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Call for papersResearch methodology

Call for Papers: Reproducibility, transparency, and open science (BMC Medical Research Methodology)

BMC Medical Research Methodology’s collection concerns methods supporting more collaborative and trustworthy research. This guide covers topic areas consistent with that scope, fit checks for methodological manuscripts and points to confirm before submission.

Pubrica InsightsEditorial team, reviewed by a subject specialist
Deadline
4 January 2027
Last checked
10 November 2026
Reading time
5 min
Sources
1
Submit through the official call

Key dates

Manuscript deadline
4 January 2027
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
Methods supporting more collaborative and trustworthy research.
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

  • Methods for assessing and improving reproducibility of health research findings
  • Studies examining data sharing, code sharing and their effect on research quality
  • Preregistration, registered reports and protocol transparency in health research
  • Tools and workflows supporting reproducible statistical analysis and reporting
  • Approaches to collaborative and multi-team research such as many-analysts designs
  • Evaluation of reporting guidelines and transparency policies in medical research

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 reproducibility, transparency or open science in health research.
  2. Methods, data and code are shared where possible, consistent with the theme of the collection.
  3. The approach is evaluated empirically, through simulation or with a clear and justified rationale.
  4. The implications for researchers, journals, funders or institutions are set out.
  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

Concerns about irreproducible findings and selective reporting have prompted researchers, journals and funders to adopt practices such as preregistration, data sharing and open code. Whether these practices achieve their aims, and how they can be implemented efficiently, are methodological questions in their own right. A themed collection brings together methods development, evaluation and practical guidance, and offers authors a readership interested in strengthening the trustworthiness of health research.

Who Should Submit

Academic backgrounds

  • Meta-research and research integrity
  • Biostatistics
  • Clinical epidemiology
  • Research software engineering and data science
  • Evidence synthesis

Institutions and sectors

  • Universities and meta-research centres
  • Research funders and policy bodies
  • Journals, publishers and reporting guideline groups
  • Clinical trials units

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. Empirical evidence on whether transparency practices improve the reliability of published research.
  2. New tools or workflows that make reproducible analysis easier to adopt in health research.
  3. Methods for collaborative research designs that reduce analytical flexibility or bias.
  4. Practical guidance that helps researchers implement open science practices within existing constraints.

Paper Ideas You Could Develop

Reproducing published analysesAn empirical study attempting to reproduce results from a sample of health research articles with shared data and code, and classifying sources of discrepancy.
Many-analysts comparisonA study in which independent teams analyse the same dataset, quantifying variation in conclusions arising from analytical choices.
Reproducible workflow tutorialA tutorial describing a reproducible analysis pipeline for a clinical study, including version control and automated reporting.

Your Plan to the Deadline

A suggested schedule working back from 4 January 2027. Adjust it to the stage your work has reached.

  1. By 20 Nov 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 Dec 2026

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

  3. By 14 Dec 2026

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

  4. By 25 Dec 2026

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

  5. By 30 Dec 2026

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

  6. By 2 Jan 2027

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

  7. By 4 Jan 2027

    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 is looking for methodological work that supports more collaborative and trustworthy research. Consistent with BMC Medical Research Methodology’s remit, this may include new or adapted methods, simulation studies, empirical evaluations of methods and practices on real data, and tutorials or guidance on study design, analysis and reporting. Authors should confirm accepted article types and any guest editor priorities on the official call page.

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 4 January 2027. 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.

A meta-research study is likely to be relevant if it evaluates transparency, reproducibility or reporting practices in health research. The journal publishes work on research reporting and study design. Authors should confirm accepted article types 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). Reproducibility, transparency, and open science [Collection call for papers]. BMC, part of Springer Nature. Retrieved 10 November 2026, from https://link.springer.com/collections/gcbjbgjefi

How to cite this page

Pubrica Insights. (2026). Call for Papers: Reproducibility, transparency, and open science (BMC Medical Research Methodology). Pubrica. https://pubrica.com/insights/calls-and-conferences/reproducibility-transparency-and-open-science/

  • Open science
  • Reproducibility
  • Research transparency
  • Meta-research
  • Data sharing

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Reproducibility, transparency, and open science (BMC Medical Research Methodology)Deadline 4 January 2027

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