Types of Manuscripts

The Digital Health & Telemonitoring Advances considers scholarly manuscripts that contribute to the advancement, evaluation, implementation, governance, and responsible use of digital technologies in healthcare. Submissions should demonstrate clear relevance to digital health, telemedicine, telemonitoring, remote patient monitoring, mobile health, health informatics, artificial intelligence in healthcare, wearable technologies, connected care, digital therapeutics, or related interdisciplinary areas.

Authors should select the manuscript category that most accurately reflects the purpose, research design, evidence base, methodology, and scholarly contribution of their work. The selected article type should be consistent with the actual study design and should not imply empirical investigation, clinical validation, or systematic evidence synthesis where these activities were not performed.

All manuscripts are expected to meet appropriate standards of originality, methodological transparency, ethical reporting, academic integrity, and scholarly relevance.

1. Original Research Articles

Original Research Articles report the results of completed primary research.

Suitable studies may use quantitative, qualitative, experimental, observational, computational, clinical, behavioral, implementation, or mixed-method research designs.

Original Research Articles should ordinarily present:

  • a clearly defined research problem;

  • appropriate background and scholarly context;

  • explicit research objectives, questions, or hypotheses;

  • a transparent methodology;

  • appropriate ethical information where applicable;

  • clearly reported results;

  • evidence-based interpretation;

  • relevant limitations; and

  • conclusions supported by the reported findings.

Research involving patients, healthcare professionals, personal health information, clinical settings, or identifiable participant information should report applicable ethics approval and informed-consent procedures.

2. Clinical Research Articles

Clinical Research Articles report research involving clinical populations, healthcare environments, patient monitoring, diagnostic support, therapeutic interventions, care pathways, or clinically relevant outcomes.

Studies may examine digital interventions, remote monitoring technologies, telehealth platforms, connected medical devices, digital decision-support systems, or other healthcare technologies.

Authors should report sufficient information concerning:

  • clinical setting;

  • participant population;

  • eligibility criteria;

  • intervention or technology;

  • comparator where applicable;

  • outcome measures;

  • statistical analysis;

  • adverse events or safety considerations where relevant;

  • ethical approval; and

  • limitations.

Clinical claims should remain proportionate to the study design and available evidence.

3. Telemedicine and Telehealth Studies

These articles examine healthcare delivered, supported, coordinated, or evaluated through telecommunications and digital technologies.

Suitable topics may include:

  • virtual consultations;

  • remote clinical services;

  • teleconsultation;

  • teletriage;

  • specialist telemedicine;

  • rural telehealth;

  • remote rehabilitation;

  • digital follow-up;

  • telepsychiatry;

  • telepharmacy; and

  • remote multidisciplinary care.

Manuscripts should evaluate not only technical feasibility but also relevant dimensions such as clinical outcomes, usability, accessibility, implementation, safety, equity, workflow, patient experience, or healthcare-system impact where applicable.

4. Telemonitoring and Remote Patient Monitoring Studies

These articles focus specifically on technologies and systems used to monitor health-related parameters outside conventional face-to-face clinical settings.

Research may address:

  • physiological monitoring;

  • chronic disease monitoring;

  • home-based monitoring;

  • wearable sensors;

  • connected medical devices;

  • remote vital-sign monitoring;

  • medication adherence monitoring;

  • symptom tracking;

  • alerts and escalation systems;

  • clinician dashboards; and

  • patient-generated health data.

Authors should describe the monitoring technology, data-collection process, measurement frequency, clinical workflow, validation procedures, and limitations sufficiently for scholarly evaluation.

5. Digital Health Intervention Studies

Digital Health Intervention Studies evaluate technologies intended to influence health behavior, healthcare delivery, prevention, treatment, monitoring, self-management, or clinical decision-making.

Interventions may include:

  • mobile applications;

  • digital therapeutic platforms;

  • web-based interventions;

  • automated coaching systems;

  • patient portals;

  • digital behavioral interventions;

  • remote-care platforms; and

  • technology-supported disease-management programs.

