About the Journal

Quality of Life and Health Sciences is a peer-reviewed, open access scholarly journal dedicated to the publication of high-quality research addressing the multidimensional concept of quality of life and its relationship with health, well-being, clinical care, prevention, rehabilitation, lifestyle, social determinants of health, and health-related sciences. The journal provides an academic platform for researchers, clinicians, health professionals, policymakers, educators, and interdisciplinary scholars who seek to advance knowledge on the factors that influence human health and quality of life across different populations, settings, and life stages.

The journal recognizes quality of life as a broad and complex construct that extends beyond the absence of disease. It includes physical health, psychological well-being, social functioning, environmental conditions, functional ability, emotional balance, life satisfaction, autonomy, resilience, access to care, health behaviors, and participation in family, occupational, educational, and community life. Therefore, Quality of Life and Health Sciences welcomes studies that examine health outcomes not only from biomedical and clinical perspectives but also from psychological, social, behavioral, cultural, economic, and public health viewpoints.

Quality of Life and Health Sciences is published quarterly, providing four issues per year. The quarterly publication schedule allows the journal to maintain a regular, organized, and timely dissemination of scholarly findings while preserving rigorous editorial and peer-review standards. Each issue is intended to present original and meaningful contributions that support evidence-based practice, scientific development, health promotion, and improved quality of life in diverse communities.

The journal operates under a double-blind anonymous peer-review process. In this model, the identities of authors are concealed from reviewers, and the identities of reviewers are concealed from authors. This approach is designed to promote fairness, impartiality, academic integrity, and objective scientific evaluation. Each submitted article is reviewed by two or three independent reviewers, depending on the nature of the manuscript, the level of specialization required, and the degree of agreement or disagreement among reviewer evaluations. The journal is committed to ensuring that editorial decisions are based on scientific merit, originality, methodological rigor, relevance to the journal’s scope, ethical compliance, clarity of presentation, and contribution to the advancement of knowledge.

As an open access journal, Quality of Life and Health Sciences supports the unrestricted dissemination of scientific knowledge. All published articles are made freely available to readers immediately upon publication. The journal believes that scientific findings related to health and quality of life should be accessible to scholars, practitioners, students, policymakers, and the wider public without financial, technical, or institutional barriers.

The journal welcomes a wide range of manuscript types, including original research articles, review articles, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, brief reports, clinical and community-based studies, methodological papers, case-based scholarly discussions, policy-oriented articles, and interdisciplinary research papers. Manuscripts may use quantitative, qualitative, mixed-methods, experimental, quasi-experimental, observational, correlational, longitudinal, cross-sectional, clinical, epidemiological, or community-based designs, provided that they demonstrate scientific validity, ethical integrity, and relevance to the journal’s aims and scope.

The editorial mission of Quality of Life and Health Sciences is to promote research that contributes to better understanding, assessment, improvement, and protection of quality of life and health. The journal particularly values studies that have practical implications for healthcare systems, clinical practice, health education, community health, rehabilitation, prevention, mental health, lifestyle medicine, chronic disease management, and public health policy.

Aims and Scopes

The primary aim of Quality of Life and Health Sciences is to publish scientifically sound and ethically conducted research that enhances understanding of quality of life and health-related outcomes. The journal seeks to support the development of evidence-based knowledge that can contribute to improved health, well-being, prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and social participation.

The journal aims to:

1. Advance scientific understanding of quality of life as a multidimensional concept connected to physical, psychological, social, environmental, cultural, and behavioral health factors.
2. Promote research on health-related quality of life among healthy individuals, patients, vulnerable groups, families, communities, and specific population groups.
3. Provide a platform for interdisciplinary studies that connect health sciences with psychology, public health, medicine, nursing, rehabilitation, sociology, education, nutrition, exercise science, social work, health management, and related fields.
4. Encourage the publication of research that informs clinical decision-making, health promotion, disease prevention, community interventions, rehabilitation programs, and public health policies.
5. Support studies that examine the impact of diseases, disorders, disabilities, treatment methods, lifestyle factors, social conditions, and healthcare services on quality of life.
6. Disseminate research on interventions designed to improve well-being, functional ability, life satisfaction, mental health, resilience, self-care, coping, health behavior, and patient outcomes.
7. Strengthen the academic dialogue between researchers and practitioners by publishing studies with clear theoretical, methodological, clinical, and practical relevance.
8. Encourage high-quality qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods research that reflects the complexity of health and quality of life across different contexts.

