1. Policy Statement

The Journal of Public Health and Preventive Medicine requires that all clinical trials be registered in a publicly accessible clinical trial registry before the enrollment of the first participant. This policy is in accordance with the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Registration ensures transparency, reduces publication bias, and allows readers and reviewers to verify the conduct and reporting of trials.

2. Definition of a Clinical Trial

For the purpose of this policy, a clinical trial is defined as any research study that prospectively assigns human participants or groups of humans to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects on health outcomes. This includes, but is not limited to, trials of drugs, devices, surgical procedures, behavioral interventions, and preventive strategies.

3. Registration Requirement

• All clinical trials must be registered in a WHO ICTRP Primary Registry or ClinicalTrials.gov before the first participant is enrolled.

• The registration number must be provided in the manuscript, preferably in the Methods section and at the end of the Abstract.

• Authors must also provide the name of the registry and the date of registration.

• For trials that began before this policy came into effect, retrospective registration may be considered if the authors provide a clear justification. However, prospective registration is strongly preferred, and retrospective registration may affect the editorial decision.

4. Acceptable Registries

The journal accepts registration in any registry that is part of the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) or is a Primary Registry recognized by WHO. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• ClinicalTrials.gov: https://clinicaltrials.gov/

• WHO ICTRP: https://www.who.int/clinical-trials-registry-platform

• ISRCTN: https://www.isrctn.com/

• EU Clinical Trials Register: https://www.clinicaltrialsregister.eu/

• ANZCTR: https://www.anzctr.org.au/

• Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR): https://www.chictr.org.cn/

• Clinical Trials Registry – India (CTRI): http://ctri.nic.in/

For systematic reviews, authors are encouraged to register their protocol in PROSPERO: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/

5. Reporting of Registration Information

Authors must include the following information in the manuscript:

• Trial registration number

• Name of the registry

• Date of registration

• Whether the trial was registered prospectively or retrospectively

This information must also be available in the article PDF.

6. Compliance and Editorial Actions

• Manuscripts reporting clinical trials without a registration number will not be sent for peer review and may be returned to the authors.

• If a trial is registered retrospectively, the authors must explain the reason in the cover letter and in the manuscript. The editorial team will evaluate whether the justification is acceptable.

• The journal reserves the right to reject manuscripts that do not comply with this policy.

7. Contact

For questions about this policy, please contact the editorial office:

Editorial Office
Journal of Public Health and Preventive Medicine
Public Health Young Scholars Alliance (PHYSA)
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://journal.physa.org