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Call for papersResearch methodology

Call for Papers: Innovations in clinical trial design (BMC Medical Research Methodology)

BMC Medical Research Methodology’s collection on innovations in clinical trial design covers trial designs that address longstanding limitations of conventional trials. This guide sets out topic areas consistent with that scope, fit checks, possible paper ideas and points authors should confirm before submitting.

Pubrica InsightsEditorial team, reviewed by a subject specialist
Deadline
5 December 2026
Last checked
10 November 2026
Reading time
5 min
Sources
1
Submit through the official call

Key dates

Manuscript deadline
5 December 2026
Details last checked
10 November 2026
Open the official call

About the journal

Journal
BMC Medical Research Methodology
Publisher
BMC, part of Springer Nature
Call type
Call for papers
Scope
Trial designs addressing longstanding limitations of conventional trials.
Guest editors
Listed on the official collection page
Access and fees
Open access; an article processing charge normally applies on acceptance
Originality
Original work, not under review elsewhere; confirm on the official page

Topics consistent with the call

  • Adaptive designs, including sample size re-estimation and response-adaptive randomisation methods
  • Platform, basket and umbrella trial designs for evaluating multiple interventions
  • Pragmatic and decentralised trial designs that improve recruitment and generalisability
  • Bayesian methods for trial design, monitoring and decision-making
  • Designs using external or real-world data to augment control arms
  • Simulation studies comparing operating characteristics of novel and conventional designs

Based on the published scope; the full list of themes is on the official call page.

Is your work a fit? Check before you write

  1. The manuscript makes a methodological contribution to trial design rather than reporting a trial’s clinical results.
  2. The limitation of conventional trials being addressed is stated clearly.
  3. Performance is evaluated through simulation, empirical application or both, with transparent assumptions.
  4. Code, settings or worked examples are provided where possible so that others can reproduce or apply the method.
  5. The work is complete, approved by all co-authors and ready to submit before the stated deadline.

Why This Call Is a Priority Now

Conventional parallel-group trials can be slow, costly and limited in how well their results apply to routine practice. Methodologists have developed many alternative designs, but uptake depends on clear evidence about their properties and practical guidance on implementation. A themed collection in a methodology journal brings new methods, comparative simulations, real-data evaluations and tutorials together, helping trialists, statisticians and funders understand when innovative designs are appropriate and how to use them well.

Who Should Submit

Academic backgrounds

  • Biostatistics
  • Clinical trial methodology
  • Epidemiology
  • Health technology assessment
  • Pharmacometrics and quantitative pharmacology

Institutions and sectors

  • Universities and clinical trials units
  • Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies
  • Contract research organisations
  • Regulatory and health technology assessment agencies

Article types commonly published in BMC Medical Research Methodology

  • Methodology articles describing new or adapted methods
  • Simulation studies comparing the performance of methods
  • Empirical studies evaluating methods on real data
  • Tutorials and guidance on applying methods

What the Editors Typically Value

  1. New or adapted designs that tackle a clearly defined weakness of conventional trials.
  2. Fair and thorough simulation comparisons with realistic scenarios and transparent code.
  3. Empirical evaluations that show how a design performed in a real trial setting.
  4. Accessible tutorials and guidance that help trial teams apply innovative designs correctly.

Paper Ideas You Could Develop

Simulation of platform trial control sharingA simulation study comparing approaches to sharing control data in platform trials, reporting type I error, power and bias under time trends.
Bayesian borrowing from historical controlsA methodology article proposing a dynamic borrowing approach for external control data, illustrated with a reanalysis of a completed trial.
Tutorial on adaptive design reportingA practical tutorial guiding trial teams through planning, simulating and reporting an adaptive design, with reproducible code.

Your Plan to the Deadline

A suggested schedule working back from 5 December 2026. Adjust it to the stage your work has reached.

  1. By 21 Oct 2026

    Open the official collection page and the BMC Medical Research Methodology submission guidelines; confirm the scope, article types and guest editors.

