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  Cluster 3: Health, Medicine & Life Sciences

Best Journals for Nursing Practice Research

Nursing practice research generates the evidence that drives improvements in patient care at the bedside, in the community, and across healthcare settings. From wound care protocols and pain management to patient communication and medication administration safety, nursing practice research addresses the everyday decisions that nurses make that profoundly affect patient outcomes. This guide presents the best journals for nursing practice research available through Keith Publications in 2026.

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What to Look for When Choosing a Journal

Before submitting your research, evaluate journals on these key criteria:

  • Clinical nursing scope — covers bedside practice, patient outcomes, and nursing interventions
  • Peer review by clinical nurses, advanced practice nurses, and nursing researchers
  • Open access so clinical nurses can access practice-relevant research findings freely
  • Acceptance of both quantitative outcomes research and qualitative nursing experience studies
  • Indexing ensuring nursing practice research reaches the Nursing/CINAHL database community
  • Welcomes advanced practice nursing (NP, CNS, CRNA, CNM) research across specialties

Recommended Journals — Cluster 3: Health, Medicine & Life Sciences

All journals below are published by Keith Publications — open access, peer-reviewed, and indexed for global discoverability.

  • Health Sciences and Medical Research Journal (HSMRJ)

    Health sciences, clinical medicine, public health, epidemiology, biomedical research, and interdisciplinary studies advancing human health outcomes.

    Review: 2–4 weeks Open Access DOI (CrossRef) Google Scholar
    Health Sciences Clinical Medicine Public Health Epidemiology
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  • Columbia Journal of Medicine and Healthcare (CJMH)

    Medical research, healthcare delivery, hospital management, clinical practice, health policy, and translational medicine bridging research and patient care.

    Review: 2–3 weeks Open Access DOI (CrossRef) Google Scholar
    Medical Research Healthcare Delivery Clinical Practice Health Policy
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  • Journal of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences (JNAHS)

    Nursing practice, allied health professions, patient care, clinical nursing research, health education, and evidence-based practice across healthcare settings.

    Review: 2–4 weeks Open Access DOI (CrossRef) Google Scholar
    Nursing Practice Allied Health Patient Care Health Education
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  • Journal of Pharmacology and Biomedical Research (JPBR)

    Pharmacology, drug discovery, biomedical sciences, life sciences, oncology, biochemistry, and molecular medicine with clinical and applied relevance.

    Review: 2–4 weeks Open Access DOI (CrossRef) Google Scholar
    Pharmacology Drug Research Biomedical Sciences Life Sciences
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Fast Publication: All Keith Publications journals complete initial review within 2–5 business days and full peer review within 2–4 weeks. Articles are published online within 5–10 days of acceptance — making us one of the fastest open access publishers in the health sciences and medicine field.

Evidence-Based Nursing Practice and the Publication Imperative

Evidence-based nursing practice (EBNP) requires that clinical nurses and nurse managers continually review, evaluate, and apply the best available research evidence to their practice decisions. This imperative creates both a need for published nursing research and an obligation on nurse researchers to publish their findings so they can be accessed and applied. Keith Publications nursing journals — particularly the Journal of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences (JNAHS) — serve this evidence cycle by providing a fast, open access, peer-reviewed publication pathway that brings nursing practice research from the research team to the bedside as quickly as possible.

Advanced Practice Nursing Research

Advanced practice nurses — nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, certified registered nurse anaesthetists, and certified nurse-midwives — conduct increasingly sophisticated clinical research across a wide range of healthcare settings and patient populations. Keith Publications nursing journals actively welcome advanced practice nursing research: NP-led clinic outcomes, clinical nurse specialist practice improvement studies, nurse anaesthesia research, nurse-midwifery practice studies, and advanced nursing assessment and intervention research. This category of research is essential to building the evidence base for expanded nursing roles in healthcare systems worldwide.

Tips to Maximise Your Acceptance Chances

  1. Align your topic with the journal's scope — read the aims and scope carefully before submitting.
  2. Write a compelling abstract — clearly state your research question, methodology, key findings, and clinical or scientific significance.
  3. Ensure ethical compliance — include ethics committee approval, patient consent, and clinical trial registration details where applicable.
  4. Follow reporting guidelines — use CONSORT, STROBE, CARE, PRISMA, or other relevant Equator Network standards for your study design.
  5. Use current and relevant references — cite recent publications alongside seminal works in your health sciences discipline.
  6. Follow formatting guidelines exactly — non-compliant manuscripts are often desk-rejected without peer review.
  7. State practical implications — explain how your health or medical findings can improve patient care or inform health policy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which journals are best for nursing practice research?
The Journal of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences (JNAHS), published by Keith Publications, is the premier journal for nursing practice research — covering clinical nursing interventions, patient outcomes, advanced practice nursing, community nursing, mental health nursing, and paediatric nursing with open access and double-blind peer review.
Can clinical nurses without a PhD publish in nursing practice journals?
Yes. Keith Publications nursing journals welcome research from registered nurses, specialist nurses, charge nurses, and advanced practice nurses, regardless of whether they hold a postgraduate or doctoral qualification. The quality and contribution of the research, not the academic credentials of the author, determines publication decisions.
What patient care topics can be addressed in nursing practice research?
An enormous range of patient care topics are within scope: pressure injury prevention, pain assessment and management, falls prevention, medication administration safety, nutrition and hydration in hospital patients, wound care, infection prevention and control, catheter care, venous thromboembolism prevention, patient communication, delirium management, end-of-life care, and countless others that reflect the breadth of nursing practice across care settings.
Is nursing research from low-resource healthcare settings accepted?
Yes. Keith Publications actively encourages nursing research from low-resource settings — rural hospitals, community health centres, developing country healthcare facilities — where nursing practice challenges are often most acute and where published evidence can make the biggest difference. APC waivers are available for eligible authors.

Related Research Guides

Explore other research journal guides in the Health, Medicine & Life Sciences cluster:

Ready to Publish Your Research?

Submit your health sciences, medical, nursing, or life sciences manuscript to Keith Publications today. Fast peer review, open access, and global indexing — get your work published within weeks.

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