Overview
Submission Instructions
Recent Publications
Frequently Asked Questions
Research Topics
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IS
Implementation Science is a pioneering, highly-accessed journal dedicated to publishing evidence regarding methods for promoting the uptake of consolidated research findings into routine healthcare practice and health policy. It provides a multidisciplinary platform for research on implementation strategies, including their development, outcomes, economics, processes by which effects are achieved, and factors associated with implementation outcomes, with a particular interest in rigorous studies and novel, theory-based approaches across the full spectrum of healthcare services and settings.
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Impact Factor
13.4
Quartile
Q1
Open Access Type
Open
ISSN
1748-5908
eISSN
1748-5908
Invitation Only
Yes
Cost Range
£2690.00 GBP / $3490.00 USD / €2990.00 EUR APC
Submission Instructions
Implementation Science is an invitation-only journal. Submissions are accepted by invitation from the editorial board only. The following article types are accepted:
Research Articles
Cover Letter
A cover letter is required. Cover letter must explain why the manuscript should be published, explain any issues relating to journal policies, declare any potential competing interests, confirm all authors approved the submission, and confirm the manuscript content has not been published or submitted elsewhere.
Abstract
An abstract is required. Abstract must not exceed 350 words. Abstract must be structured. Abstract must include the headings Background, Methods, Results, Conclusions, and Trial registration.
Manuscript
Research articles should be no longer than 5500 words, counting only the main text from the Introduction to the end of the Conclusions. Manuscript must include Background, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions, and a Declarations section with all required subheadings. Manuscript must include three to ten keywords, a bulleted 'Contributions to the literature' section of three to five bullet points totaling no more than 100 words immediately after the abstract, and any use of a Large Language Model must be documented in the Methods section or another suitable section.
References
References must follow Vancouver style. Only published or in-press articles, clinical trial registration records, abstracts, and public e-prints or preprints may be cited; unpublished abstracts, unpublished data, and personal communications must not appear in the reference list; journal abbreviations must follow Index Medicus/MEDLINE; and URLs must be assigned a reference number and included in full in the reference list.
Figures & Tables
Figure titles and legends must be provided in the main manuscript, tables under one page may be placed within the manuscript, and tables over one page may be placed at the end of the document with their intended placement indicated in the text. Figures and tables must be numbered in the order cited, multi-panel figures must be submitted as a single composite file, tables must not be embedded as figures or spreadsheets, and tables must be created using the word processor's table function.
Systematic Review
Cover Letter
A cover letter is required. Cover letter must explain why the manuscript should be published, address any issues relating to journal policies, declare any potential competing interests, confirm all authors approved the submission, and confirm the manuscript content has not been published or submitted elsewhere.
Abstract
A structured abstract is required. Abstract must not exceed 350 words. Abstract must be structured. Abstract must use the headings Background, Methods, Results, Conclusions, and Registration.
Manuscript
Systematic reviews should be no longer than 5500 words excluding the abstract, tables, figures, and similar material. Manuscript must include separate Background, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions, and Declarations sections, with Results and Discussion presented separately. Manuscript must include a bulleted 'Contributions to the literature' statement of three to five bullet points in lay language and no more than 100 words placed immediately after the abstract, three to ten keywords, a 'Declarations' section with the required subheadings, and any use of a Large Language Model documented in the Methods section or another suitable section.
References
References must follow Vancouver style. Only published or publicly available articles, trial registration records, and abstracts may be cited, unpublished abstracts, unpublished data, and personal communications must not appear in the reference list, journal abbreviations must follow Index Medicus/MEDLINE, and all URLs must be numbered and included in the reference list.
Figures & Tables
Tables shorter than one page may be placed within the manuscript, tables longer than one page may be placed at the end of the text file, and figure titles and legends must be provided in the main manuscript rather than in the graphic file. Figures must be numbered and uploaded in the order first mentioned, multi-panel figures must be submitted as a single composite file, and tables must be numbered and cited in sequence using Arabic numerals.
Correspondence
Cover Letter
Cover letter is required. Cover letter must explain why the manuscript should be published, address any issues relating to journal policies, declare any potential competing interests, confirm all authors approved the submission, and confirm the manuscript has not been published or submitted elsewhere.
Abstract
Abstract is required. Abstract must not exceed 250 words.
Manuscript
Correspondence should be around 800 words excluding references. Correspondence must relate to an original article published in the journal and include a Declarations section. Manuscript must include three to ten keywords, a Declarations section with the specified subheadings even when marked 'Not applicable,' and documentation of any Large Language Model use in the Methods section or another suitable location if there is no Methods section.
