimetry, radiation protection and radiobiology.
What the journal sets out to do
- To publish rigorous research on the use of radiation and radionuclides for diagnosis and treatment, and on the physics, chemistry and biology that underpin it.
- To strengthen the methods of imaging, quantification, dosimetry, treatment planning and quality assurance on which clinical decisions depend.
- To report evidence that supports the safe use of ionizing radiation for patients, staff and the public.
- To make this research openly available, so that clinicians, physicists, researchers and educators can read and reuse it freely.
Research areas
JRNM considers research on nuclear imaging, radionuclide therapy, radiation oncology physics, dosimetry, radiation protection and radiobiology. The areas below illustrate the scope and form part of a wider field:
- Diagnostic nuclear medicine
- Theranostics and radiopharmaceuticals
- Radiation oncology and radiotherapy
- Medical physics and dosimetry
- Radiation protection and safety
- Radiobiology
- Imaging technology and instrumentation
- Clinical applications
Contributions from the clinical, physical, chemical, biological and computational sciences are welcome when they advance the use of radiation or radionuclides in medicine.
Designs and approaches welcomed
JRNM considers clinical, technical, physical and laboratory research. Study designs are reported within the article types listed below; cohort, cross-sectional and phantom studies, for example, are submitted as Original Research.
- Clinical studies
- Observational studies, trials and outcome analyses of diagnostic imaging and of radionuclide and radiation therapy.
- Diagnostic accuracy and imaging
- Evaluations of imaging protocols, tracers, image quality, quantification and reader performance.
- Dosimetry and measurement
- Absorbed dose, effective dose, patient and staff exposure, calibration and phantom measurements.
- Treatment planning and quality assurance
- Planning techniques, dose calculation, Monte Carlo simulation and quality-assurance programs.
- Radiopharmaceutical and preclinical research
- Radiochemistry, labeling, biodistribution and animal studies of imaging agents and radiotherapeutics.
- Radiobiology
- Laboratory studies of the cellular and tissue response to ionizing radiation.
- Instrumentation and computation
- Detectors, scanners, reconstruction algorithms, image analysis and modeling.
- Evidence synthesis
- Narrative reviews, systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
What makes a manuscript a fit
Manuscripts are assessed for their relevance to radiation and nuclear medicine, the soundness of their methods and whether their conclusions are proportionate to the evidence.
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Case reports
Case Reports, including short case series, are accepted when the case carries a lesson for imaging, therapy or radiation safety, such as an unusual finding, a complication or a dosimetric consideration.
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Technical notes
Technical Notes are accepted when they describe a technique, device, software tool or procedure with enough detail for others to reproduce it.
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Commentaries and letters
Commentaries and Letters are accepted when they make a reasoned argument, supported by evidence and cited sources, on a question in the field or on work published in JRNM.
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 clinical, technical, physical and laboratory studies in nuclear medicine and radiation science, including imaging, therapy, dosimetry and radiobiology.
- ReviewNarrative reviews that give a critical synthesis of the literature on a defined topic in nuclear medicine or radiation science.
- Systematic Review and Meta-AnalysisSystematic syntheses of evidence on a defined question in nuclear medicine or radiation science, with or without meta-analysis.
- MethodsNew, adapted or validated methods for imaging, quantification, dosimetry, treatment planning, quality assurance or measurement.
- Short CommunicationConcise reports of a focused or preliminary finding.
- Technical NoteBrief descriptions of a technique, device, software tool or procedure, with enough detail to be reproduced.
- Case ReportIndividual cases or short case series with a lesson for imaging, therapy or radiation safety.
- CommentaryEvidence-based argument on a current issue in the field or on published research.
- LetterBrief responses to articles published in JRNM, or short observations of relevance to the field.
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, and a study protocol as Methods.
Scope questions
Is my topic within scope?
A manuscript is within scope when it advances nuclear imaging, radionuclide therapy, radiation oncology physics, dosimetry, radiation protection or radiobiology, whatever its setting. If you are unsure, send the title and abstract to the editorial office at info@openaccesspub.org before submitting.
Does JRNM consider studies from a single center?
Yes. Single-center, multicenter and multi-country studies are all considered. Authors of single-center studies explain how their findings relate to other settings.
Are laboratory and physics studies within scope?
Yes. Laboratory, phantom and computational studies are considered when they bear on the use of radiation or radionuclides in medicine, for example dosimetry, radiobiology, instrumentation and radiochemistry.
Can I submit work that has been posted as a preprint?
Yes. Posting a preprint is compatible with submission to JRNM. Cite the preprint and its DOI in the cover letter.
Preparing a submission
Read the Instructions for Authors and the Editorial Policies before submitting.