The scope of the journal includes, but is not limited to, the following areas:

Health-Related Quality of Life:
The journal welcomes research on the measurement, determinants, and improvement of health-related quality of life in different populations. This includes studies involving patients with chronic diseases, acute illnesses, disabilities, mental health conditions, aging-related challenges, pain conditions, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, metabolic disorders, neurological conditions, gastrointestinal disorders, musculoskeletal conditions, and other health-related concerns.

Physical Health and Functioning:
The journal publishes studies examining physical health, functional capacity, activities of daily living, mobility, fatigue, pain, sleep, physical fitness, rehabilitation outcomes, disability, and physical limitations. Research may focus on prevention, clinical management, treatment outcomes, rehabilitation programs, or health promotion strategies that influence physical functioning and overall quality of life.

Mental Health and Psychological Well-Being:
The journal is interested in studies related to emotional well-being, anxiety, depression, stress, burnout, psychological distress, resilience, coping strategies, self-esteem, self-efficacy, emotional regulation, life satisfaction, mindfulness, psychological flexibility, and mental health interventions. Research connecting psychological health with physical health and quality of life is especially encouraged.

Lifestyle and Behavioral Health:
The journal welcomes manuscripts on lifestyle behaviors and their effects on health and quality of life. Relevant topics include physical activity, nutrition, sleep hygiene, stress management, smoking cessation, substance use prevention, self-care behaviors, digital health behaviors, health literacy, adherence to treatment, preventive behaviors, and lifestyle-based interventions.

Chronic Disease and Patient Outcomes:
The journal publishes research on the experiences and outcomes of individuals living with chronic diseases. This includes studies on disease burden, treatment adherence, symptom management, patient education, self-management, quality of care, patient satisfaction, family support, caregiver burden, and long-term quality of life outcomes.

Public Health and Community Health:
The journal supports research that examines population health, health promotion, preventive care, social determinants of health, community interventions, health inequalities, access to healthcare, environmental health, health education, and public health strategies. Studies that address vulnerable or underserved populations are particularly relevant.

Rehabilitation and Disability Studies:
The journal welcomes research in physical rehabilitation, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, neurorehabilitation, psychosocial rehabilitation, disability management, assistive technologies, functional independence, community reintegration, and rehabilitation outcomes. Studies may focus on individuals with physical, cognitive, sensory, developmental, or psychosocial disabilities.

Aging and Gerontology:
The journal publishes studies on aging, elderly health, active aging, cognitive functioning, mobility, loneliness, social participation, frailty, independence, chronic disease management, caregiving, and quality of life among older adults. Research that supports healthy aging and age-friendly health systems is within the journal’s scope.

Women’s, Men’s, Child, and Family Health:
The journal welcomes research on health and quality of life across the lifespan, including maternal health, reproductive health, child and adolescent health, family functioning, parenting, caregiving, gender-related health issues, and family-centered health interventions.

Clinical and Healthcare Sciences:
The journal accepts studies related to clinical care, patient-centered outcomes, healthcare quality, healthcare delivery, treatment satisfaction, clinical interventions, health services research, nursing care, medical education, interprofessional care, and healthcare management when they are connected to health outcomes or quality of life.

Social Determinants of Health:
The journal encourages studies examining the effects of socioeconomic status, education, employment, housing, social support, culture, environment, access to services, discrimination, social inequality, and community resources on health and quality of life.

