Journal of Ophthalmic Science · ISSN 2470-0436
Call for Papers
JOS welcomes rigorous manuscripts that make a clear contribution to ophthalmic science, eye care or vision research.
Current invitation
Regular submissions are accepted throughout the year.Authors may submit work that fits the published scope through any approved submission route.
I
Scope and submission suitability
A manuscript should make the eye, visual system, eye disease or delivery of eye care its primary research context.
Clinical disease and management
Research across anterior- and posterior-segment disease, including cornea, cataract and refractive care, glaucoma, retina and vitreous, uveitis, neuro-ophthalmology, pediatric ophthalmology, and orbital or lacrimal disease.
Imaging and diagnosis
Ophthalmic imaging, diagnostic accuracy, visual-function assessment and measurement studies with defined acquisition protocols, reference standards and interpretable performance.
Interventions and outcomes
Medical, surgical, device or rehabilitation studies that report appropriate comparators, follow-up, clinically meaningful outcomes and adverse events.
Basic, experimental and population research
Ocular biology, visual neuroscience, preclinical disease models, ophthalmic biomaterials and engineering, together with epidemiology, prevention, screening, rehabilitation and access-to-care research.
II
Article types
Select the submission-system category that matches the design and evidence. A surgical technique is assigned to the category that describes how it was studied.
- Research Article
- Original clinical, diagnostic, surgical, epidemiological, translational or method-validation research with a defined ophthalmic question.
- Review Article
- A systematic, evidence-based or critical synthesis that reaches a clinically, diagnostically or translationally useful conclusion.
- Case Report
- A clinically instructive presentation, diagnostic pathway, response or adverse event reported with appropriate consent and the CARE checklist.
- Short Communication
- A concise report of a complete and interpretable finding. Earlier archive records may use the label In Brief.
- Clinical Case Images
- An image-led clinical report with diagnostic context, appropriate consent, image-integrity disclosure and a clear teaching point.
III
What makes a manuscript assessable
- A specific ophthalmic research question, defined population and appropriate study design
- Clinically meaningful outcomes with effect estimates and uncertainty, not significance alone
- Transparent patient selection, comparators, follow-up, missing-data handling and limitations
- Ethics approval, informed consent and prospective trial registration where applicable
- Publication consent for identifiable periocular or facial images
- Acquisition, grading and processing details for ophthalmic images and diagnostic data
- Data availability, funding and financial or non-financial conflict disclosures
Claims must follow the evidence
A case report, retrospective series or preliminary technical evaluation should not be described as establishing clinical effectiveness or changing practice.
Editors assess novelty in context. A manuscript is not unsuitable merely because it reports a careful replication, negative result or clinically instructive case, provided the contribution is clear and the evidence is complete.
IV
Scope boundaries
Submissions should make a clear ophthalmic or vision-science contribution and support their conclusions with appropriate evidence.
Technical work
Software, AI, engineering or materials studies should address a defined ophthalmic question and provide relevant biological, technical, preclinical or clinical validation.
Incidental eye findings
General medical or public-health studies do not fit when the ocular manifestation or eye-health outcome is incidental.
Promotional evaluations
Product, device or treatment promotion without transparent methods, comparators, relevant conflicts and interpretable evidence is not considered.
Proportionate conclusions
Reviews should make a defined contribution to ophthalmic or vision science, and all claims should remain proportionate to the design and data.
Full inclusion, conditional-fit and exclusion criteria are maintained in the Aims & Scope.
V
From fit check to submission
- Confirm scopeMatch the primary question and article type to the published Aims & Scope.
- Prepare evidenceComplete ethics, consent, image, data, reporting and conflict disclosures.
- Check filesFollow the Instructions for Authors for manuscript, figure, table and supplementary-file requirements.
- Review chargesRead the published APC, waiver and withdrawal terms before submission.
- Use one routeChoose ManuscriptZone, the simple submission form or assisted editorial email; do not create duplicate records.
There is no guaranteed peer review or acceptance. Editorial decisions are based on scope, scientific merit and integrity and are independent of charges, memberships and optional services.
Prepare a JOS submission
Review the Aims & Scope, Instructions for Authors, APC policy and Submit Paper page before choosing one route.
Review the submission route