About the journal

NZIS Open Journal (NOJ) is an innovative platform for sharing results and good practices in the field of health data, which together aim to improve access to information in the healthcare segment not only in the Czech Republic. This peer-reviewed journal serves as a dissemination tool for research outputs and practical experiences. Thanks to its bilingual version, NOJ becomes accessible to a wider international audience, which increases its influence and potential impact of findings from the Czech healthcare sector on the international data community.

The main objective is to promote the sharing of outputs, knowledge and innovation in the field of health data. The journal encourages collaborative scientific work and cooperation and promotes the application of new methods and technologies over health data. It seeks to make new information and practices readily available to all who can contribute to the further development and efficiency of healthcare.

To ensure online accessibility and traceability of published outputs, the National Health Information Portal (NHIP) platform was chosen as the umbrella. NOJ is a dedicated module that is fully integrated (visually and technologically) into NHIP. The journal has, like the entire NHIP, an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN), which is intended to uniquely identify periodical publications such as online periodicals. This enhances prestige and credibility, facilitates citation and referencing, and promotes unambiguous identification of outputs and their indexing in international bibliographic databases.

For authors

Structure and content of the journal

NOJ offers a variety of formats that reflect the breadth of interests and needs of the community. The journal includes methodological tutorials that provide step-by-step guides to new techniques, original scientific papers presenting innovative research, and commentaries that reflect current topics and trends in the field. This range of formats allows authors to share their findings in the form most appropriate for their content.

The content of the NOJ is therefore made up of the following types of contributions:

• Tutorial
  Example: Health Data Sharing Concept
• Original work
  Example: original computational method based on a SQL script over synthetic NHSIS data or an extension computational method (of an already published script) with a description of the result and its use in practice.
• Comment
  Example: experience with the implementation of data-driven decision making in palliative medicine

Topics to which submissions should be primarily (but not exclusively) directed include:

• Sharing computational methods and results over health data
• Application of health data outputs in practice
• Development and implementation of advanced applications and visualizations over health data
• Other relevant topics related to health data

Each paper is carefully structured to include everything necessary for its clarity and relevance to the topic. It includes a thoroughly prepared extended abstract, keywords for better indexing, detailed descriptions of the methods used and the data itself. Overall, the paper produces a coherent and well-understood output that can serve as a basis for follow-up collaboration or innovation in the field of health data. Below is the complete structure of each paper:

• Title
• Abstract
• Keywords according to MeSH + according to EuroVoc
• Authors and affiliations
• Citation of the published paper within the NOJ
• Type of paper (commentary, tutorial, original work)
• Source databases (what data the authors are working on)
• Description of data and computational methods used
• Description of the application of the result in practice
• Related links
• Link to output in the Health Data Catalogue (e.g. generated from synthetic data)

Editorial process and acceptance of contributions

The review process at NOJ is based on independent assessment and quality assurance of each published paper. Emphasis is placed on the relevance, innovation and practical value of the data and methods presented. The Editor-in-Chief and his team select reviewers who are experts in their respective fields to ensure that each paper is fairly and thoroughly assessed.

Based on the reviews, papers are either accepted for publication, returned for revision, or rejected. This process ensures that all published articles meet the high standards of the journal and deliver value to readers. After final review and approval, articles undergo preparation for publication, including language and typographical corrections. The complete NOJ publication process is described in bullet points below:

1. Submitting the paper: the author sends an extended structured abstract.
2. Preliminary check: checking that the paper meets the formal and thematic requirements of the journal.
3. Review decision: the Editor-in-Chief decides whether the paper is suitable to proceed to peer review.
4. Selection of reviewers: the lead editor usually selects 2 independent reviewers who have expertise in the relevant area of health data.
5. Review process: reviewers assess the paper and provide feedback.
6. Editorial decision: based on the reviews, the Editor-in-Chief decides to publish, request revisions, or reject the paper.
7. Revisions to the paper: the author submits a revised paper as directed by the reviewers and the editor.
8. Second round of review (if needed): the paper is re-reviewed by the reviewers.
9. Final decision: the Editor-in-Chief reviews the final version of the paper and decides on its publication.
10. Proofreading and publication: after approval for publication, the author works with the editor to make final edits and proofreading of the manuscript before publication.

Editorial board

The NOJ Editorial Board plays a key role in maintaining the academic and ethical standards of the journal. Members of the Board are selected from among leading experts and are responsible not only for reviewing submissions, but also for the strategic development of the journal and its adaptation to the changing needs of the community. The following is a list of the editorial board members by name.