References
References must follow Vancouver style. Only published or publicly available articles, trial registration records, and abstracts may be cited, unpublished abstracts/data/personal communications must be excluded from the reference list, journal abbreviations must follow Index Medicus/MEDLINE, and URLs must appear as full references in the reference list rather than in the text.
Figures & Tables
Tables under one page may be placed within the manuscript, larger tables may be placed at the end of the text file, and figure titles and legends must be provided in the main manuscript rather than in the graphic file. Figures and tables must be numbered in the order cited, footnotes must be used instead of endnotes, text footnotes must be numbered consecutively, table footnotes must use superscript lower-case letters or asterisks for significance values, and footnotes must not contain only a reference citation, bibliographic reference details, figures, or tables.
Short Report
Cover Letter
A cover letter is required. Cover letter must explain why the manuscript should be published, address any issues relating to journal policies, declare any potential competing interests, confirm all authors approved the submission, and confirm the manuscript content has not been published or submitted elsewhere.
Abstract
An abstract is required. Abstract must not exceed 350 words. Abstract must be structured. Abstract must include the headings Background, Methods, Results, and Conclusions, and articles reporting results of a health care intervention on human participants must also include a Trial registration section with the registration number and date, using the words 'retrospectively registered' if applicable.
Manuscript
Short reports should be no longer than 2500 words excluding the abstract, tables, and figures, with the count covering the main text from the Introduction to the end of the Conclusions. Manuscript must include Background, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions, and a Declarations section, with the Methods section covering aim, design, setting, participants or materials, and processes, interventions, and comparisons. Manuscript must include a bulleted 'Contributions to the literature' statement of three to five bullet points and no more than 100 words immediately after the abstract, three to ten keywords, all required Declarations subheadings with 'Not applicable' where relevant, and documentation of any Large Language Model use in the Methods section or suitable alternative part.
References
References must follow Vancouver style. Only published or in-press articles, clinical trial registration records, abstracts, and publicly available e-prints or preprints may be cited, unpublished abstracts, unpublished data, and personal communications must be excluded from the reference list, journal abbreviations must follow Index Medicus/MEDLINE, and URLs must be numbered and included in the reference list.
Figures & Tables
Tables shorter than one page may be placed within the manuscript, tables longer than one page may be placed at the end of the text file, and figure titles and legends must be provided in the main manuscript while figure files are uploaded separately. Figures and tables must be numbered in the order first cited in the text, multi-panel figures must be submitted as a single composite file, and tables must be created using the word processor's table function rather than embedded as figures or spreadsheet files.
Study Protocol
Cover Letter
A cover letter is required for Study Protocol submissions. The cover letter must explain why the manuscript should be published, address any journal policy issues, declare any potential competing interests, confirm all authors approved submission, and confirm the manuscript has not been published or submitted elsewhere.
Abstract
An abstract is required for Study Protocols. The abstract must not exceed 350 words. The abstract must be structured. The abstract must include separate sections for Background, Methods, Discussion, and Trial registration, with the trial registration number as the last line of the abstract.
Manuscript
Study Protocols should be no longer than 5,500 words excluding the abstract, tables, figures, and similar items. The manuscript must include Background, Methods/Design, Discussion, and Declarations sections, and the title page must include a title with study design if appropriate, full author names and institutional addresses, and the corresponding author. The manuscript must include a bulleted 'Contributions to the literature' statement of three to five bullet points and no more than 100 words immediately after the abstract, three to ten keywords, a 'Declarations' section with the specified subheadings, a list of abbreviations if abbreviations are used, and documentation of any Large Language Model use in the Methods section or a suitable alternative section.
References
Study Protocols must use Vancouver reference style. Only published or publicly available articles, trial registration records, and abstracts may be cited, unpublished abstracts, unpublished data, and personal communications must not appear in the reference list, journal abbreviations must follow Index Medicus/MEDLINE, and URLs must be numbered and included in the reference list in full with site title, URL, and access date.
Figures & Tables
Figure titles and legends must be provided in the main manuscript, tables shorter than one page may be placed within the manuscript, and tables longer than one page may be placed at the end of the text file with callouts in the text. Figures and tables must be numbered in the order first cited, multi-panel figures must be submitted as a single composite file, and tables must be created using the word processor's table function rather than embedded as figures or spreadsheet files.
Matters Arising
Cover Letter
Cover letter must explain why the manuscript should be published, explain any issues relating to journal policies, declare any potential competing interests, and confirm all authors approved the submission.
Abstract
Abstract is not required for Matters Arising articles.
