Guidelines for Article Preparation for Submission
Article Guidelines
MNI Open Research publishes different article types across all research
carried out by researchers affiliated with the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, namely in cellular and
molecular neuroscience, brain imaging, cognitive neuroscience, and the study and treatment of
neurological diseases and disorders.
Submission to MNI Open Research is available only to MNI-affiliated researchers: Each publication
must have at least one author who is affiliated with the MNI.
Please review the details of MNI Open Research's post-publication peer-review
model and our policies before you submit.
Manuscripts can be submitted as Word (DOC or DOCX) or rich text format (RTF) files, or as ZIP files if authored in LaTeX (the project ZIP file must include the PDF). If you have any questions about suitable file formats, please email us.
Research Articles
Research Articles should present original findings, such as the results of basic and translational
research, and clinical trials. Null and negative findings, and reanalyses and replications of
previous studies leading to new results are all encouraged.
Method Articles
Method Articles describe new experimental, statistical, or computational methods, or
tests/procedures in basic, translational or applied research, and should have been well tested.
This includes new study methods, substantive modifications to existing methods or innovative
applications of existing methods to new models or research questions. We welcome technical articles
that describe tools that facilitate the design or performance of experiments, provide data analysis
features or assist medical treatment such as drug delivery devices.
Study Protocols
Study Protocols describe in detail any study design, including (but not limited to) experimental
design of basic, translational and applied research, clinical trials or systematic reviews. All
protocols for randomised clinical trials must be registered and follow the SPIRIT reporting guidelines. Study pre-protocols (i.e.
discussing provisional study designs) may also be submitted and will be clearly labelled as such
when published. Study Protocols for pilot and feasibility studies may also be considered.
Systematic Reviews
Systematic Reviews should usually be based on medical interventions or animal model studies.
Systematic Reviews should deal with a clearly formulated question and use systematic and explicit
methods to identify, select, and critically assess the relevant research. Systematic Reviews should
be written following the PRISMA
reporting guidelines.
Software Tool Articles
A Software Tool Article should include the rationale for the development of the tool and details of
the code used for its construction. The article should provide examples of suitable input data sets
and include an example of the output that can be expected from the tool and how this output should
be interpreted.
Clinical Practice Articles
Clinical Practice Articles describe case series (i.e. group or series of case reports involving
patients who were given similar treatment), but should not be based on a single case (single cases
are published as Case Reports).
Research Notes
Research Notes include single-finding papers that can be reported with one or two illustrations
(figures/tables), descriptions of unexpected observations, and lab protocols.
Data Notes
Data Notes are brief descriptions of scientific datasets that promote the potential reuse of
research data and include details of why and how the data were created; they do not include any
analyses or conclusions.
Case Reports
A medical Case Report should be original and provide adequate detail of a single patient case. It
does not need to describe an especially novel or unusual case as there is benefit from collecting
details of many standard cases.
Open Letters
Open Letters are short, peer-reviewed articles discussing policies relevant to a broad research
community, presenting guidelines or white papers, or announcing new initiatives. An Open Letter
should usually represent the views of an MNI-affiliated consortium or group of researchers;
publication does not imply endorsement by the MNI.
Correspondence
Correspondence articles are short, peer reviewed comments directly relating to one or more articles
published in MNI Open Research. Correspondence articles must provide scholarly discussion,
supported by evidence from the published literature.
Registered Reports
Registered Reports are a form of empirical article in which the methods and proposed analyses are
published and reviewed prior to research being conducted. This format seeks to neutralise a variety
of inappropriate research practices, including inadequate statistical power, and selective
reporting of results. These articles are denoted by a Registered Report badge.