Overview
Submission Instructions
Recent Publications
Frequently Asked Questions
Research Topics
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SA
Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy is an open access journal encompassing a range of substance use issues, with a special focus on policy. The journal encourages new ideas on reducing substance misuse and allows researchers to rapidly publish their findings. It welcomes submissions on diverse topics including legislation, correctional supervision, medical treatment and screening, mental health services, research, and evaluation of programs.
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Subject
Substance Abuse
Impact Factor
3.2
Quartile
Q1
Open Access Type
Open
eISSN
1747-597X
Invitation Only
No
Cost Range
£2390.00 GBP / $3190.00 USD / €2790.00 EUR APC; VAT or local taxes may apply.
Submission Instructions
Substance Abuse Treatment Prevention and Policy accepts the following article types. Click on an article type to view submission instructions.
Research
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 submission, confirm the manuscript has not been published or submitted elsewhere, and name any special issue if applicable.
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
Manuscript must include Background, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions, and 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 Authors' information (optional). Manuscript must include three to ten keywords, a competing interests statement, an Availability of data and materials statement, specified author contributions, and disclosure of any Large Language Model use in the Methods section or a suitable alternative section.
References
References must follow Vancouver reference style. Web links and URLs must be cited with a reference number in the reference list in full with site title, URL, and access date, and unpublished abstracts, unpublished data, and personal communications must not appear in the reference list.
Figures & Tables
Tables shorter than one page may be placed within the manuscript, longer tables may be placed at the end of the text file, figure titles and legends must appear in the main manuscript, and figures must be uploaded separately. Figures must be numbered in order and multi-panel figures submitted as a single composite file, while tables must be created using the word processor Table object and must not be embedded as figures or spreadsheet files.
Review
Cover Letter
A cover letter is required. Cover letter must explain why the manuscript should be published, note any issues relating to journal policies, declare any potential competing interests, confirm all authors approved the submission, confirm the manuscript has not been published or submitted elsewhere, and name any special issue if applicable.
Abstract
An abstract is required. Abstract must not exceed 350 words. Abstract structure is not specified.
Manuscript
Manuscript must include a title page, a main text section, a conclusions section, and a Declarations section with the required subheadings. Reviews must include three to ten keywords, all Declarations subheading headings even when marked 'Not applicable', a competing interests statement, an Availability of data and materials statement, and documentation of any Large Language Model use in the Methods section or another suitable section if no Methods section is available.
References
References must follow Vancouver reference style. Web links and URLs must be cited with a reference number and included in the reference list, unpublished abstracts/data/personal communications must not appear in the reference list, and if an author or group can clearly be associated with a web link it should be included in the reference.
Figures & Tables
Figure titles and legends must be provided in the main manuscript rather than in the graphic file, tables under one page may be placed in the manuscript, and tables over one page may be placed at the end of the document with their intended location cited in the text. Multi-panel figures must be submitted as a single composite file, tables must be created using the word processor's Table object rather than embedded as figures or spreadsheets, and footnotes must not contain figures or tables.
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 submission, confirm the content has not been published or submitted elsewhere, and name the special issue if applicable.
Abstract
An abstract is required. Abstract must not exceed 350 words. Abstract must be structured. Abstract must use the headings Background, Methods, Results, Conclusions, and Registration, and registered reviews should include the registration number as the last line.
Manuscript
Manuscript must include a title page, separate Results and Discussion sections, a normally included review limitations section, a Conclusions section, and Declarations sections, and the Methods section must describe the review process including searches, inclusion and exclusion criteria, quality assessment, data extraction, and synthesis. Manuscript must include 3 to 10 keywords, a list of abbreviations if abbreviations are used, an Availability of data and materials statement, competing interests, funding, authors' contributions, acknowledgements, optional authors' information, disclosure of Large Language Model use if applicable, and a Methods link to an additional file reproducing the full search strategy.
References
References must follow Vancouver style. Only published or in-press articles, clinical trial registration records, abstracts, and publicly available preprints may be cited, unpublished abstracts, unpublished data, and personal communications must not appear in the reference list, and web links must be numbered and listed as full references with title, URL, and access date.