Health Measurement and Methodology:
The journal welcomes methodological studies related to the development, validation, translation, adaptation, and psychometric evaluation of health and quality-of-life instruments. Studies that improve measurement accuracy, assessment methods, or research methodology in health sciences are considered appropriate.

Digital Health and Technology:
The journal is open to research on digital health tools, telehealth, mobile health applications, wearable technologies, online interventions, digital health literacy, artificial intelligence in health assessment, and technology-based strategies that influence health behavior, healthcare access, or quality of life.

Intervention Studies:
The journal accepts experimental and quasi-experimental studies evaluating clinical, psychological, educational, behavioral, lifestyle, rehabilitation, or community-based interventions. Interventions should be clearly described, ethically conducted, and evaluated using appropriate methods and outcome measures.

The journal welcomes submissions from national and international researchers. Manuscripts should make a clear contribution to the fields of quality of life and health sciences, demonstrate methodological rigor, and present findings in a transparent, organized, and scientifically meaningful manner.

Open Access Statement

Quality of Life and Health Sciences is a fully open access journal. All articles published in the journal are freely and permanently available online immediately after publication. Readers do not need to pay subscription fees, registration fees, access fees, or institutional charges to read, download, copy, share, or use published articles in accordance with the journal’s license terms.

The journal supports the principle that scientific knowledge should be accessible to the widest possible audience. Open access publication increases the visibility, discoverability, and impact of scholarly work by allowing researchers, clinicians, students, policymakers, and the public to access published findings without financial restrictions. This is especially important in the field of health sciences, where timely access to research can contribute to better education, improved professional practice, evidence-based interventions, and informed health decision-making.

The open access model of Quality of Life and Health Sciences is based on the belief that research related to health, well-being, and quality of life has value not only for academic communities but also for healthcare providers, patients, families, institutions, and society as a whole. By removing access barriers, the journal encourages wider use of published research in teaching, clinical practice, community programs, policy development, and future scientific investigations.

All published articles may be read, downloaded, distributed, and used for non-commercial purposes, provided that proper credit is given to the original authors and the original source of publication. Users must cite the article appropriately and must not use the published material in a misleading or unethical manner. Any reuse must comply with the journal’s stated copyright and license policy.

The journal does not impose unnecessary restrictions on access to published content. Once an article is published, it remains available through the journal website as part of the permanent scholarly record. The journal is committed to maintaining accessibility, transparency, and continuity of access to its published materials.

Copyright and License

Authors who publish with Quality of Life and Health Sciences retain full copyright of their work. The journal does not require authors to transfer copyright ownership. Instead, authors grant the journal the right to publish the article, identify itself as the original publisher, distribute the article through the journal website, and preserve the article as part of the scholarly record.

All articles published in Quality of Life and Health Sciences are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0). This license allows others to copy, distribute, display, perform, and adapt the work for non-commercial purposes, provided that appropriate credit is given to the original authors and the journal.

Under the CC BY-NC 4.0 license, users may:

• Read and download the article freely.
• Share the article with others for non-commercial purposes.
• Copy and redistribute the article in any medium or format for non-commercial use.
• Adapt, remix, transform, or build upon the article for non-commercial purposes.
• Use the article in teaching, research, educational materials, presentations, and academic activities, provided that proper attribution is given.

Users must:

• Give appropriate credit to the original author or authors.
• Cite the journal as the original place of publication.
• Provide a reference to the license.
• Indicate whether changes were made when the work is adapted.
• Ensure that the use is non-commercial.
• Avoid presenting the work in a way that suggests endorsement by the authors or the journal without permission.

The non-commercial condition means that the published material may not be used primarily for commercial advantage or monetary compensation without appropriate permission. Commercial reuse, republication for profit, sale of published content, or use in commercial products may require additional authorization from the copyright holder.