Authors should clearly distinguish feasibility, usability, engagement, clinical effectiveness, and implementation outcomes rather than treating them as interchangeable measures.

6. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Research

The journal welcomes rigorous studies involving artificial intelligence, machine learning, deep learning, natural language processing, computer vision, predictive analytics, or related computational approaches applied to healthcare.

Appropriate manuscripts should provide transparent information concerning:

  • data sources;

  • model development;

  • training, validation, and test datasets;

  • preprocessing;

  • outcome definition;

  • model-performance metrics;

  • validation procedures;

  • comparison with appropriate baselines;

  • potential bias;

  • fairness;

  • explainability where relevant;

  • generalizability; and

  • methodological limitations.

Authors should avoid overstating clinical readiness on the basis of retrospective model performance alone.

7. Digital Diagnostics and Clinical Decision-Support Studies

These articles evaluate digital technologies designed to support diagnosis, prognosis, screening, risk stratification, treatment selection, or clinical decision-making.

Manuscripts should clearly identify:

  • intended use;

  • target population;

  • reference standard where applicable;

  • validation strategy;

  • performance measures;

  • clinical context;

  • potential consequences of false-positive and false-negative outcomes;

  • human oversight; and

  • limitations.

Diagnostic or clinical claims should reflect the level of validation actually conducted.

8. Wearable and Sensor Technology Studies

The journal considers research examining wearable devices, biosensors, implantable or external sensors, mobile sensing technologies, and connected monitoring systems.

Studies may investigate:

  • measurement validity;

  • reliability;

  • usability;

  • patient adherence;

  • clinical integration;

  • signal processing;

  • device performance;

  • continuous monitoring;

  • behavioral sensing; and

  • real-world deployment.

Technical accuracy should be distinguished from clinical effectiveness.

9. Mobile Health Research

Mobile Health Research examines health-related applications and interventions delivered through smartphones, tablets, mobile communication systems, or similar technologies.

Relevant research may focus on:

  • patient self-management;

  • medication adherence;

  • health education;

  • behavioral change;

  • maternal and child health;

  • chronic disease care;

  • mental health;

  • preventive care;

  • appointment management; and

  • community healthcare.

Authors should report user population, intervention design, engagement measures, privacy considerations, and outcome assessment where relevant.

10. Health Informatics Studies

Health Informatics manuscripts examine the collection, organization, integration, analysis, exchange, or use of digital health information.

Relevant topics may include:

  • electronic health records;

  • health information exchange;

  • interoperability;

  • clinical information systems;

  • healthcare data analytics;

  • decision-support systems;

  • terminology systems;

  • data standards;

  • clinical workflow integration; and

  • health information architecture.

Studies should address the healthcare or scholarly significance of the informatics contribution rather than presenting software functionality alone.

11. Digital Therapeutics Research

Digital Therapeutics Research evaluates software-driven or digitally delivered interventions intended to prevent, manage, or treat health conditions.

Authors should clearly describe:

  • therapeutic objective;

  • target population;

  • intervention characteristics;

  • treatment duration;

  • comparator where applicable;

  • adherence;

  • clinical or behavioral outcomes;

  • safety considerations; and

  • limitations.

The term digital therapeutic should not be used merely as a synonym for any health-related mobile application.

12. Implementation and Health Services Research

These manuscripts investigate the adoption, integration, scalability, sustainability, or organizational impact of digital health technologies within healthcare systems.

Potential topics include:

  • implementation barriers and facilitators;

  • clinician adoption;

  • workflow redesign;

  • organizational readiness;

  • training;

  • reimbursement;

  • service delivery;

  • implementation outcomes;

  • scalability;

  • sustainability; and

  • healthcare-system performance.

Authors are encouraged to identify the implementation framework or analytical approach used where applicable.

