Submissions

Author Guidelines

Welcome to Traditional Medicine Communications (hereinafter referred to as the "Journal"), a peer-reviewed, open-access academic journal dedicated to publishing high-quality, original research articles, reviews, communications, and other scholarly works in the field of traditional medicine, including but not limited to traditional Chinese medicine, herbal medicine, ethnic medicine, complementary and alternative medicine, and related interdisciplinary research. Authors are required to carefully read and comply with these Instructions for Authors before submitting their manuscripts. Adherence to these guidelines ensures the efficient processing of submissions and maintains the Journal’s academic standards.
1. Article Types
The Journal aims to provide a platform for researchers, scholars, and practitioners worldwide to disseminate cutting-edge research findings, theoretical advances, and practical applications in traditional medicine. We welcome submissions that address critical issues, present innovative methodologies, and offer novel insights to advance the field of traditional
medicine. Manuscripts that are irrelevant to the Journal’s scope, lack scientific rigor, or fail to meet the ethical and academic standards will be rejected without peer review.
The Journal accepts the following types of manuscripts (word count excludes abstract, references, tables, and figures):
• Original Research Articles: Comprehensive reports of original research work in traditional medicine, including detailed methodologies, results, discussions, and conclusions (e.g., herbal medicine efficacy, traditional therapeutic techniques, ethnopharmacological research). Typically 3000–8000 words.
• Review Articles: Critical and systematic reviews of existing literature in a specific subfield of traditional medicine (e.g., traditional Chinese medicine compound research, herbal drug development, ethnic medicine practice), summarizing current research progress, identifying gaps, and proposing future research directions. Typically 4000–10000 words.
Review articles are welcome with or without invitation; authors are encouraged to propose a review topic to the editorial team before writing.
• Short Communications: Brief reports of significant, preliminary research findings or novel observations in traditional medicine that require timely publication (e.g., preliminary clinical trials of traditional therapies, new herbal resource discoveries). Typically 1500–3000 words.
• Commentaries & Perspectives: Concise analyses, opinions, or perspectives on current hot topics, recent publications, or emerging trends in the field of traditional medicine (e.g., modernization of traditional medicine, integration of traditional and modern medicine). Typically 1000–2000 words. Submission of commentaries is subject to editorial
invitation.
• Case Reports (if applicable): Detailed reports of unique cases, clinical experiences, or practical applications of traditional medicine that have significant academic or practical value (e.g., rare disease treatment with traditional therapies, typical cases of herbal medicine application). Typically 1500–3000 words.
2. Ethical Guidelines
2.1 Academic Integrity
All submissions must be original work, free from plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, or other forms of academic misconduct. Plagiarism includes copying text, data, figures, or ideas from other sources without proper citation, as well as self-plagiarism (reusing significant portions of one’s own previously published work without clear acknowledgment). All manuscripts will be checked for plagiarism using professional software (e.g., Turnitin) upon submission. Manuscripts with a plagiarism rate exceeding 15% will be rejected immediately. If plagiarism is detected after publication, the Journal reserves the right to retract the article and notify the author’s affiliated institution.
2.2 Authorship
Authorship is granted only to individuals who have made substantial contributions to the research and manuscript preparation, in line with the following criteria:
1. Significant contributions to the conception or design of the study, or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the study;
2. Drafting the manuscript or revising it critically for important intellectual content;
3. Final approval of the version to be published;
4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. All authors must meet all four criteria. Individuals who only provided technical assistance, funding, or general supervision are not eligible for authorship and should be acknowledged in the Acknowledgments section. The order of authors should reflect the relative contributions of each author; the corresponding author is responsible for communicating with the Journal during the submission, review, and publication process, and ensuring that all authors agree with the manuscript content and submission. We obey ICMJE the criteria.
2.3 Conflict of Interest
All authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could influence the design, conduct, or interpretation of the research, or the presentation of the manuscript. Conflicts of interest include, but are not limited to, financial interests (e.g., grants, patents, honoraria, employment in herbal medicine enterprises), personal or professional relationships, or other
affiliations that may be perceived as affecting objectivity. A Conflict of Interest (COI) statement must be included as a separate section before the Acknowledgments. If there are no conflicts of interest, authors should state: "The authors declare no conflict of interest.";
2.4 Ethical Approval and Informed Consent Manuscripts involving human subjects, animal experiments, or sensitive data (e.g., patient information, rare herbal resource data) must include documentation of ethical approval. For human subjects research (e.g., clinical trials of
traditional therapies), authors must provide evidence of approval from an institutional review board (IRB) or equivalent ethics committee, and confirm that all participants provided written informed consent (exemptions must be justified). For animal experiments (e.g., herbal medicine pharmacology research), authors must confirm compliance with national or
international animal welfare guidelines, and provide approval from an animal ethics committee. Manuscripts lacking such documentation will not be processed.
2.5 Data Availability and Reproducibility
Authors are encouraged to make research data, code, and materials (e.g., herbal sample information, traditional therapy protocols) publicly available to ensure reproducibility of the research. Where applicable, authors should provide a Data Availability Statement, specifying where the data supporting the findings can be accessed (e.g., public repositories, supplementary materials). If data cannot be made public (e.g., due to privacy restrictions or rare herbal resource protection), authors must provide a detailed explanation.

