Acupuncture Research is an academic journal focusing on acupuncture and moxibustion. It is jointly sponsored by the Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences (CACMS) and the China Association of Acupuncture-Moxibustion, and is distributed both domestically and internationally. The journal primarily publishes the latest research findings on the mechanisms and clinical studies of acupuncture and moxibustion.

1. Scope of Submissions

Acceptable submissions include research and review articles on acupuncture-related experiments, clinical investigations, and theoretical explorations, as well as relevant news, commentaries, and conference updates.

2. Manuscript Requirements

(1) Articles should demonstrate originality, scientific rigor, and practical value. They must present clear arguments, reliable data, concise writing, and a well-organized structure. Original research articles should generally not exceed 20,000 words (including figures, tables, references, and Chinese and English abstracts). Review articles should be approximately 10,000 words, while short reports and papers on new technologies or methods are limited to 2,000 words.

(2) Title: The title should be concise, clear, and reflective of the main content of the paper.

(3) Abstract: Original research articles must include both Chinese and English abstracts. The abstract should consist of four sections: Objective, Methods, Results (including key data), and Conclusion. The English abstract must include the article title, author names (in pinyin; surname in full uppercase, given name capitalizing the first letter; use a hyphen for two-character given names), institutional affiliation, city, postal code, and country. The Chinese abstract should generally not exceed 1,000 characters, while the English abstract may be slightly more detailed.

(4) Keywords: Original articles should include 3–5 keywords, preferably selected from the latest edition of the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) developed by the U.S. National Library of Medicine. In English keywords, capitalize the first letter of the first word, and separate each keyword with a semicolon (“;”).

(5) Introduction: Provide a concise overview of the foundation or background of the study, the historical and current state of research in the relevant field, and the purpose and significance of the present work. The introduction should be approximately 800 words.

(6) Materials and Methods: Clearly specify the experimental subjects. Conventional methods may be described briefly, whereas significantly improved or innovative methods should be detailed. Previously published methods must be cited and briefly summarized. For animals, key reagents, drugs, and testing instruments, indicate the product name, specifications, model, and source. For acupuncture treatments, specify the acupoints, techniques, treatment course, etc. For electroacupuncture, provide the relevant parameters. Statistical analyses must be explicitly named (e.g., t-test for grouped data, two-way ANOVA for factorial designs, LSD test for pairwise comparisons among multiple means, etc.). For clinical trials, specify the blinding method employed. In addition, prospective clinical trials should include the clinical trial registration number and the name of the registry. The registration number must be a globally unique identifier obtained from a WHO-recognized primary clinical trial registry. The clinical trial registration number should be listed at the end of the general information section. The journal gives priority to clinical trials that have been prospectively registered.

(7) Results: Describe the experimental results logically using text, figures, and tables, with figures as the primary means of presentation. Figures and tables should be well designed, clear, and easy to interpret. Each figure and table must have a title and a corresponding legend. Photomicrographs should indicate staining methods and magnification, with data collection or observation areas marked by boxes or arrows. Data expressed as mean ± standard deviation or standard error should use the format “”. In addition, the journal now requires that all figure and table titles be provided in both Chinese and English.

(8) Discussion: Analyze the results in relation to the study's objectives, comparing them with findings from your own previous research or that of others, highlighting new discoveries and drawing appropriate conclusions. Avoid repeating the data or content already presented in the Results section and refrain from unsupported speculation. The Discussion should not exceed 2,000 words.

(9) References: References should be numbered consecutively in the order in which they appear in the text, using Arabic numerals in square brackets. Avoid citing abstracts whenever possible. For references with one to three authors, list all authors; for those with more than three authors, list only the first three followed by “et al.” (or the corresponding expression in Chinese references). Titles of foreign journals should be abbreviated according to the abbreviations published by the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), while Chinese journal titles should be written in full. To enhance the journal's internationalization and visibility on global academic platforms, all Chinese references must now be provided in both Chinese and English. Authors are encouraged to cite more English-language literature, and citations to Chinese references should generally be limited to no more than 20.