13. Health Economics and Digital Health Evaluation

The journal welcomes studies examining the economic implications of digital health and telemonitoring interventions.

These may include:

  • cost-effectiveness;

  • cost-utility;

  • budget impact;

  • resource utilization;

  • productivity;

  • healthcare utilization;

  • economic modeling; and

  • financial implications of remote care.

Assumptions, perspectives, time horizons, data sources, and uncertainty analyses should be reported transparently where applicable.

14. Digital Health Equity and Accessibility Research

These manuscripts examine whether digital health technologies are accessible, inclusive, equitable, and appropriate across different populations.

Research may address:

  • digital literacy;

  • socioeconomic barriers;

  • disability access;

  • rural connectivity;

  • language barriers;

  • age-related differences;

  • gender-related disparities;

  • underserved populations;

  • technology affordability;

  • algorithmic inequity; and

  • structural barriers to digital healthcare.

Authors should avoid treating access to technology as uniform across populations without supporting evidence.

15. Cybersecurity and Health Data Protection Studies

The journal considers research concerning cybersecurity, privacy, confidentiality, secure data exchange, identity management, and protection of health information within digital healthcare environments.

Suitable topics may include:

  • healthcare cybersecurity;

  • security of telemonitoring systems;

  • authentication;

  • encryption;

  • data breaches;

  • device security;

  • secure interoperability;

  • privacy-preserving analytics;

  • access control; and

  • security governance.

Manuscripts should maintain responsible disclosure and should not unnecessarily expose vulnerabilities that could create avoidable harm.

16. Digital Health Ethics and Governance Articles

These manuscripts examine ethical, regulatory, legal, institutional, and governance questions associated with digital healthcare technologies.

Topics may include:

  • informed consent;

  • privacy;

  • surveillance;

  • algorithmic accountability;

  • responsible AI;

  • digital autonomy;

  • patient rights;

  • transparency;

  • fairness;

  • data governance;

  • healthcare regulation;

  • liability; and

  • responsible technology deployment.

Submissions should provide structured scholarly analysis rather than purely opinion-based commentary.

17. Systematic Reviews

Systematic Reviews synthesize existing evidence using an explicit, reproducible, and structured methodology.

A manuscript should not be labeled a systematic review unless the review process is genuinely systematic.

Where applicable, authors should report:

  • databases or information sources searched;

  • search strategy or key search terms;

  • date range;

  • date of final search;

  • inclusion and exclusion criteria;

  • screening process;

  • study-selection procedure;

  • data extraction;

  • quality or risk-of-bias assessment;

  • evidence synthesis; and

  • review limitations.

Appropriate reporting standards should be followed where relevant to the review design.

18. Meta-Analyses

Meta-Analyses statistically combine findings from eligible studies to estimate pooled effects or associations.

Authors should report:

  • study-selection methodology;

  • eligibility criteria;

  • effect measures;

  • statistical model;

  • heterogeneity assessment;

  • sensitivity analysis;

  • publication-bias assessment where appropriate;

  • subgroup or meta-regression analyses where justified; and

  • limitations.

A meta-analysis should not combine studies that are clinically or methodologically incompatible without sufficient justification.

19. Scoping Reviews

Scoping Reviews map the breadth, characteristics, concepts, evidence gaps, and research activity within an emerging or heterogeneous field.

They are particularly suitable for rapidly developing areas of digital health where evidence may include diverse technologies, populations, and methodologies.

Authors should provide a transparent search, screening, selection, and evidence-mapping process.

20. Narrative Reviews

Narrative Reviews provide a scholarly synthesis and critical interpretation of a defined topic without claiming the methodological comprehensiveness of a systematic review.

Authors should clearly explain:

  • the topic boundaries;

  • purpose of the review;

  • basis for literature selection where appropriate;

  • major themes;

  • areas of agreement and disagreement; and

  • relevant evidence limitations.

Narrative Reviews should not be described as systematic unless they meet systematic-review methodological requirements.