3. Manuscript Preparation
3.1 General Format
Manuscripts must be written in clear, concise, and grammatically correct English (UK or US spelling is acceptable, but consistency must be maintained throughout). All text should be double-spaced, with 1-inch (2.5 cm) margins on all sides, and typeset in Arial font (12 pt for main text, 14 pt for section headings, 10 pt for footnotes and captions). Pages should be numbered consecutively. Manuscripts should be submitted as a single Microsoft Word (.docx) or LaTeX (.tex) file; PDF files are not accepted for initial submission. Supplementary materials (e.g., additional data, figures, herbal sample photos) should be submitted as separate files.
3.2 Manuscript Structure
Manuscripts should follow the following structure (order and content may vary slightly based on manuscript type):
1. Title Page: Include the manuscript title, all authors’ full names, affiliations (department, institution, city, country, postal code), corresponding author’s contact information (email address, telephone number), and a running head (maximum 50 characters, including spaces).
2. Abstract: A concise, self-contained summary of the research, including the research purpose, methods, key results, and conclusions. The abstract should be 150–200 words (for Original Research Articles and Review Articles) or 100–150 words (for Short Communications and Case Reports), and should not contain mathematical expressions, abbreviations, or citations. Avoid subjective evaluations or speculative statements.
3. Keywords: 3–6 keywords that accurately reflect the core content of the manuscript (e.g., traditional medicine; herbal medicine; ethnopharmacology; traditional therapy). Keywords should be specific to the field, avoiding overly broad terms. Separate keywords with semicolons.
4. Introduction: Provide background information on the research topic in traditional medicine, review relevant literature, clearly state the research gap, research objectives, and the significance of the study. The introduction should not include results or conclusions.
5. Materials and Methods (for Original Research Articles): Describe the materials (e.g., herbal samples, traditional medicine formulations), equipment, experimental design, data collection, and analytical methods in sufficient detail to allow other researchers to reproduce the work. Include details of ethical approval, sample sizes, statistical methods, and software used. Use standardized names and abbreviations for herbal medicines, reagents, and equipment.
6. Results: Present the research findings clearly and objectively, without interpretation. Use tables and figures to illustrate key results (avoid duplicating information between tables and figures). All data should be accurate and supported by statistical analysis where applicable.
7. Discussion: Interpret the results in the context of existing literature in traditional medicine, discuss the implications of the findings, address limitations of the study, and propose future research directions. Do not repeat the results; focus on the significance and novelty of the work.
8. Conclusions: Summarize the key findings and their broader implications for the field of traditional medicine. The conclusion should be concise and aligned with the research objectives.
9. Conflict of Interest Statement: As described in Section 2.3.
10. Acknowledgments: Acknowledge individuals who provided technical assistance, funding support, or other contributions that do not qualify for authorship. Include grant numbers and funding sources (e.g., "This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grant No. XXX]").
11. References: List all sources cited in the manuscript, following the Journal’s reference format (see Section 3.5). Ensure that all citations in the text correspond to entries in the reference list, and vice versa.