Because authors retain copyright, they remain the legal owners of their scholarly work. They may use their published article in future research, teaching, academic presentations, institutional repositories, personal websites, and non-commercial scholarly activities, provided that the original publication in Quality of Life and Health Sciences is properly acknowledged.

The journal’s copyright and licensing policy is designed to protect authors’ intellectual rights while maximizing the dissemination and responsible use of scientific knowledge.

Plagiarism

Quality of Life and Health Sciences is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity, originality, and publication ethics. The journal does not tolerate plagiarism, duplicate publication, redundant publication, text recycling without appropriate citation, data fabrication, data falsification, unauthorized use of others’ work, or any form of academic misconduct.

All manuscripts submitted to the journal are screened for similarity using iThenticate. Similarity checking is conducted as part of the editorial evaluation process to help identify possible overlap with previously published literature, online sources, theses, conference papers, and other documents. The use of iThenticate supports the journal’s commitment to ethical publishing and responsible scholarly communication.

Similarity reports are reviewed carefully by the editorial team. The journal does not evaluate manuscripts based only on a similarity percentage. Instead, editors examine the nature, source, and context of any overlap. Some similarity may be acceptable in standard methodological descriptions, commonly used technical terms, references, institutional names, instrument titles, or unavoidable academic phrasing. However, extensive unattributed copying, close paraphrasing, inappropriate reuse of previous text, or overlap in core sections of the manuscript may lead to rejection or further investigation.

Plagiarism may include, but is not limited to:

• Copying text from another source without quotation marks and proper citation.
• Paraphrasing another author’s ideas too closely without proper acknowledgment.
• Using another person’s data, tables, figures, images, instruments, or findings without permission or citation.
• Presenting another researcher’s work as one’s own.
• Reusing substantial parts of one’s own previously published work without citation or justification.
• Submitting the same manuscript or highly similar manuscripts to more than one journal.
• Translating previously published material from another language without disclosure and proper citation.
• Using unpublished work, student work, theses, reports, or internal documents without authorization.
• Manipulating citations to hide copied or duplicated material.

If plagiarism or significant similarity is detected before peer review, the manuscript may be returned to the authors for explanation, correction, or immediate rejection, depending on the severity of the issue. If plagiarism is detected during peer review, the editorial process may be suspended while the matter is investigated. If plagiarism is discovered after publication, the journal may issue a correction, expression of concern, retraction, or other appropriate notice depending on the seriousness of the case.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their manuscripts are original, properly cited, and ethically prepared before submission. They must cite all sources accurately and must obtain permission when using copyrighted material that is not covered by fair use or open licensing. Authors should also ensure that any reused material from their own previous publications is properly cited and does not constitute redundant publication.

The journal encourages authors to review their manuscripts carefully before submission and to use proper citation practices throughout the text. Ethical writing requires not only avoiding direct copying but also acknowledging intellectual influences, theoretical frameworks, measurement tools, methodological sources, and previous findings.

By submitting a manuscript to Quality of Life and Health Sciences, authors confirm that the work is original, has not been published elsewhere in the same form, is not under consideration by another journal, and complies with accepted standards of academic integrity.

Article Processing Charges

Quality of Life and Health Sciences applies an Article Processing Charge (APC) of 3,000,000 Tomans for accepted articles.

The APC supports the costs associated with editorial management, peer-review administration, manuscript processing, online publication, website maintenance, digital archiving on the journal website, production services, layout preparation, metadata management, and long-term availability of published articles. Because the journal is open access and does not charge readers or institutions for access to published content, APCs help sustain the journal’s publishing operations.

The APC is charged only for manuscripts that are accepted for publication after editorial evaluation and peer review. Payment of the APC does not influence editorial decisions, reviewer recommendations, acceptance, rejection, or publication priority. All submitted manuscripts are evaluated according to scholarly criteria, including originality, methodological quality, ethical compliance, relevance to the journal’s scope, clarity, and contribution to the field.

The peer-review process is independent from APC payment. Authors are not required to pay an APC for a manuscript that is rejected. The journal’s editorial decisions remain fully based on academic merit and publication standards.

