- Journal of Parasite Research
- ISSN 2690-6759
- Open access · CC BY 4.0
Aims and Scope
The Journal of Parasite Research publishes research on parasites and parasitic diseases of humans and animals, basic and applied, from parasite biology and host responses to transmission, diagnosis, treatment and control.
What the journal sets out to do
- To publish rigorous research on parasites, their hosts and vectors, and the diseases they cause in humans and animals.
- To advance the biology, immunology, molecular and epidemiological understanding on which diagnosis, treatment and control depend.
- To report field and clinical evidence from every region, including settings where resources for research are limited.
- To make this research openly available, so that researchers, clinicians, veterinarians and public-health practitioners can read and reuse it freely.
Research areas
JPAR considers research on any aspect of parasites and parasitic disease, basic and applied. The areas below are examples of a wider field, including:
- Protozoan parasites, including Plasmodium, Toxoplasma, Leishmania, trypanosomes and Babesia
- Enteric protozoa, including Cryptosporidium, Giardia and Eimeria
- Helminths: nematodes, trematodes and cestodes
- Soil-transmitted helminths, schistosomiasis and filariasis
- Ticks, mites and other ectoparasites
- Vectors, vector biology and vector control
- Parasite biology, life cycles and ecology
- Host–parasite interactions and immunology
- Molecular parasitology, genomics and evolution
- Epidemiology, prevalence and risk factors of parasitic infection
- Zoonotic transmission and One Health research
- Parasites of livestock, companion animals, wildlife and fish
- Diagnosis of parasitic infection
- Antiparasitic drugs, drug resistance and natural products
- Vaccines and other control measures
- Neglected tropical diseases
Contributions from the biomedical, veterinary, clinical, laboratory, entomological, ecological, social and computational sciences are welcome when they address a question about parasites or parasitic disease. A topic that is not named above is within scope when it meets that test.
Studies and approaches welcomed
JPAR considers laboratory, clinical, veterinary and field research. Study designs are reported within the article types listed below; a cross-sectional survey or a laboratory experiment, for example, is submitted as Original Research.
- Laboratory studies
- Parasite culture and biology, in vitro and in vivo experiments, drug and compound screening, immunology and molecular studies.
- Field surveys
- Prevalence, distribution and risk-factor studies in people, livestock, companion animals, wildlife and vectors.
- Clinical studies
- Diagnosis, treatment and outcomes of parasitic infection in patients, including Case Reports and case series.
- Diagnostics
- Development and evaluation of microscopic, serological and molecular tests.
- Control and intervention
- Evaluations of drugs, vaccines, vector control and community or herd-level control programs.
- Modeling and genomics
- Transmission models, population genetics, phylogeny and genome analysis.
- Evidence synthesis
- Reviews, systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
What makes a manuscript a fit
Manuscripts are assessed for their relevance to parasites and parasitic disease, the soundness of their methods and whether their conclusions are proportionate to the evidence. Applied work, such as prevalence surveys and evaluations of control measures, is considered on the same terms as basic research.
Case Reports
Case Reports, including short case series, are accepted when the case carries a lesson for diagnosis, treatment or control of parasitic disease, such as an unusual host, presentation, geographic occurrence or treatment response.
Commentaries and letters
Commentaries and Letters are accepted when they make a reasoned argument, supported by evidence and cited sources, on a question in parasitology or on work published in JPAR. Unsupported opinion, meaning assertion without evidence or reasoned argument, is outside the journal’s scope.
Descriptive surveys
Descriptive surveys are accepted when they report parasitological data with clear methods, an appropriate sampling approach, species-level identification where possible and an account of their limitations.
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 Research
- Empirical studies of parasites, vectors, hosts and the diseases they cause, using laboratory, clinical, veterinary, field or computational methods, including prevalence and risk-factor surveys.
- Review
- Authoritative narrative reviews of a topic in parasitology, with a defined scope and a transparent account of how the literature was identified.
- Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
- Systematic syntheses of evidence on a defined question, with or without meta-analysis, including scoping reviews that use systematic methods.
- Methods
- New, adapted or validated methods, assays, models and protocols for parasitology, with enough detail for others to apply them.
- Short Communication
- Concise reports of a focused or preliminary finding of importance to parasitology.
- Case Report
- Individual cases or short case series, in people or animals, with a lesson for diagnosis, treatment or control of parasitic disease.
- Commentary
- Evidence-based argument on a current issue in parasitology or on published research.
- Letter
- Brief responses to articles published in JPAR, or short observations of relevance to parasitology.
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 scoping review as a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, and a study protocol as Methods.
Scope questions
Is my topic within scope?
A manuscript is within scope when it addresses a question about parasites or parasitic disease in humans or animals, 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 JPAR consider studies from a single country or local setting?
Yes. Local, national, regional and multi-country studies are all considered. Authors of single-setting studies explain how their findings relate to other populations, hosts or settings.
Are veterinary and agricultural studies within scope?
Yes. Parasites of livestock, companion animals, wildlife and fish are within scope, alongside parasites of humans and zoonotic infections.
Can I submit work that has been posted as a preprint?
Yes. Posting a preprint is compatible with submission to JPAR. Cite the preprint and its DOI in the cover letter.
Preparing a submission
Read the Instructions for Authors and the Editorial Policies before submitting.