12. Tables and Figures: Include all tables and figures after the references (or embedded in the text at the appropriate position, with clear markers). Each table and figure must have a unique number and a concise, descriptive caption.
3.3 Tables and Figures
• Tables: Number tables consecutively in Arabic numerals (Table 1, Table 2, etc.). Use three-line tables without vertical lines. Column headers should be clear and concise. Include units of measurement in column headers or footnotes. Avoid excessive complexity; split large tables into smaller ones if necessary. Table captions should be placed above the table.
• Figures: Number figures consecutively in Arabic numerals (Figure 1, Figure 2, etc.). Figures should be high-resolution (minimum 300 dpi) and in a common format (JPG, PNG, TIFF, or EPS). Ensure that text, symbols, and axes labels are clear and legible (font size ≥ 8 pt). Color figures are acceptable, but ensure that they are still interpretable in black and white (if applicable). Figure captions should be placed below the figure, and include detailed descriptions of the content, including abbreviations and units (e.g., Figure 1: HPLC chromatogram of the herbal extract from Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi).
• All tables and figures must be mentioned in the text (e.g., "As shown in Table 1"; or &"Figure 2 illustrates..."). Do not include tables or figures that are not referenced in the text.
3.4 Abbreviations and Acronyms
Use abbreviations and acronyms sparingly. When first used in the text, spell out the full term followed by the abbreviation in parentheses (e.g., "Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)", "World Health Organization (WHO)"). Avoid uncommon abbreviations; if necessary, include a list of abbreviations as a supplementary file.
3.5 Reference Format
The Journal adopts the Vancouver style (numeric citation system) for references. Citations in the text should be indicated by Arabic numerals in square brackets (e.g., [1], [2–4]). The reference list should be ordered numerically, corresponding to the order of citation in the text. Examples of common reference types are provided below:
• Journal Articles: Author(s). Title of article. Journal Name. Year; Volume(Issue): Page range. DOI (if available).
Example: Smith J, Jones A, Brown C. Efficacy of herbal extracts in the treatment of chronic inflammation. Traditional Medicine Communications. 2023; 15(3): 45–62. https://doi.org/10.1234/tmc.2023.15.3.45
• Books: Author(s). Title of book. Edition (if not 1st). Publisher; Year: Page range (if citing a specific chapter).
Example: Wilson EO. The Diversity of Traditional Medicine. 2nd ed. Harvard University Press; 2010: 120–145.
• Book Chapters: Author(s). Title of chapter. In: Editor(s) (Eds.), Title of book. Publisher; Year: Page range.
Example: Lee S. Traditional medicine strategies for climate-related diseases. In: Green A, White B (Eds.), Environmental Sustainability and Traditional Medicine. Oxford University Press; 2022: 78–99.
• Conference Proceedings: Author(s). Title of paper. In: Proceedings of the [Conference Name]; Year; Location.
Publisher; Year: Page range.
Example: Zhang L, Wang H. A novel method for quality control of herbal medicines. In: Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Traditional Medicine and Ethnopharmacology; 2021; Beijing, China. IEEE Press; 2021: 345–350.
• Online Resources: Author(s) (if available). Title of resource. Website Name. Year of publication/last update. URL. Accessed [Date of access].
Example: United Nations. Sustainable Development Goals and Traditional Medicine. United Nations Website. 2022.
https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/. Accessed 2023-10-05.

