Authors are expected to state the clinical registration number for interventional studies at submission, for example, Clinical Research Information Service (CRiS, https://cris.nih.go.kr) and ClinicalTrials.gov. Prospective registration is recommended and if retrospective registration was done, authors should also provide a brief description of the reason. An exception is interventional studies on students and/or healthcare providers that focus on knowledge, attitude, etc., that do not directly impact patient health outcomes.

As noted in Table 1 of author guidelines (https://www.kjwhn.org/authors/authors.php), all interventional studies submitted after July 1, 2018 should include a statement on data sharing. Data sharing provides transparency and reproducibility of research so we strongly encourage authors to share deidentified data.

Furthermore, we have made efforts to overcome the weaknesses outlined in the review document notifying us of not being recommended for MEDLINE. The following describes our response to some major points:

Point 1. High acceptance rate: Although our acceptance rate when we initially applied for MEDLINE was relatively high (79% in 2019), this rate has stabilized over the years with probable booster effects since becoming indexed in an international database, as noted above. In 2022 we have reached less than 50% acceptance rate (Table 1) and will continue to seek to maintain this level. Rather than discouraging potential authors, we hope this will assure them that KJWHN is committed to publishing quality studies for research and practice.

Point 2. Most articles are from Korean authors and written in Korean: As stated in our aims and scope (https://kjwhn.org/about/index.php), our regional focus is mainly Korea, but we welcome submissions from all over the world. KJWHN still mainly receives submissions from domestic authors, but over the years, we have increased the proportion of English manuscripts to make these studies available to a wider audience. We welcome submissions from international authors, especially studies reporting on women’s health issues in Asia and/or using sex and gender-based analysis. And now, with triple crown indexing status, we expect to see more English manuscript submissions in the future. KJWHN is currently considering waivers and/or discounts of article processing charges for authors from developing countries, as a step to encourage more submissions from abroad.

Point 3. Significant prevalence of descriptive correlational studies with no theoretical framework for why variables were chosen: This has also been noted as a prevailing issue in other disciplines and journals [4,5]. KJWHN has been promoting specifying the theoretical framework through our annual workshops and communicating with authors during the review process to help them be more aware of the importance of stating their theoretical underpinnings. Potential authors are encouraged to include a description of their theoretical framework [6,7] and may refer to practical suggestions in the literature [4,8]. As for more variety in study designs, many society members usually choose to submit experimental study papers to journals with high impact factors. KJWHN has been advertising more actively that manuscripts on interventional studies, integrative reviews/scoping reviews, and systematic reviews and/or meta-analyses are particularly welcome. Over the past 3 years, we have published eight systematic reviews, one integrative review, two randomized controlled trials, and three quasi-experimental studies. We will continue to actively advertise and seek high-quality manuscripts on various study designs. KJWHN is planning a special issue on “Digital era education for women’s health and wellbeing” for September 2023 (https://www.kjwhn.org/file/kjwhn_call_for_paper.pdf). We welcome submissions covering the design, development, evaluation, and use of digital solutions that support the health and wellbeing of women through education.