Call for Papers: Does It Work, Does It Translate, and Does It Help or Harm?

JMIR Mental Health invites submissions for an upcoming theme issue focused on building a holistic, accountable, and translation-focused research agenda for digital mental health interventions (DMHIs).

While clinical trials have validated the underlying capabilities of various digital mental health therapeutics, apps, and AI-driven tools, the field often overlooks the messy realities of real-world deployment, long-term safety, and systemic equity. This theme issue aims to bridge these gaps by establishing a comprehensive research pipeline and lifecycle approach centered on three foundational pillars:

    Pillar 1: Clinical Efficacy, Mechanisms, and Optimization (What Works, How, and for Whom?)

• Beyond broad clinical outcomes, this pillar focuses on unpacking the “black box” of DMHIs. We seek research that identifies specific “active ingredients,” underlying mechanistic drivers, and the contextual or individual factors that optimize efficacy across diverse populations.

    Pillar 2: Implementation, Scaling, and Sustainability (How Does It Translate and Endure?)

• Moving beyond pilot success, this pillar uses implementation science to examine the systemic integration of DMHIs into routine care. We welcome research exploring workflow compatibility, equitable access, user engagement, and the long-term economic and operational sustainability of these tools in real-world clinical ecosystems.

    Pillar 3: Safety, Ethics, and Lifecycle Accountability (When Does It Harm, When Does it Help, and Who is Responsible?)

• Rather than treating safety as a post-trial afterthought, this pillar demands rigorous, transparent investigation into the risks and ethical implications of DMHIs throughout their lifecycle. This encompasses unintended clinical consequences, algorithmic bias, data privacy vulnerabilities, and the development of proactive governance frameworks for continuous post-deployment surveillance.

We welcome submissions that address one or more of these core thematic areas, prioritizing work that advances a more mature, safe, and sustainable ecosystem for digital mental health. Please note that JMIR Mental Health no longer publishes formative work or pilot studies; please see the journal's Focus and Scope for more details regarding eligibility. Authors should also refer to this editorial published by the JMIR Mental Health team to help align their work with the journal's priorities and interests.

How to Submit

To submit an article to JMIR Mental Health, please visit the submission page. Consult our Instructions for Authors for more information on how to submit a manuscript. Standard APF applies.

Submission Deadline: January 31, 2027

Submission Guidelines

We will not accept articles that are solely written using generative artificial intelligence (AI) or other AI tools. For more information, please refer to the JMIR Publications editorial policy and this knowledge base article.

All submissions will undergo a rigorous peer-review process, and accepted articles will be published as part of the theme issue titled “Does It Work, Does It Translate, and Does It Help or Harm? Building a Rigorous Research Pipeline for Responsible Digital Mental Health.”

All articles will be shared and published rapidly through the following mechanisms:

• All peer-reviewed articles will be immediately and permanently made open access. This is the standard for all titles within the JMIR Publications portfolio.
• Articles can be made immediately available (with a DOI) in JMIR Preprints after submission if authors select the preprint option at submission to enable this service.

Submissions not reviewed or accepted for publication in JMIR Mental Health may be offered cascading peer review or transfer to other JMIR Publications journals, according to standard policies. Authors are encouraged to submit study protocols or grant proposals to JMIR Research Protocols before data acquisition to preregister the study (as a registered report; subsequent acceptance in one of the JMIR Publications journals is then guaranteed).