Ensure that all references are accurate and up-to-date. Do not cite unpublished work or personal communications unless absolutely necessary; if cited, include the author’s name, date, and a note indicating “unpublished data" or "personal communication."
4. Submission Process
4.1 Submission Portal
All manuscripts must be submitted through the Journal’s online submission portal: [insert submission portal URL]. Authors are required to create an account (if not already registered) and follow the step-by-step instructions to upload their manuscript and supplementary materials. Manuscripts submitted via email or other channels will not be accepted.
4.2 Submission Checklist
Before submitting, authors must ensure that the following items are complete:
• Manuscript in the required format (Word or LaTeX), including all sections (Title Page, Abstract, Keywords, Main Text, COI Statement, Acknowledgments, References, Tables, Figures).
• Supplementary materials (if applicable), clearly labeled with the manuscript title and author name.
• Cover Letter: A brief letter addressed to the Editor-in-Chief, stating the manuscript title, authors, the type of manuscript, the significance of the work in the field of traditional medicine, and confirming that the manuscript is original, has not been published previously, and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere. The cover letter should also
confirm that all authors agree with the submission and have read and complied with the Journal’s Instructions for Authors.
• Ethical approval documents, informed consent forms, and other relevant certifications (if applicable).
• Data Availability Statement (if applicable).
4.3 Peer Review Process
All manuscripts that meet the Journal’s scope and format requirements will undergo a double-blind peer review process (both authors and reviewers are anonymous). The editorial team will assign at least two independent reviewers with expertise in traditional medicine and related fields. The review process typically takes 4–6 weeks; authors will be notified
of the review outcome (accept, revise and resubmit, reject) via email. Authors are required to respond to reviewer comments promptly (within 4 weeks of receiving the review report); revisions should be clearly marked, and a point-by-point response to reviewer comments should be submitted along with the revised manuscript.
4.4 Revision and Resubmission
Manuscripts marked ”Revise and Resubmit“ must be revised according to the reviewer comments and resubmitted within the specified deadline. Authors who require an extension should contact the editorial team in advance. Revised manuscripts that do not address the reviewer comments adequately may be rejected. Authors may appeal a rejection
decision by providing a detailed explanation and additional evidence; the appeal will be reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief and a panel of senior editors specializing in traditional medicine.
5. Publication Policies
5.1 Copyright and Licensing
Upon acceptance of the manuscript, authors are required to sign a Copyright Transfer Agreement (CTA) or Open Access License (depending on the Journal’s publication model). The CTA grants the Journal the exclusive right to publish, reproduce, distribute, and archive the manuscript, while authors retain the right to use their work for personal, non-commercial purposes, and to cite their own work. For open-access publications, authors will be required to choose a Creative Commons license (e.g., CC BY 4.0) that allows others to share and adapt the work, provided appropriate credit is given to the authors.
Authors are responsible for ensuring that any third-party content (e.g., figures, tables, text excerpts, herbal medicine images) included in the manuscript is properly licensed or that permission has been obtained from the copyright holder.
The Journal is not liable for any copyright infringement caused by the author’s failure to obtain such permission.
5.2 Open Access and Article Processing Charges (APCs)
The APC covers the costs of peer review, editing, production, and archiving. The current APC amount is 500 USD (consistent with traditional medicine field standards), with discounts available for authors from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and students. Authors should indicate if they require a discount during submission. APC waivers may be granted in exceptional cases (e.g., lack of funding); requests for waivers must be submitted with the manuscript and supported by evidence.
5.3 Publication Schedule
Upon acceptance, the manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and proofreading. Authors will receive a proof of the manuscript for review (typically within 2 weeks of acceptance) and must return corrections within 3 working days. The final published version will be available online within 4–6 weeks of proof approval. The Journal publishes semiannually, with continuous online publication of accepted articles (Online First).
5.4 Retraction Policy
The Journal reserves the right to retract published articles if they are found to contain significant errors, plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, or other forms of academic misconduct, or if the manuscript was published without proper ethical approval or permission. Retracted articles will be marked as ”Retracted“ on the Journal’s website, with a retraction notice explaining the reason for retraction.
6. Author Responsibilities
• Ensure that the manuscript is original, accurate, and free from academic misconduct.
• Comply with all ethical guidelines and publication policies of the Journal.
• Respond promptly to communications from the editorial team and reviewers.
• Provide accurate and up-to-date contact information, especially for the corresponding author.
• Notify the editorial team immediately if the manuscript is withdrawn, or if any errors or omissions are discovered after submission.
• Ensure that all authors agree with the final version of the manuscript before submission and acceptance.
7. Contact Information
For questions regarding manuscript submission, peer review, or publication, please contact the Editorial Office:
Email: tmc@tmcjournal.com   
Mailing Address: 555 Quince Orchard, Gaithersburg, MD, 20878 USA 

These Instructions for Authors are subject to periodic revision. The latest version will be available on the Journal’s
website. Authors are advised to check the website for updates before submitting their manuscripts.

Traditional Medicine Communications Editorial Office