The Journal of Medical Laboratory Science (JMLS) publishes scholarly manuscripts that contribute to the advancement of knowledge in medical laboratory science and medical laboratory technology. The journal welcomes empirical, theoretical, methodological, and evidence-synthesis contributions relevant to its Aim and Scope.

Topics include clinical chemistry; hematology and hemostasis; clinical microbiology; parasitology and mycology; immunology and serology; molecular diagnostics and genetics; histotechnology and cytotechnology; blood bank and transfusion science; urinalysis and body fluid analysis; toxicology and therapeutic drug monitoring; point-of-care testing; laboratory quality management and quality assurance; laboratory safety, biosafety, and biosecurity; laboratory information systems and digital pathology; infectious disease diagnostics and surveillance; medical laboratory education and professional practice; and public health topics related to laboratory diagnostics.

JMLS encourages interdisciplinary scholarship connecting medical laboratory science with clinical practice, public health, biomedical science, and healthcare systems. Contributions should promote scientific rigor, research integrity, patient safety, ethical conduct, and responsible dissemination of laboratory and health-related knowledge.

All manuscripts must be original, scientifically rigorous, ethically conducted, relevant to the journal’s scope, written in English, and prepared in accordance with the JMLS Author Guidelines and Publication Ethics. Submissions are subject to editorial assessment and, where applicable, peer review.

1. Original Research Article

Original Research Articles report original and previously unpublished empirical research that makes a substantive contribution to medical laboratory science.

JMLS welcomes research employing quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods approaches, including laboratory experiments, diagnostic accuracy studies, in vitro studies, analytical method evaluation, observational studies, clinical or community-based studies, surveys, epidemiological and surveillance studies, database analysis, and other scientifically appropriate designs.

An Original Research Article should generally include:

• Abstract and Keywords;
• Introduction;
• Methods;
• Results;
• Discussion;
• Conclusion; and
• References.

The Results and Discussion sections may be combined where appropriate to the research approach and journal guidelines.

Authors should clearly explain the research problem, theoretical framework, research design, data sources, sampling or case-selection procedures, specimen handling, and analytical methods. Studies involving human participants or clinical specimens must comply with applicable research ethics requirements, including informed consent, confidentiality, and ethical approval where required.

2. Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Systematic Review articles provide a rigorous and transparent synthesis of existing research addressing a clearly formulated question relevant to medical laboratory science, laboratory diagnostics, or laboratory practice.

This category includes systematic reviews, systematic reviews with meta-analysis, meta-analyses, diagnostic test accuracy reviews, scoping reviews, mapping reviews, and qualitative evidence syntheses, where appropriate.

Authors should clearly describe:

• the research question and review objectives;
• eligibility criteria;
• databases and other information sources;
• search strategies and search dates;
• study-selection procedures;
• data-extraction procedures;
• assessment of methodological quality or risk of bias, where applicable; and
• methods of analysis and evidence synthesis.

Reviews should critically assess the strength, limitations, and contextual relevance of the available evidence. Systematic reviews should follow recognized reporting standards appropriate to the review design, such as PRISMA, or PRISMA-DTA for diagnostic test accuracy reviews, where applicable.

3. Review Article

Review Articles provide comprehensive, critical, and balanced analyses of established or emerging topics in medical laboratory science.

A Review Article should go beyond a descriptive summary of previous publications. Authors are expected to synthesize relevant scholarship, examine theoretical and empirical debates, evaluate major developments, identify research gaps, and propose directions for future investigation.

Relevant topics may include advances in diagnostic technologies, molecular and immunological methods, antimicrobial resistance detection, hematological and biochemical biomarkers, laboratory automation, quality management systems, emerging infectious diseases, laboratory safety, and other issues within the journal’s scope.

Review Articles should generally contain:

• Abstract and Keywords;
• Introduction;
• Relevant Thematic or Conceptual Subsections;
• Critical Discussion;
• Conclusion; and
• References.

Authors should explain the scope and basis of literature selection sufficiently to make the review’s coverage and limitations clear.

4. Conceptual and Theoretical Article

Conceptual and Theoretical Articles develop, examine, integrate, or critically evaluate concepts, theories, analytical frameworks, models, or propositions relevant to medical laboratory science.

These contributions may address laboratory quality and accreditation frameworks, diagnostic stewardship, test utilization, laboratory-based surveillance models, pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical error models, laboratory safety culture, medical laboratory education, and related areas.

Manuscripts should present a clear and original scholarly argument. Authors are expected to establish the conceptual foundations of their analysis, engage critically with relevant literature, consider competing explanations, and explain the contribution of the proposed argument or framework.

Conceptual and Theoretical Articles may propose:

• new laboratory-practice or diagnostic concepts;
• theoretical models and propositions;
• integration or reinterpretation of existing theories;
• critical evaluations of established frameworks; and
• context-sensitive explanations of laboratory or diagnostic phenomena.

