International Journal of Coronaviruses
Call for Papers
The International Journal of Coronaviruses invites original and methodologically sound scholarship that advances understanding of human or animal coronaviruses across basic, translational, clinical, epidemiological and public-health research.
Current status
Regular submissions are open year-round. No active themed Special Issue is currently listed. Manuscripts are assessed under the journal’s standard scope, ethics and peer-review requirements.
Scientifically current scope
Research priorities
The following areas remain relevant beyond the emergency phase of COVID-19 because they address coronavirus mechanisms, measurement, disease, countermeasures and preparedness rather than short-lived campaign messaging.
Virus biology and evolution
Replication, structure, genome function, recombination, host range, variant biology and evolutionary dynamics.
Host response and immunity
Innate and adaptive responses, immune memory, immune escape, immunopathology and determinants of susceptibility or severity.
Surveillance and transmission
Genomic, clinical, environmental and serological surveillance; molecular epidemiology; and models with transparent assumptions and appropriate validation.
Diagnostics and measurement
Analytical or clinical validation, comparative performance and implementation of coronavirus-specific diagnostic and monitoring approaches.
Vaccines and therapeutics
Mechanisms, preclinical or clinical evaluation, effectiveness, safety signals, resistance and evidence-based assessment of interventions.
Clinical consequences
Manifestations, complications, co-infections and long-term consequences where the design supports a coronavirus-specific inference.
Zoonoses and One Health
Animal reservoirs, cross-species transmission, ecology, spillover risk and integrated human–animal–environment surveillance.
Preparedness and prevention
Coronavirus-specific infection prevention, risk communication, laboratory readiness and responsible assessment of emerging threats.
Contribution types
What authors may submit
Original research
Laboratory, translational, clinical, epidemiological, modeling, surveillance or One Health studies with a defined question and reproducible methods.
Reviews and evidence syntheses
Systematic, scoping or critical reviews and meta-analyses with an explicit method.
Short communications and analyses
Focused findings, validated methods, datasets or timely analyses that make a complete contribution.
Case-based reports
Cases or series that add unusual coronavirus-specific insight and meet consent and reporting requirements.
Perspectives, commentaries and letters
Evidence-grounded discussion of a defined scientific question, published work or research priority.
Scope first
General medicine, general infectious disease or social commentary without substantive coronavirus evidence is unsuitable.
Responsible coronavirus publishing
Evidence and integrity expectations
- Distinguish historical pandemic data from current conditions and state the period studied.
- Avoid presenting research findings as individual clinical or public-health advice.
- Report ethics approval, consent, trial registration, funding and conflicts where applicable.
- Disclose biosafety controls and material dual-use concerns for relevant laboratory or genetic work.
- Provide data, sequence, code and protocol access or explain legitimate restrictions.
- Use the reporting guideline appropriate to the design and make limitations explicit.
- Do not make unsupported claims about treatments, vaccines, variants, transmission or outbreak forecasts.
- Disclose substantive generative-AI use; authors remain responsible for every statement and citation.
Submission route
Prepare the manuscript before entering the portal
Check fit
Use the Aims & Scope page to confirm that coronavirus is central to the study.
Prepare files
Follow the Instructions for Authors for manuscript structure, figures, data and declarations.
Review terms
Read the Editorial Policies and APC page.
Choose one approved route
Use the Submit Manuscript page to choose ManuscriptZone, the publisher form or editorial-office email. Use one route only.
Regular submissions
Submit work that fits the standing scope
Review the journal’s Aims & Scope, Instructions for Authors, APC terms and submission guidance before sending a manuscript.
Submit a manuscriptScope questions: [email protected]