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Call for papersPharmacology and drug development

Call for Papers: Traditional, complementary and integrative medicine and therapies for chronic pain management (BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies)

BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies is assembling a collection on traditional, complementary and integrative medicine and therapies for managing chronic pain. This guide sets out topic areas consistent with that scope, fit checks, contribution types editors tend to value and practical steps for submitting before the 2 June 2027 deadline.

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

Key dates

Manuscript deadline
2 June 2027
Details last checked
10 November 2026
Open the official call

About the journal

Journal
BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies
Publisher
BMC (Springer Nature)
Call type
Call for papers
Scope
Collection on traditional, complementary and integrative medicine and therapies for managing chronic pain.
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

  • Clinical trials of acupuncture, manual therapies and mind-body practices for chronic pain
  • Herbal and traditional medicines for chronic pain, including safety evaluation
  • Integrative pain management models combining conventional and complementary care
  • Mechanistic studies of complementary therapies on pain pathways
  • Patient experiences, preferences and use of complementary approaches for pain
  • Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of complementary therapies for chronic pain

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. Address traditional, complementary or integrative therapies for chronic pain specifically.
  2. Define the intervention, practitioner and comparator in sufficient detail to allow replication.
  3. Report outcomes and adverse events using an appropriate guideline such as CONSORT or STRICTA where relevant.
  4. Confirm accepted article types and article processing charges on the official call page.
  5. Submit a complete, co-author-approved manuscript before 2 June 2027.

Why This Call Is a Priority Now

Chronic pain is a leading cause of disability, and many patients seek options beyond pharmacological treatment, including traditional and complementary therapies. Health systems increasingly consider integrative approaches, but decisions depend on rigorous evidence of effectiveness, safety and mechanism. A focused collection in an open access journal dedicated to complementary medicine gives authors a readership of researchers and clinicians interested in evaluating these therapies carefully.

Who Should Submit

Academic backgrounds

  • Pain medicine
  • Integrative and complementary medicine
  • Physiotherapy and rehabilitation
  • Pharmacognosy and herbal medicine
  • Traditional medicine systems

Institutions and sectors

  • Universities and integrative medicine research centres
  • Pain clinics and rehabilitation services
  • Traditional medicine institutions
  • Health services exploring integrative care

Article types commonly published in BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies

  • See the journal’s article types

What the Editors Typically Value

  1. Well-designed randomised trials with adequate controls and long-term follow-up.
  2. Safety and interaction data for herbal or traditional medicines used for pain.
  3. Mechanistic studies that clarify how complementary therapies influence pain processing.
  4. Evaluations of integrative care models within routine pain services.

Paper Ideas You Could Develop

Acupuncture for chronic low back painA pragmatic randomised trial comparing acupuncture added to usual care with usual care alone for chronic low back pain.
Yoga for fibromyalgiaA study evaluating a structured yoga programme on pain, function and sleep among people with fibromyalgia.
Herbal medicine safety reviewA systematic review of adverse events reported for herbal medicines commonly used for chronic musculoskeletal pain.

Your Plan to the Deadline

A suggested schedule working back from 2 June 2027. Adjust it to the stage your work has reached.

  1. By 18 Apr 2027

    Open the official collection page and the BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies submission guidelines; confirm the scope, article types and guest editors.

  2. By 2 May 2027

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

  3. By 12 May 2027

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

  4. By 23 May 2027

    Draft the full manuscript to the BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies article type and the relevant reporting guideline.

  5. By 28 May 2027

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

  6. By 31 May 2027

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

  7. By 2 Jun 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 Complementary Medicine and Therapies, 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 Complementary Medicine and Therapies 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 research on traditional, complementary and integrative medicine and therapies for managing chronic pain. Consistent with the journal’s remit, it is likely to welcome clinical trials, observational studies, mechanistic research, qualitative work and systematic reviews that evaluate effectiveness, safety and implementation with rigour. Transparent reporting of interventions and adverse events will strengthen a submission. Authors should confirm accepted article types and article processing charges 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.

Pre-submission peer reviewAn expert review of the manuscript against the call and the journal’s requirements. Manuscript editingSubject-specialist editing for clarity, accuracy and consistency. Journal formattingFormatting of the manuscript, references, figures and tables to the journal’s guidelines. BiostatisticsStatistical analysis and review of results. Cover letterA cover letter that explains how the manuscript fits the call. Journal submissionPreparation of submission files and completion of the online submission.
Go to the official call

FAQs

Questions Authors Ask

The published deadline is 2 June 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.

Preclinical work may fit if it is clearly relevant to chronic pain management and well characterised. Authors should check the official call page and the journal’s guidance on preclinical studies before submitting.

Access model: Open access. Check the journal’s fees page for any article processing charge before you submit.

Sources

  1. BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies. (2026). Traditional, complementary and integrative medicine and therapies for chronic pain management [Collection call for papers]. BMC (Springer Nature). Retrieved 10 November 2026, from https://link.springer.com/journal/12906/collections

How to cite this page

Pubrica Insights. (2026). Call for Papers: Traditional, complementary and integrative medicine and therapies for chronic pain management (BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies). Pubrica. https://pubrica.com/insights/calls-and-conferences/traditional-complementary-and-integrative-medicine-and-therapies-for-c/

  • Chronic pain
  • Complementary medicine
  • Integrative medicine
  • Acupuncture
  • Herbal medicine

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Traditional, complementary and integrative medicine and therapies for chronic pain management (BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies)Deadline 2 June 2027

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