The APC amount for accepted articles is:

Article Processing Charge: 3,000,000 Tomans

Authors should ensure that they are aware of the APC policy before submission. Submission of a manuscript to the journal indicates that the authors understand the journal’s open access publishing model and agree to the APC policy if the manuscript is accepted for publication.

The journal may provide additional payment instructions to authors after acceptance. Publication may proceed after the accepted manuscript has completed required editorial, ethical, technical, and production steps.

Peer-Review Process

Quality of Life and Health Sciences uses a rigorous double-blind anonymous peer-review process to evaluate submitted manuscripts. The purpose of peer review is to ensure that published articles meet accepted scientific, ethical, methodological, and scholarly standards. Peer review also helps authors improve the quality, clarity, accuracy, and impact of their manuscripts.

In the double-blind review system, the identities of authors are not disclosed to reviewers, and the identities of reviewers are not disclosed to authors. This process is intended to reduce bias and support impartial evaluation. Authors are expected to prepare their manuscripts in a way that does not reveal their identity in the main document. Identifying information, acknowledgments, author names, affiliations, and other details that may compromise anonymity should be submitted separately when required by the journal’s submission system.

Each manuscript is reviewed by two or three reviewers. In most cases, two independent expert reviewers evaluate the manuscript. A third reviewer may be invited when the manuscript requires additional expertise, when the initial reviewer recommendations are substantially different, when methodological concerns require further assessment, or when the editor determines that an additional evaluation is necessary.

The peer-review process generally includes the following stages:

1. Submission and Initial Technical Check
After submission, the manuscript is checked by the editorial office for completeness, formatting, required documents, authorship information, ethical declarations, and compliance with the journal’s basic submission requirements. Manuscripts that are incomplete or do not meet basic requirements may be returned to the authors for correction before editorial evaluation.

2. Similarity and Plagiarism Screening
Submitted manuscripts are screened using iThenticate. The editorial team reviews the similarity report to identify possible plagiarism, duplicate publication, redundant publication, or inappropriate text overlap. Manuscripts with serious ethical or originality concerns may be rejected before peer review.

3. Editorial Scope and Quality Screening
The Editor-in-Chief or assigned editor evaluates whether the manuscript fits the aims and scope of Quality of Life and Health Sciences. The editor may also assess the manuscript’s scientific relevance, originality, ethical compliance, methodological adequacy, and overall suitability for peer review. Manuscripts that are outside the scope of the journal or do not meet minimum scholarly standards may be rejected at this stage.

4. Reviewer Selection
If the manuscript passes the initial editorial screening, it is sent to two or three qualified reviewers with relevant expertise. Reviewers are selected based on their academic background, methodological knowledge, subject expertise, publication history, and absence of known conflicts of interest.

5. Independent Review
Reviewers evaluate the manuscript independently. They may assess the originality of the study, clarity of the research problem, adequacy of the literature review, appropriateness of the methodology, validity of the analysis, accuracy of the findings, depth of discussion, ethical considerations, quality of writing, and relevance of the conclusions. Reviewers may also comment on tables, figures, references, structure, reporting standards, and practical implications.

6. Reviewer Recommendations
Reviewers provide confidential comments to the editor and constructive comments for the authors. Their recommendations may include acceptance, minor revision, major revision, resubmission after substantial revision, or rejection. Reviewer recommendations are advisory; the final decision is made by the editor.

7. Editorial Decision
The editor considers the reviewers’ comments, the manuscript’s quality, the journal’s standards, and the relevance of the work before issuing a decision. Possible editorial decisions include:

• Accept
• Minor revision
• Major revision
• Revise and resubmit
• Reject

The editor may also request additional review when necessary.

8. Revision by Authors
If revision is requested, authors must respond carefully to each reviewer and editorial comment. Revised manuscripts should include clear changes and, when required, a detailed response letter explaining how each comment was addressed. Authors should provide scientific justification when they disagree with a reviewer’s recommendation.