  2. By 4 Nov 2026

    Write a one-paragraph statement of your research question, design and the contribution your paper makes to the collection.

  3. By 14 Nov 2026

    Complete the analysis and agree the key findings, figures and tables with your co-authors.

  4. By 25 Nov 2026

    Draft the full manuscript to the BMC Medical Research Methodology article type and the relevant reporting guideline.

  5. By 30 Nov 2026

    Circulate the draft to co-authors and an independent reader; revise for clarity, accuracy and completeness.

  6. By 3 Dec 2026

    Complete final checks: formatting, references, declarations, data availability statement and cover letter.

  7. By 5 Dec 2026

    Submit through the journal’s online system, selecting the collection, after re-checking the official call page.

What you gain from publishing here

  • Publication in BMC Medical Research Methodology, reaching readers working on this topic.
  • A themed collection that groups your paper with related work.
  • Editorial and peer feedback that can strengthen the work, whatever the decision.
  • A peer-reviewed output for your CV, thesis or grant reporting.

What happens after you submit

  1. Submission: upload through the BMC Medical Research Methodology online system and select the collection.
  2. Editorial screening: the editors check fit with the collection; papers outside its scope may be returned without review.
  3. Peer review: suitable papers are sent to reviewers under the journal’s review model.
  4. Revision and decision: respond to each reviewer comment and keep a record of the changes.
  5. Production: accepted papers move to proofs and open access publication, with the article processing charge set out by the publisher.

What the Collection Is Looking For

The collection seeks methodological work on trial designs that address longstanding limitations of conventional trials. In line with BMC Medical Research Methodology’s remit, suitable submissions are likely to include methodology articles describing new or adapted designs, simulation studies, empirical evaluations using real trial data and tutorials. Work that states the problem clearly, evaluates performance transparently and supports practical uptake is likely to be of most interest.

Read the call itselfThis guide summarises the call. Open the official collection page before you plan a submission, and record the date you checked it and the guest editors listed.Open the official call

Expert help

How Pubrica Can Help With This Submission

Pubrica’s subject specialists can review, write, edit, format and prepare your manuscript for this call, planned back from the deadline. You remain the author of your work.

Biostatistics and statistical programmingStatistical analysis plans, analysis, simulation code and statistical review of results. Original research article writingManuscript writing from your data, structured to the journal’s article type and reporting guideline. Manuscript editingLanguage and technical editing to prepare the manuscript for submission. Journal formattingFormatting of the manuscript, references, figures and tables to the journal’s guidelines. Cover letterA cover letter that explains how the manuscript fits the collection and the journal’s scope. Journal submissionPreparation of submission files and completion of the journal’s online submission system.
Go to the official call

FAQs

Questions Authors Ask

The published deadline is 5 December 2026. Collections can close early or be extended, so confirm the date on the official call page before you plan your submission.

The guest editors are listed on the official collection page. Check their research interests, as they help to judge whether your manuscript fits the collection.

Clinical results alone are unlikely to fit a methodology collection, but a paper focusing on lessons learned in designing or running the adaptive design may be suitable. Authors should confirm accepted article types and scope on the official call page.

BMC journals publish articles open access, and an article processing charge normally applies on acceptance. Check the journal’s fees and funding page, and whether your institution has an agreement that covers the charge, before you submit.

Sources

  1. BMC Medical Research Methodology. (2026). Innovations in clinical trial design [Collection call for papers]. BMC, part of Springer Nature. Retrieved 10 November 2026, from https://link.springer.com/collections/gidhfcehig

How to cite this page

Pubrica Insights. (2026). Call for Papers: Innovations in clinical trial design (BMC Medical Research Methodology). Pubrica. https://pubrica.com/insights/calls-and-conferences/innovations-in-clinical-trial-design/

  • Clinical trials
  • Trial design
  • Adaptive designs
  • Bayesian methods
  • Research methodology

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Innovations in clinical trial design (BMC Medical Research Methodology)Deadline 5 December 2026

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