Figures & Tables
Figure titles and legends must appear in the main manuscript while figures are uploaded separately, tables under one page may be placed within the manuscript, and larger tables may be placed at the end with their intended position indicated in the text. A PRISMA-style flow diagram should be included, multi-panel figures must be submitted as single composite files, and tables must not be embedded as figures or spreadsheet files.
Brief Report
Cover Letter
A cover letter is required. Cover letter must explain why the manuscript should be published, note any issues relating to journal policies, declare any potential competing interests, confirm all authors approved the submission, confirm the content has not been published or submitted elsewhere, and name any special issue if applicable.
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
Manuscript must include Background, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions, and a Declarations section with all required subheadings. Manuscript must include three to ten keywords, define abbreviations at first use, provide a list of abbreviations if used, document any Large Language Model use in the Methods or a suitable alternative section, and include 'Not applicable' under any Declarations subsection that is not relevant.
References
References must follow Vancouver style. Only published or in-press articles, clinical trial registration records, abstracts, and public preprints may be cited, unpublished abstracts/data/personal communications must not appear in the reference list, and web links or URLs must be numbered and fully listed in the references with site title, full URL, and access date.
Figures & Tables
Tables shorter than one page may be placed within the manuscript, longer tables may be placed at the end of the document, and figure titles and legends must appear in the main manuscript while figure files are uploaded separately. Figures must be numbered in text order and multi-panel figures submitted as one composite file, while tables must be numbered in sequence, created with the word processor's table function, and not embedded as figures or spreadsheet files.
Case 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 submission, confirm the content has not been published or submitted elsewhere, and name the special issue if applicable.
Abstract
An abstract is required. Abstract should not exceed 350 words. Abstract must be narrative and structured with separate sections. Abstract must include the headings Background, Case presentation, and Conclusions.
Manuscript
Manuscript must not exceed 1500 words. Manuscript must use the subheadings Background, Case presentation, and Discussion and include a Declarations section. Manuscript must include three to ten keywords and a Declarations section containing 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 declaration labeled 'Not applicable'.
References
References must use Vancouver style. Web links and URLs must be numbered and included in the reference list in full with the site title, URL, and access date, unpublished abstracts, unpublished data, and personal communications must be excluded from the reference list, and publicly available data relied on by the paper should be cited with a persistent identifier such as a DOI.
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 in the order first cited and multi-panel figures submitted as a single composite file, while tables must be numbered in sequence, created using the table function rather than embedded as figures, and footnotes to tables must use superscript lower-case letters or asterisks for significance values and other statistical data.
Case Study
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, confirm the content has not been published or submitted elsewhere, and name any special issue if applicable.
Abstract
An abstract is required. Abstract must not exceed 350 words. Abstract must be structured. Abstract must include the headings 'Background', 'Case presentation', and 'Conclusions'.
Manuscript
Manuscript must include a Background section, a Case presentation section, a Discussion and Conclusions section, and a Declarations section. Manuscript must include three to ten keywords and 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', and 'Acknowledgements', with 'Authors' information' optional and any non-relevant subsection still included as 'Not applicable', and any use of a Large Language Model documented in the Methods or another suitable section.
References
References must follow Vancouver style. Web links and URLs must be cited with a reference number and included in the reference list in full with the site title, URL, and access date, unpublished abstracts, unpublished data, and personal communications must not appear in the reference list, and publicly available data supporting the conclusions should be cited in the manuscript with persistent identifiers such as DOIs where applicable.
Figures & Tables
Tables shorter than one page may be placed within the manuscript, while tables longer than one page may be placed at the end of the document and cited in the text where they should appear, and figure titles and legends must be included in the main manuscript rather than in the graphic file. Figures must be numbered in the order first mentioned and multi-panel figures submitted as a single composite file, while tables must be numbered in sequence, created with the word processor's table function rather than embedded as figures or spreadsheet files, and footnotes must not contain figures or tables.
Correspondence
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 submission, confirm the manuscript has not been published or submitted elsewhere, and name the special issue if applicable.