Manuscript
Main text should be as concise as possible and ideally not exceed 1,200 words. Main text must contain the body of the article and may be broken into subsections with short, informative headings. Manuscript must include a Declarations section with the subheadings Ethics approval and consent to participate, Consent for publication, Availability of data and materials, Competing interests, Funding, Authors' contributions, Acknowledgements, and optional Authors' information, with any non-relevant heading retained and marked 'Not applicable', and any use of a Large Language Model documented in the Methods section or another suitable section if no Methods section is available.
References
References must follow Vancouver style. Only published or in-press articles, clinical trial registration records, abstracts, and publicly available e-prints or preprints may be cited; unpublished abstracts, unpublished data, and personal communications must not appear in the reference list; journal abbreviations must follow Index Medicus/MEDLINE; and dataset identifiers including DOIs should be given as full URLs.
Figures & Tables
Tables under one page may be placed within the manuscript, tables larger than one page may be placed at the end of the text file with placement indicated in the text, figure titles and legends must be provided in the main manuscript rather than in the graphic file, and figures must be uploaded separately in citation order. Figures must be submitted as correctly oriented files with multipanel figures combined into a single composite file, and tables must be created with the word processor's table function rather than embedded as figures or spreadsheet files.
Recent Publications
Development and validation of a clinical practice guidelines implementability assessment tool (CPG-IAT) based on the COSMIN framework
Dongmei Zhong, Gregory A. Aarons, Yaolong Chen, Nan Yang, Wenjun He, Run Wang, Jiawen Tang, Yimin Wu, Zizhen Huang, Dong Roman Xu
10.1186/s13012-026-01506-2
View Publication
Embracing complexity by reducing rigidity: guiding principles for the intersection of implementation science and qualitative research
Laura Sheard, Heather Reisinger, Rinad Beidas, Paul Wilson
10.1186/s13012-026-01515-1
View Publication
Patterns of CDSS adoption in primary care: a cluster analysis and predictive modelling study from a stepped wedge trial
Jale Basten, Juliane Köberlein-Neu, Peter Ihle, Ingo Meyer, Nina Timmesfeld
10.1186/s13012-026-01516-0
View Publication
Implementation of co-designed strategies enhances referral to pulmonary rehabilitation for people with COPD in tertiary care: an interrupted time series study
Sarah Hug, Vinicius Cavalheri, Daniel F. Gucciardi, Richard Norman, Christine Teague, Natasha Bear, Kylie Hill, Nola Cecins, Tenae Cowie, Tamara Hatton, Jade Larsson, Caitlin Vicary, Carol Watson, Peta Winship
10.1186/s13012-026-01512-4
View Publication
Five years of the Implementation Research Logic Model: a citation analysis and systematic scoping review of its use in implementation research and practice
James L. Merle, Catlin A. Golden, Rebecca Simmons, Elizabeth A. Sloss, Olutobi A. Sanuade, Teresa Winning Verry, Anthony J. Nixon, Mary M. McFarland, Rebecca Lengnick-Hall, Rosemary Meza, Jennie L. Hill, Paul A. Estabrooks, Miriam R. Rafferty, Dennis Li, Justin D. Smith
10.1186/s13012-026-01514-2
View Publication
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to publish?
Submission to first decision (median): 18 days.
Reformat to Implementation Science using Livewrite PremiumIs a cover letter required?
A cover letter is required. It should explain why the manuscript should be published in Implementation Science, address any issues relating to journal policies, declare potential competing interests, confirm all authors approved the submission, confirm the content has not been published or submitted elsewhere, and name the special issue if applicable. Authors may also suggest preferred or non-preferred peer reviewers in the cover letter.
Reformat to Implementation Science using Livewrite PremiumWhat are the publication costs?
Article processing charge: £2690.00 GBP / $3490.00 USD / €2990.00 EUR for each accepted article; VAT or local taxes may apply.
Reformat to Implementation Science using Livewrite PremiumResearch Topics
Health Policy Implementation Science
Primary Care and Health Outcomes
Health Systems, Economic Evaluations, Quality of Life
Community Health and Development
Clinical practice guidelines implementation
Mental Health and Patient Involvement
Health Sciences Research and Education
Evaluation and Performance Assessment
Interprofessional Education and Collaboration
Patient Satisfaction in Healthcare
Global Maternal and Child Health
Patient-Provider Communication in Healthcare
Healthcare Systems and Technology
Diabetes Management and Education
Geriatric Care and Nursing Homes
Behavioral Health and Interventions
Healthcare cost, quality, practices
Pharmaceutical Practices and Patient Outcomes
Chronic Disease Management Strategies
Healthcare Quality and Management
Meta-analysis and systematic reviews
Electronic Health Records Systems
Healthcare Policy and Management
Public Health Policies and Education
Delphi Technique in Research