- Open access · CC BY 4.0
- Published by Open Access Pub
Aims and Scope
The In-vitro In-vivo In-silico Journal (IIIJ) publishes research that uses in-vitro, in-vivo and in-silico approaches to discover, develop and deliver new drugs, with drug discovery and development as its core.
What the journal sets out to do
Rigorous drug-discovery science
To publish rigorous in-vitro, in-vivo and in-silico research that advances the discovery, development and delivery of new drugs.
Evidence that connects methods
To encourage work in which laboratory, animal and computational findings are read together and tested against one another.
Better methods
To strengthen the assays, models and computational methods on which preclinical and translational decisions depend.
Open access
To make this research freely available, so that researchers, clinicians and educators can read and reuse it.
Research areas
IIIJ considers research on any aspect of the discovery, development and delivery of new drugs. The areas below are illustrative and form part of a wider field, including:
- Pharmacology and mechanisms of drug action
- Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics
- Toxicology and safety assessment
- Structure–activity relationships
- Efficacy evaluation
- Drug delivery and formulation
- Medicinal chemistry
- Cheminformatics and computational drug design
- Pharmacogenomics
- Food chemistry and bioactive compounds
- Cost and benefit evaluation of new drugs
- Translational pharmacology
Related work in the life sciences is welcome when it bears on how new therapies are discovered, tested or delivered, including molecular and cell biology, physiology, biochemistry, bioinformatics and regenerative medicine. A topic that is not named above is within scope when it meets that test.
Approaches the journal welcomes
Laboratory studies
Cell-based, biochemical, biophysical and other bench assays; screening; mechanism-of-action and target studies; formulation and release studies.
Studies in living organisms
Animal-model and other organismal studies of efficacy, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, safety and toxicology.
Computational studies
Molecular docking and dynamics, QSAR and structure–activity modeling, physiologically based and population pharmacokinetic models, and machine-learning methods.
Work that combines approaches
Studies in which computational predictions are tested experimentally, or in which in-vitro findings are carried into in-vivo models.
Reviews
Narrative and systematic reviews and meta-analyses on a defined question in drug discovery, development or delivery.
Methodological research
New, adapted or validated methods, protocols and datasets that others can reuse.
What makes a manuscript a fit
What makes a manuscript a fit
Manuscripts are assessed for their relevance to drug discovery, development and delivery, the soundness of their methods, and whether their conclusions are proportionate to the evidence.
Case Reports
Case Reports are accepted when the case adds to understanding of a drug’s action, safety or use, and when informed consent for publication is documented.
Commentaries and Letters
Commentaries and Letters are accepted when they make a reasoned argument, supported by evidence and cited sources, on a question in the field or on work published in IIIJ.
Research ethics
Research involving human participants, human material or animals reports the approval of the appropriate ethics committee, where applicable, as set out in the Editorial Policies.
Unsupported opinion, meaning assertion without evidence or reasoned argument, is outside the journal’s scope.
Article types
The journal publishes the article types below. Guidance on the structure, abstract and reporting standard for each type is given in the Instructions for Authors.
- Original Research
- Review
- Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
- Methods
- Short Communication
- Data Note
- Case Report
- Commentary
- Letter
Where a manuscript sits between types, authors choose the closest type and explain the choice in the cover letter, and the editors confirm the classification. A narrative literature review is classified as a Review, a scoping review as a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, and a study protocol as Methods.
Scope questions
Is my topic within scope?
A manuscript is within scope when it addresses a question about the discovery, development or delivery of new drugs, or about the methods used to study them. If you are unsure, send the title and abstract to the editorial office at info@openaccesspub.org before submitting.
Does the journal consider purely computational studies?
Yes. In-silico studies are welcome, and computational findings supported by experimental testing are encouraged. Methods, models and software are described in enough detail for others to reproduce them.
Does the journal consider studies in other areas of the life sciences?
Yes, when the work bears on how new therapies are discovered, tested or delivered.