About the Journal

Insight is a diamond open access journal revolutionizing evidence synthesis through ultra-brief publishing. We publish complete meta-analyses, methodological innovations, and evidence updates in exactly 400 words - where the abstract is the paper.

Mission

Evidence synthesis generates actionable knowledge, yet traditional formats create barriers between discovery and implementation. Insight eliminates these barriers by demanding precision: every submission must convey all essential information - background, methods, results, and implications - within 400 words. This format accelerates evidence dissemination without compromising methodological rigor.

Focus and Scope

We publish three article types:

  • Meta-analyses: Systematic reviews with quantitative synthesis presenting search strategy, inclusion criteria, pooled effect estimates, heterogeneity assessment, and clinical interpretation
  • Methods papers: Novel meta-analytic techniques, statistical innovations, or methodological critiques
  • Evidence updates: Rapid updates to published meta-analyses incorporating new data or refinements

All submissions undergo rapid peer review (48-72 hours) focusing on methodological soundness and clarity. Supplementary files (forest plots, detailed tables) are permitted but papers must be complete and independently interpretable from the 400-word text alone.

Open Access Policy

Insight operates under a diamond open access model:

  • No article processing charges (APCs) for authors
  • No subscription fees for readers
  • Immediate open access upon publication
  • All content licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY 4.0)

Readers may freely download, share, adapt, and build upon published work with appropriate attribution. Authors retain copyright while granting Insight right of first publication.

Copyright Notice

Authors who publish with Insight retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication under CC-BY 4.0. Authors may enter into additional arrangements for non-exclusive distribution (institutional repositories, books, personal websites) with acknowledgment of initial publication in Insight. Pre-print posting is encouraged.

Sponsorship and Funding

Insight is published by Synthesis Medicine and operates without commercial sponsorship. The journal receives no funding from pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, or industry organizations. Diamond open access is sustained through institutional support, ensuring editorial independence and eliminating financial barriers for authors and readers.

Editorial Standards

All submissions must adhere to:

  • Adapted PRISMA 2020 reporting standards
  • Transparent disclosure of competing interests
  • Ethical research conduct standards
  • Data availability expectations where applicable

Industry-funded meta-analyses are not excluded but require complete transparency regarding sponsor involvement in study design, analysis, and manuscript preparation.

 

Privacy Statement

Names and email addresses entered in this journal site are used exclusively for the stated purposes of this journal and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party. Manuscript submissions, peer review communications, and editorial correspondence remain confidential. Published articles are publicly accessible, but reviewer identities remain anonymous unless explicitly disclosed.

For detailed privacy practices, see our full Privacy Policy.

Archiving and Preservation

Insight is committed to long-term digital preservation of published content:

  • LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe): [Participating/Pending]
  • CLOCKSS (Controlled LOCKSS): [Participating/Pending]
  • PKP Preservation Network: Active participant
  • Institutional Repository Deposits: Authors encouraged to deposit in institutional or subject repositories

All articles will eventually receive persistent Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) through CrossRef, ensuring permanent accessibility regardless of platform changes.

Indexing

Insight is indexed in:

  • Google Scholar
  • [Additional indexing will be added as  achieved: PubMed Central, Scopus, Web of Science, etc.]

We are actively pursuing inclusion in major biomedical databases and will update this information as indexing expands.