21. Conceptual Papers

Conceptual Papers develop or refine theoretical models, constructs, frameworks, classifications, or scholarly perspectives relevant to digital health and telemonitoring.

Such manuscripts should:

  • establish a clear conceptual problem;

  • engage critically with relevant literature;

  • explain the proposed framework or model;

  • demonstrate its scholarly value; and

  • identify implications for future research or practice.

Conceptual contributions should extend beyond a descriptive summary of existing literature.

22. Methodological Papers

Methodological Papers introduce, evaluate, compare, or refine research methods relevant to digital health.

Topics may include:

  • validation approaches;

  • digital measurement methods;

  • telemonitoring research design;

  • computational evaluation;

  • remote data collection;

  • digital biomarker methodology;

  • health-data analysis;

  • usability assessment; and

  • implementation measurement.

Authors should clearly demonstrate the need for the methodological contribution and its advantages, limitations, and appropriate applications.

23. Validation Studies

Validation Studies assess the validity, reliability, reproducibility, calibration, or measurement performance of a digital health technology, algorithm, questionnaire, sensor, device, or assessment method.

Authors should describe:

  • reference or comparator;

  • study population;

  • measurement procedures;

  • statistical methods;

  • reliability;

  • validity measures;

  • calibration where applicable; and

  • limitations.

Validation in one population or context should not automatically be generalized to substantially different populations or clinical environments.

24. Feasibility and Pilot Studies

Feasibility and Pilot Studies investigate whether a larger intervention, trial, implementation program, or digital-health study can reasonably be conducted.

These studies may examine:

  • recruitment;

  • retention;

  • acceptability;

  • usability;

  • technical feasibility;

  • adherence;

  • workflow;

  • data completeness; and

  • operational challenges.

Authors should avoid presenting a pilot study as definitive evidence of clinical effectiveness unless the study was appropriately designed and powered for that purpose.

25. Case Studies

Case Studies provide detailed analysis of a particular digital-health intervention, technology implementation, healthcare organization, service model, or operational experience.

Case studies should offer a clear scholarly or practical contribution and should not function solely as promotional descriptions of a technology or organization.

Where individual patients are identifiable, appropriate consent and privacy safeguards are required.

26. Clinical Case Reports

Clinical Case Reports describe unusual, instructive, or clinically meaningful cases in which digital health, telemedicine, remote monitoring, or related technologies contributed materially to clinical management or understanding.

Authors should protect patient confidentiality and obtain appropriate consent for publication where required.

Case reports should not be used to establish general treatment effectiveness.

27. Protocol Articles

Protocol Articles describe planned research before completion of the study and are intended to improve methodological transparency.

A protocol should clearly state:

  • research objectives;

  • study design;

  • population;

  • intervention or exposure;

  • outcomes;

  • data collection;

  • analysis plan;

  • ethical considerations;

  • registration information where applicable; and

  • anticipated limitations.

Results from a completed study should not be presented as part of a protocol article.

28. Policy and Regulatory Analyses

Policy and Regulatory Analyses examine legal, regulatory, institutional, reimbursement, governance, or public-policy questions affecting digital health and telemonitoring.

Manuscripts should provide:

  • clearly defined policy context;

  • appropriate documentary or legal evidence;

  • structured analysis;

  • transparent assumptions; and

  • academically supported conclusions.

Authors should distinguish current law or policy from proposals, interpretations, or recommendations.

29. Perspective Articles

Perspective Articles present a scholarly and evidence-informed position on an important or emerging issue.

Such manuscripts should:

  • address a clearly defined question;

  • engage with relevant evidence;

  • distinguish evidence from opinion;

  • acknowledge credible alternative perspectives; and

  • provide a meaningful contribution to scholarly discussion.

Perspective Articles are not substitutes for empirical evidence where empirical claims are being made.

30. Short Communications

Short Communications report concise but substantive research findings, preliminary methodological advances, focused evaluations, or other scholarly contributions that do not require the length of a full research article.