Abstract
An abstract is required. Abstract must not exceed 250 words. Abstract should be unstructured and briefly summarize the aim, findings, or purpose of the article while minimizing abbreviations and not citing references.
Manuscript
Manuscript must include a title page with the title, full names and institutional addresses for all authors, and indication of the corresponding author, and it must include a Declarations section with the specified subheadings, using 'Not applicable' for any irrelevant subsection. Manuscript must provide three to ten keywords, include a list of abbreviations if abbreviations are used, include an Availability of data and materials statement, declare funding, competing interests, and authors' contributions, and document any use of a Large Language Model in the Methods section or a suitable alternative part of the manuscript.
References
References must follow Vancouver style. Only published or in-press articles, clinical trial registration records, abstracts, and public preprints may be cited; unpublished abstracts, unpublished data, and personal communications must be excluded from the reference list; web links and URLs must be numbered and listed in full in the references, and identifiable web-link authors should be included.
Figures & Tables
Tables shorter than one page may be placed in the manuscript near their citation, tables longer than one page may be placed at the end of the document, and figure titles and legends must appear in the main manuscript rather than in the graphic files. 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 footnotes must use consecutive numbering in the text without bibliographic details, figures, or tables.
Recent Publications
Beyond the Bud: new cannabis products and modes of consumption in Ontario, Canada’s legal hybrid market
Chelsea Noël, Shawn Dookie, Deborah M. Scharf
10.1186/s13011-026-00735-4
View Publication
Substance use and treatment utilization patterns of working-age American men who were not in employment, education, or training (NEET) during the COVID-19 pandemic
Wayne Kepner, Keith Humphreys
10.1186/s13011-026-00733-6
View Publication
A community-based systematic review of economic evaluations of overdose prevention sites for people who use drugs: a study protocol
Ehsan Jozaghi
10.1186/s13011-025-00668-4
View Publication
Alcohol and mental health care integration in traumatically injured patients with elevated BAC: a retrospective chart review
Nicholas R. Schumann, Madeline R. Marks, Devi Jayan, Jorian Greenwood, Sydney C. Timmer-Murillo, Timothy J. Geier, Claire M. Bird, Andrew T. Schramm, Sacha A. McBain
10.1186/s13011-026-00736-3
View Publication
Determining adverse childhood experiences and their association with substance use among young adults in universities and colleges in Mombasa County, Kenya
Merab Odero, Richelle W. Kihoro, Phoeby W. Mbogo, Safari Agure, Erastus Muniu, James Muttunga, Zackary Kwena, Susan Njoroge, Collins Okoyo
10.1186/s13011-026-00734-5
View Publication
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to publish?
Submission to first decision (median): 42 days.
Reformat to Substance Abuse Treatment Prevention and Policy using Livewrite PremiumIs a cover letter required?
A cover letter is required and should explain why the manuscript should be published in the journal, address any issues relating to journal policies, declare potential competing interests, confirm all authors approved submission, confirm the work 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 Substance Abuse Treatment Prevention and Policy using Livewrite PremiumWhat are the publication costs?
The current APC is £2390.00 GBP / $3190.00 USD / €2790.00 EUR for each accepted article; VAT or local taxes may apply.
Reformat to Substance Abuse Treatment Prevention and Policy using Livewrite PremiumResearch Topics
Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
Opioid Use Disorder Treatment
HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk
Smoking Behavior and Cessation
Forensic Toxicology and Drug Analysis
Alcohol Consumption and Health Effects
Health Policy Implementation Science
Prenatal Substance Exposure Effects
Alcoholism and Thiamine Deficiency
Homelessness and Social Issues
Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research
HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions
Mental Health Treatment and Access
Hormonal and reproductive studies
Pain Management and Opioid Use
Behavioral Health and Interventions
Psychedelics and Drug Studies
Youth, Drugs, and Violence
Mental Health and Patient Involvement
Hepatitis C virus research
Gambling Behavior and Treatments
Child Abuse and Trauma
Doping in Sports
Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis
School Health and Nursing Education