Focus and Scope

Focus

The Indonesian Journal of Acupuncture is a peer-reviewed, open-access scientific journal dedicated to the advancement of knowledge, research, and evidence-based practice in acupuncture and related therapeutic modalities. The journal provides an academic platform for researchers, healthcare professionals, educators, and practitioners to disseminate original research and scholarly contributions that advance the understanding, clinical application, safety, effectiveness, and development of acupuncture and complementary therapeutic approaches.

The journal emphasizes scientific rigor, methodological quality, clinical relevance, and the integration of traditional therapeutic knowledge with contemporary scientific evidence. It welcomes interdisciplinary research that contributes to the development of acupuncture and related therapies in healthcare, education, and clinical practice.

Scope

The Indonesian Journal of Acupuncture welcomes original research articles, systematic reviews, scoping reviews, evidence-based literature reviews, and case reports or case series that fall within its focus. Relevant topics include, but are not limited to, the following areas:

1. Acupuncture and Related Needling Therapies
   Clinical and experimental research on acupuncture, including manual acupuncture, electroacupuncture, and other scientifically investigated needling techniques, with emphasis on therapeutic outcomes, mechanisms of action, clinical applications, and safety.

2. Acupressure and Manual Therapeutic Techniques
   Research on acupressure, Tuina, and related manual therapies, including their therapeutic applications, clinical effectiveness, physiological mechanisms, and integration into healthcare practice.

3. Moxibustion and Heat-Based Therapeutic Modalities
   Studies investigating moxibustion and related heat-based therapeutic approaches, including their mechanisms, clinical applications, effectiveness, and safety.

4. Herbal Medicine and Integrative Traditional Therapies
   Research on herbal medicine and traditional therapeutic approaches relevant to acupuncture practice, including clinical applications, therapeutic outcomes, safety, and evidence-based integration with other healthcare interventions.

5. Clinical Effectiveness and Patient Outcomes
   Clinical trials, observational studies, comparative effectiveness research, and real-world studies evaluating treatment outcomes, symptom management, quality of life, functional recovery, patient satisfaction, and other clinically relevant outcomes associated with acupuncture and related therapies.

6. Mechanisms of Action and Translational Research
   Experimental, physiological, neurobiological, and translational studies investigating the mechanisms underlying acupuncture and related therapeutic interventions, provided that the findings have a clear scientific rationale and relevance to the journal's focus.

7. Safety, Quality, and Clinical Practice
   Research addressing adverse events, treatment safety, clinical practice standards, quality assurance, patient-centered care, and the appropriate application of acupuncture and related therapies in healthcare settings.

8. Evidence Synthesis and Research Methodology
   Systematic reviews, scoping reviews, meta-analyses, and methodological studies that critically evaluate the available evidence, identify research gaps, and contribute to the development of evidence-based acupuncture practice.

9. Education, Professional Practice, and Healthcare Integration
   Research on acupuncture education, professional competencies, clinical training, healthcare service delivery, and the integration of acupuncture and related therapies into appropriate healthcare settings.

The journal welcomes submissions from all countries. All manuscripts undergo editorial screening and peer review in accordance with the journal's editorial policies and publication ethics. Publication decisions are based on the manuscript's originality, scientific quality, methodological rigor, relevance to the journal's scope, and contribution to the advancement of knowledge.