They should retain sufficient methodological and analytical detail to permit appropriate evaluation of the work.

31. Research Notes

Research Notes communicate focused methodological observations, preliminary findings, dataset descriptions, analytical insights, replication results, or other limited but academically useful contributions.

The manuscript should explain clearly why the information is relevant to the journal's readership.

32. Technical Notes

Technical Notes describe a specific technical development, methodological adaptation, system architecture, device evaluation, software method, or technological procedure relevant to digital health.

A Technical Note should provide a scholarly contribution and should not function as product advertising or marketing material.

Claims concerning performance should be supported by appropriate evaluation.

33. Brief Reports

Brief Reports communicate completed research of limited scope in a concise format.

They should contain sufficient information concerning the research question, methodology, results, interpretation, and limitations.

A shorter manuscript format does not reduce requirements concerning ethical approval, research integrity, or data transparency.

34. Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor may address:

  • recently published articles;

  • methodological issues;

  • scholarly clarification;

  • emerging concerns;

  • responsible criticism;

  • or other matters relevant to the journal's academic scope.

Letters should be concise, evidence-based, professional, and focused on scholarly issues.

Where a letter comments substantively on a published article, the original authors may be invited to respond.

35. Commentaries

Commentaries provide focused scholarly analysis of a published study, emerging technology, major policy development, methodological issue, or important debate relevant to digital health.

Commentaries should clearly distinguish established evidence from interpretation or opinion.

36. Editorials

Editorials generally address subjects of broad relevance to the journal, including developments in digital health scholarship, editorial practice, research integrity, healthcare innovation, or emerging research priorities.

Editorials may be commissioned or written by members of the editorial leadership where appropriate.

Editorial status does not exempt content from applicable conflict-of-interest and publication-ethics requirements.

37. Special Issue Contributions

Manuscripts submitted to a Special Issue remain subject to the journal's ordinary scholarly, ethical, and peer-review requirements.

Guest editorial involvement does not guarantee acceptance.

Special Issue manuscripts should satisfy the same expectations concerning:

  • originality;

  • peer review;

  • research integrity;

  • conflicts of interest;

  • ethics;

  • data transparency; and

  • editorial independence

that apply to regular submissions.

General Requirements for All Manuscript Types

Regardless of article category, submissions should:

  • fall within the stated aims and scope of the journal;

  • present an identifiable scholarly contribution;

  • use an appropriate manuscript type;

  • report methods transparently where applicable;

  • distinguish empirical, simulated, synthetic, and conceptual evidence clearly;

  • acknowledge relevant limitations;

  • comply with applicable research-ethics requirements;

  • disclose funding and competing interests;

  • provide data-availability information where applicable;

  • use accurate and verifiable references;

  • disclose substantive AI-assisted activities where required;

  • avoid plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, and duplicate publication; and

  • comply with the journal's applicable editorial and publication policies.

Selection of the Appropriate Manuscript Type

Authors should select the category that best reflects what was actually done in the study.

For example:

  • completed primary data collection should normally be presented as an appropriate research article;

  • planned research should be identified as a protocol;

  • simulated or synthetic investigations should disclose the nature of the data explicitly;

  • structured evidence synthesis should be labeled according to the actual review methodology;

  • opinion-based scholarship should not be presented as empirical research; and

  • preliminary feasibility evidence should not be presented as definitive clinical effectiveness evidence.

If the submitted manuscript has been classified incorrectly, the editorial team may request that the article type be revised before further evaluation.

Editorial Assessment

Selection of a manuscript category does not determine acceptance.

All submissions remain subject to the journal's editorial screening and applicable peer-review procedures. Editorial assessment considers the manuscript's relevance, originality, scholarly contribution, methodological appropriateness, ethical compliance, research integrity, clarity of reporting, and suitability for the selected article type.

The journal reserves the right to recommend reclassification where another manuscript category more accurately reflects the design and contribution of the submitted work.