- Journal of Current Viruses and Treatment Methodologies
- ISSN 2691-8862
- Open access · CC BY 4.0
Aims and Scope
The Journal of Current Viruses and Treatment Methodologies publishes research on viruses and on the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of viral disease, with mechanistic virology as a core area.
What the journal sets out to do
- To publish rigorous research on the biology of viruses, from replication and pathogenesis to evolution and interaction with the host.
- To report methods and evidence that improve how viral infections are detected, prevented and treated, including diagnostics, vaccines and antiviral therapy.
- To publish epidemiological, clinical and public-health research that informs the management of viral disease in every region, including settings where resources for research are limited.
- To make this research openly available, so that researchers, clinicians and public-health practitioners can read and reuse it freely.
Research areas
JVAT considers research on any aspect of viruses and viral disease. Mechanistic virology is a core area of the journal, and the journal equally welcomes work on the detection, prevention and treatment of viral infection. The areas below are illustrative and form part of a wider field, including:
- Viral replication, structure and pathogenesis
- Host–virus interactions and viral immunology
- Viral evolution, diversity and emergence
- Zoonotic spillover and One Health approaches
- Epidemiology, surveillance and modeling of viral infection
- Diagnostics and detection methods
- Antiviral drugs, resistance and treatment strategies
- Vaccines and immunization
- Oncolytic viruses and viral vectors
- Clinical management and outcomes of viral disease
- Prevention, infection control and public-health interventions
- Emerging and re-emerging viral diseases, including COVID-19
- Sequencing, bioinformatics and laboratory methods for virology
Contributions from the molecular, cellular, immunological, structural, clinical, epidemiological, computational and public-health sciences are welcome when they address a question about viruses or viral disease. A topic that is not named above is within scope when it meets that test.
Designs and approaches welcomed
JVAT considers experimental, observational, computational and qualitative research. Study designs are reported within the article types listed below; a cohort or laboratory study, for example, is submitted as Original Research.
- Laboratory and mechanistic studies
- Studies in cell culture, animal models and clinical specimens of viral replication, pathogenesis, host response and drug or vaccine action.
- Structural and computational studies
- Structural biology, genomics, phylogenetics and computational modeling of viruses and their targets.
- Clinical and observational studies
- Cohort, case-control and cross-sectional studies, and analyses of registries and clinical data, on the course, outcomes and management of viral disease.
- Intervention studies
- Randomized and non-randomized trials of antivirals, vaccines and other interventions, registered as set out in the Instructions for Authors.
- Diagnostic evaluation
- Development and validation of assays, sequencing approaches and point-of-care tests for viral infection.
- Epidemiology and modeling
- Surveillance analyses, outbreak investigations, and models of transmission, disease burden and the effects of interventions.
- Evidence synthesis
- Systematic reviews, meta-analyses and scoping reviews.
- Methodological research
- New, adapted or validated methods for measurement, analysis, surveillance and evaluation in virology.
What makes a manuscript a fit
Manuscripts are assessed for their relevance to virology and viral disease, the soundness of their methods and whether their conclusions are proportionate to the evidence. Clinical, epidemiological and laboratory studies are all considered.
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Case reports
Case Reports, including short case series, are accepted when the case carries a lesson for the diagnosis, treatment or prevention of viral disease, such as an unusual presentation, a response to treatment or a diagnostic finding.
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Opinions, editorials and letters
Opinions, Editorials and Letters are accepted when they make a reasoned argument, supported by evidence and cited sources, on a question in virology or on work published in JVAT.
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Clinical and public-health studies
Studies of viral disease in patients and populations are accepted when they report clear methods, appropriate analysis and an account of their limitations.
Unsupported opinion, meaning assertion without evidence or reasoned argument, is outside the journal's scope.
Article types
The journal publishes the article types below. Guidance on the structure, abstract and reporting standard for each type is given in the Instructions for Authors.
- Original ResearchLaboratory, clinical, epidemiological or computational studies of viruses and viral disease.
- ReviewNarrative, systematic or meta-analytic reviews of viral biology, or of the diagnosis, prevention or treatment of viral disease.
- MethodsNew, adapted or validated methods and protocols for virology, diagnostics or the evaluation of treatment.
- Short CommunicationConcise reports of a focused or preliminary finding of importance to virology or viral disease.
- Case ReportIndividual cases or short case series with a lesson for the diagnosis, treatment or prevention of viral disease.
- LetterBrief responses to articles published in JVAT, or short observations of relevance to virology.
- EditorialCommentary on a topical development in the field or on the journal's content, written by the editors or by invited authors.
- OpinionA reasoned, evidence-based argument on a question of current importance to virology or viral disease.
Where a manuscript sits between types, authors choose the closest type and explain the choice in the cover letter, and the editors confirm the classification. A short case series is classified as a Case Report, a systematic review as a Review, and a study protocol as Methods.
Scope questions
Is my topic within scope?
A manuscript is within scope when it addresses a question about viruses or about the diagnosis, prevention or treatment of viral disease, whatever its discipline or setting. If you are unsure, send the title and abstract to the editorial office at info@openaccesspub.org before submitting.
Does JVAT consider clinical studies?
Yes. Clinical, epidemiological and public-health studies of viral disease are considered alongside laboratory and mechanistic work, provided the methods are sound and the conclusions follow from the evidence.
Does JVAT consider studies from a single center or country?
Yes. Authors of single-setting studies explain how their findings relate to other populations or settings.
Can I submit work that has been posted as a preprint?
Yes. Posting a preprint is compatible with submission to JVAT. Cite the preprint and its DOI in the cover letter.
Preparing a submission
Read the Instructions for Authors and the Editorial Policies before submitting.