Examples of reference formats:

§ Journal articles: [Number] Author(s). Title [J]. Journal Name, Year, Volume (Issue): Start page–End page.

Example:

[1] 李婧雯, 胡延超, 王艺莹, 等. 督脉电针对脑卒中肢体痉挛大鼠大脑皮层中谷氨酸脱羧酶67和γ-氨基丁酸转氨酶表达的影响[J]. 针刺研究, 2022, 47(8): 703-709.

LI J W, HU Y C, WANG Y Y, et al. Effect of electroacupuncture of Governor Vessel on expression of GAD67 and GABA-T in cerebral cortex of rats with post-stroke limb spasticity (in Chinese)[J]. Acupuncture Research, 2022, 47(8): 703-709.

[2] SYUU Y, MATSUBARA H, HOSOGI S, et al. Pressor effect of electroacupuncture on hemorrhagic hypotension[J]. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol, 2003, 285(6): R1446-R1452.

§ Books: [Number] Author(s). Title [M]. Edition (omit for the first edition). Place of publication: Publisher (foreign publishers may be abbreviated), Year: Start page–End page.

Example:

[1] 朱琏. 新针灸学[M]. 南宁: 广西科学技术出版社, 2008: 154-155.

ZHU L. New acupuncturology (in Chinese)[M]. Nanning: Guangxi Science & Technology Publishing House, 2008: 154-155.

(10) Terminology and Technical Terms:

a) Use terminology approved by the National Terminology Review Committee for Science and Technology. Except for widely recognized abbreviations, the full Chinese term should appear at its first occurrence in the text, followed by the English full name and its abbreviation in parentheses.

b) Use standard SI units and statutory physical quantities. For example, concentration units should use mol/L instead of M or N; time units should be s (seconds), min (minutes), h (hours); mass units should be g (grams), kg (kilograms); length units should be mm, cm, m. When mmHg appears for the first time, provide its conversion to kPa (1 mmHg ≈ 0.133 kPa).

c) Statistical symbols should follow the standards of CT3318-82 Statistical Terms and Symbols. Statistical tests such as the t-test should be written in italicized English letters; probabilities should use uppercase English letters (specific test values should be provided before reporting the P-value).

(11) Ethical Requirements: For studies involving human participants or animals, authors must indicate whether the protocol was approved by an institutional animal ethics committee or conforms to the ethical standards established by the committee responsible for human experimentation. For studies involving animals, a statement must be included in the Materials and Methods section confirming compliance with national regulations and the animal welfare policies of the institution providing the experimental animals. Additionally, for studies involving human subjects, authors must also state whether informed consent was obtained from the participants or their guardians.

(12) Funding: If the work reported in the manuscript has received support from national, ministerial, provincial, or higher-level funding sources, the grant information should be footnoted at the lower left corner of the title page.

(13) Cover Articles: Articles of high quality may be chosen as cover articles for an issue. Authors interested in having their work considered may contact the editorial office and submit their own cover image designs for selection and possible publication.

3. If authors wish to submit their manuscript to another journal within two months after receiving the acknowledgment of receipt from our journal, they must contact the editorial office in advance. Simultaneous submission to multiple journals is strictly prohibited. Revised manuscripts not returned within two months will be considered withdrawn by the authors.

Fee Information: A review fee is required for each submission (CNY 50 per article for regular review and CNY 100 for fast-track review). Once a manuscript is accepted for publication, a publication fee of CNY 800 per page will be applied (an additional CNY 2,000 is required for expedited publication). Upon publication, authors will receive a remuneration and two complimentary copies of the issue in which their article appears.

4. Submission Method

The journal accepts online submissions only. Please visit the journal's website at zhenciyanjiu.cn, click on “Submission” in the left-hand menu, and follow the instructions to submit your manuscript. The journal's email address (zcyjbjb@vip.163.com) is designated for inquiries, manuscript revisions, and related correspondence.

The journal provides Enhanced Publication Services, which encourages authors to submit supplementary materials. These materials will be published online together with the article on the journal's website and on CNKI. Supplementary files may include, but are not limited to, appendices, tables, figures, videos, audio files, datasets, code, or other types of materials as appropriate.