9. Re-Evaluation
Revised manuscripts may be evaluated by the editor or returned to the original reviewers for further assessment. The editor determines whether the revisions adequately address the concerns raised during peer review.

10. Final Decision
The final decision is made by the Editor-in-Chief or responsible editor. Acceptance is granted only when the manuscript meets the journal’s scientific, ethical, and editorial standards.

11. Production and Publication
After acceptance, the manuscript enters the production process. This may include copyediting, formatting, layout preparation, proofreading, metadata preparation, and publication on the journal website. Authors may be asked to review proofs before final publication.

The journal expects reviewers to provide fair, respectful, constructive, evidence-based, and timely evaluations. Reviewers must treat manuscripts as confidential documents and must not use unpublished information for personal advantage. Reviewers should decline review invitations if they have conflicts of interest or lack sufficient expertise.

Authors are expected to participate professionally in the peer-review process. They should submit original work, provide accurate information, respond respectfully to reviewer comments, disclose conflicts of interest, and comply with ethical requirements. Authors must not attempt to identify or contact reviewers during the review process.

Editors are responsible for maintaining fairness, confidentiality, transparency, and integrity throughout the peer-review process. Editorial decisions must not be influenced by authors’ nationality, gender, institutional affiliation, ethnicity, religion, political views, personal relationships, or financial considerations.

The peer-review process of Quality of Life and Health Sciences is designed to protect the quality of the scholarly record and support the publication of reliable, ethical, and meaningful research.

Archiving and Repository Policies

Quality of Life and Health Sciences is committed to the long-term accessibility, preservation, and discoverability of published scholarly content. The journal maintains an online archive through its official journal website, where published articles are made available as part of the permanent academic record.

All published articles are archived on the journal website. The journal website serves as the primary platform for access to current and past issues. Readers can access published articles through the online archive, which is intended to preserve the continuity of scholarly communication and ensure that articles remain available after publication.

The journal’s archiving policy is based on two main principles:

1. Journal Website Archiving
The official journal website provides access to published articles, issue information, article metadata, abstracts, and full-text files. Published articles remain available through the journal’s online archive. This ensures that authors, readers, researchers, and institutions can locate and access the journal’s published content over time.

2. Self-Archiving by Authors
Authors are permitted to self-archive their work in accordance with the journal’s open access and copyright policy. Because authors retain copyright and articles are published under the CC BY-NC 4.0 license, authors may deposit and share their published work for non-commercial purposes, provided that proper attribution is given to the original publication in Quality of Life and Health Sciences.

Authors may archive their manuscripts in:

• Institutional repositories
• University repositories
• Non-commercial subject repositories
• Personal academic websites
• Research group websites
• Departmental websites
• Non-commercial educational platforms
• Author profiles and academic networks, where permitted by the platform’s policies

Authors may share the published version of their article, provided that the journal citation, article title, author names, journal name, publication year, volume, issue, page or article number when applicable, and link to the official journal page are included. Proper citation helps preserve the scholarly record and ensures that readers can identify the version of record.

Self-archiving should not be used in a way that misrepresents the published article, removes citation information, alters the meaning of the work, or creates confusion about the official version of record. When authors deposit their articles in repositories, they are encouraged to include a clear statement that the article was originally published in Quality of Life and Health Sciences.

The journal supports responsible sharing of scholarly work. Authors may use their articles for teaching, academic presentations, research collaboration, thesis-related documentation, institutional reporting, and non-commercial educational purposes. Any commercial use must comply with the CC BY-NC 4.0 license and may require permission from the copyright holder.

The journal’s repository and archiving policies are designed to increase the visibility of published research while preserving the integrity and traceability of the scholarly record. Through journal website archiving and author self-archiving, Quality of Life and Health Sciences supports broad access, long-term preservation, and responsible dissemination of research in quality of life and health sciences.