About CANDJ

Aims & Scope

The CAND Journal (CANDJ) is the official journal of the Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors (CAND). The Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors is the first and only national association representing the naturopathic medical profession in Canada. The CAND is the foremost authority, advocate and trusted source representing and advancing naturopathic doctors across Canada. All CAND members are graduates of, or students in, an accredited post-graduate level, naturopathic medical program. The CAND advocates on behalf of the naturopathic profession federally, supports scientific research and the regulation of all health care professionals to ensure public safety.

The CANDJ’s mission is to connect the evidence-informed best practices of the naturopathic profession to members, health care practitioners (conventional and integrative), health care stakeholders, government, and the general public. We encourage submissions on a wide variety of topics in naturopathic medicine, including whole systems approaches, traditional & complementary medicine (T&CM) and integrative medicine, community and planetary health, and health equity.

As a general naturopathic medical journal, we welcome original research, including randomized controlled trials (RCTs), systematic reviews, observational and case studies. We also welcome commentaries, practice perspectives, editorials on current topics in naturopathic medicine, and letters to the editor. Contributors should keep in mind that while the main audience for CANDJ is naturopathic doctors, we encourage submissions from all authors, including traditional Indigenous healers, traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) practitioners, and integrative health professionals, who wish to contribute to the literature in this area.

Manuscripts submitted to CANDJ will receive prompt, high-quality peer review and editorial support on our indexed platform. We have a wide pool of Canadian and internationally-based reviewers who share our mission of advancing the knowledge base for our profession and for the general public about what constitutes naturopathic medicine’s best practices.

Note that CANDJ is the new title for the CAND Vital Link journal, which was introduced as a print publication in 1993, and officially changed titles in September 2021.

Peer Review Policies

All submissions are initially assessed by the Editorial Staff for suitability for the Journal. If the manuscript meets the aims and scope of the Journal and is judged to be suitable for possible publication, it will be sent to two or more independent reviewers to assess the scientific quality of the paper. The Editorial Staff is responsible for the final decision regarding acceptance or rejection of articles. All manuscripts undergo this process with the following exceptions, which do not undergo our standard review process:

  • Editorials, Guest Editorials, Commentaries, and Letters to the Editor, are based on the decision of the Editorial Staff, who may ask experts on the merit of their contents.
  • Position Statements are reviewed and approved by the Board of Directors of the CAND. As such, these papers will generally be reviewed by the Editorial Staff rather than being sent to external peer reviewers.
  • Manuscripts authored by the Editorial Staff, with the exception of Editorials, will be assigned to at least two independent outside reviewers. Decisions will be made by other Editorial Board Members who do not have a conflict of interest with the author.

The CANDJ uses a double-blind review process. The identities of authors and reviewers are kept confidential from one another. The manuscript under review is not revealed to anyone other than the reviewers and Editorial Staff. Reviewers are required to maintain confidentiality about the manuscripts they review.

Authors should expect to receive an initial Editorial decision on their manuscript within 2–8 weeks of submission. If revision of the manuscript is required, the authors must submit within three weeks of the request.

Publication Frequency

The CANDJ is published four times per year (March, June, September, and December) plus periodic supplements.

Delayed Access

CAND automatically makes all Journal content freely available online 12 months after publication. The version which is made free is the final published version (Version of Record) following copyediting, typesetting, proofreading, and pagination. A pay-per-view system has been introduced for embargoed articles and full issue downloads. With each issue, some articles may be selected by the Editors to be made immediately accessible upon publication and forgo the standard embargo period.

Copyright for all articles published in the CANDJ is retained by the Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors (CAND). Authors submitting manuscripts to CANDJ do so with the understanding that if a manuscript is accepted, the copyright in the article, including the right to reproduce the article in all forms, shall be assigned exclusively to the CAND. CANDJ authors are required to sign a copyright transfer agreement upon acceptance of their article. Author rights are outlined in the agreement. For re-use of CANDJ content see “Permissions & Licensing”.

Indexing

The CANDJ is indexed/covered by the following services:

  • Google Scholar
  • Crossref – all articles are assigned a DOI (digital object identifiers), which enhances article discoverability and makes our content easier to cite, link and access
  • EBSCO Discovery Service
  • EBSCOhost
    • Academic Search Ultimate

The Journal aims to be indexed/covered by PubMed and Scopus by 2023.

Disclaimer

The ideas and opinions expressed in the CAND Journal (CANDJ) are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors (CAND) nor its Board of Directors, the Editors, or SG Publishing Inc. The CAND and its Board of Directors, the Editors, and SG Publishing Inc. disclaim any responsibility or liability for such material.