Arguments should be logically developed and supported by appropriate scholarship. Where relevant, authors should explain how the proposed framework could inform empirical research, laboratory policy, patient care, or professional practice.

5. Methods and Measurement Article

Methods and Measurement Articles present significant methodological developments relevant to medical laboratory science.

These may include:

• development and validation of research instruments;
• development, verification, and validation of laboratory assays and analytical methods;
• evaluation of diagnostic performance, including sensitivity, specificity, precision, accuracy, and limits of detection;
• development and evaluation of point-of-care and rapid diagnostic tests;
• reference interval establishment and method comparison studies;
• experimental design and statistical methods for laboratory research;
• laboratory, clinical, and mixed-methods innovations;
• computational and digital approaches, including artificial intelligence applications in laboratory diagnostics and image analysis;
• methods for laboratory quality control, external quality assessment, and measurement uncertainty; and
• adaptation and validation of measurement instruments for laboratory and healthcare settings.

Manuscripts should clearly identify the methodological problem, explain the proposed approach, and demonstrate its value through appropriate empirical evidence, applications, simulations, or worked examples.

Instrument and index studies should explain the conceptual basis, item or indicator selection, data sources, analytical procedures, and relevant evidence of reliability and validity.

Particular attention should be given to the scientific validity, reproducibility, suitability, and practical application of methods and measurements in laboratory and healthcare settings. Authors should address data integrity, traceability, quality assurance, patient or participant protection, and ethical considerations where applicable.

6. Brief Research Report

Brief Research Reports present original laboratory research or significant preliminary findings in a concise format.

Suitable contributions may include focused studies of preliminary assay results, laboratory quality testing, analytical method performance, prevalence or surveillance findings, in vitro screening, diagnostic evaluation, laboratory services, or other issues within the journal’s scope.

These manuscripts must maintain the same standards of scientific rigor, research ethics, transparency, and methodological quality expected of full Original Research Articles. Preliminary findings should be explicitly identified, with appropriate limits placed on their interpretation.

A Brief Research Report should generally include:

• Abstract and Keywords;
• Introduction;
• Methods;
• Results;
• Discussion and/or Conclusion; and
• References.

The shorter format should not omit essential information required to assess the credibility of the research. Authors should clearly explain the study’s contribution, limitations, and implications.

7. Perspective

Perspective Articles present scholarly viewpoints on important, emerging, or contested issues in medical laboratory science.

These articles may examine diagnostic innovation, laboratory quality and accreditation, antimicrobial resistance, laboratory biosafety, medical laboratory education, regulatory developments, access to diagnostic services, digital laboratory practice, or other relevant topics.

Perspectives should be evidence-based, analytically clear, academically balanced, and properly referenced. Authors should engage with relevant scholarship and competing viewpoints while clearly distinguishing established evidence, scholarly interpretation, and normative arguments.

A Perspective Article should offer a substantive contribution to academic debate. Unsupported opinion, partisan promotion, and commentary without adequate scholarly grounding do not meet the requirements of this article type.

Interdisciplinary and Contextual Perspectives in Medical Laboratory Science

JMLS recognizes that laboratory research and practice are shaped by clinical, cultural, institutional, regulatory, economic, and geographical contexts. Accordingly, the journal encourages scholarship that examines these contexts explicitly and avoids unwarranted generalization beyond the evidence or setting studied.

JMLS encourages authors to:

• incorporate local, national, international, or comparative perspectives where relevant;
• consider differences in healthcare systems, laboratory infrastructure, diagnostic availability, and laboratory services;
• account for relevant patient, professional, institutional, and regulatory factors in research design and interpretation;
• protect patient safety, privacy, dignity, and rights;
• evaluate the contextual relevance of theories, methods, and measurement tools;
• distinguish empirical findings from interpretation and recommendations;
• promote responsible exchange and dissemination of laboratory knowledge; and
• develop interdisciplinary dialogue that strengthens medical laboratory research and practice.

JMLS welcomes studies conducted in Indonesia and other countries, including comparative and multicenter research. Contributions should explain how their findings advance broader laboratory science knowledge while remaining attentive to the specific settings in which the research was conducted.

The journal particularly encourages research addressing underserved populations and regions, including studies of access to diagnostic services, barriers to laboratory testing, quality of laboratory services, and differences in laboratory capacity across healthcare settings.

Research involving patients, vulnerable populations, infectious or hazardous specimens, or sensitive health information should use precise terminology, avoid stigmatizing generalizations, and explain measures to protect participants, confidential data, and laboratory and biosafety.

Editorial Consideration

Acceptance of an article type does not guarantee publication. All submissions are initially assessed for relevance to the Aim and Scope of JMLS, originality, academic quality, methodological adequacy, ethical compliance, and contribution to the literature.

The Editorial Team reserves the right to recommend reclassification when a manuscript’s content, methodology, or scholarly contribution does not correspond to the article type selected during submission.

Authors must ensure that their manuscripts are written in English and comply with the JMLS Author Guidelines before submission.