Calls for Papers
Opportunities to publish scientific research on topics in the field of aging.
Open calls for academic papers
Last updated: August 14, 2026
An updated list of academic and scientific journals actively seeking submissions on aging research topics.
BMC Geriatrics
submission deadline: August 26, 2026
Article Collection: Advances in delirium diagnosis and management in older adults
Delirium, characterized by acute confusion and fluctuating cognitive impairment, remains a significant yet often overlooked challenge within geriatric psychiatry. The complexity of delirium (encompassing various subtypes, risk factors, and associated frailty) complicates both diagnosis and management, particularly in vulnerable older adults. Despite its prevalence in clinical settings, gaps in knowledge persist regarding effective prevention strategies, optimization of mental status assessment, and clinical management. As we advance into an era where an aging population places increasing demands on healthcare systems, the necessity for a focused discourse on delirium becomes more pressing. This Collection aims to bring together research that will enhance our understanding of delirium and also drive improvements in diagnostic protocols and therapeutic interventions.
In recent years, significant strides have been made in identifying delirium risk factors and exploring novel approaches for delirium prevention. This Collection seeks to spotlight these advances while encouraging submissions that address the multifaceted nature of delirium. We invite contributions that explore the following topics of interest:
– Nuances of delirium diagnosis
– Implications of various subtypes of delirium
– Interventions to mitigate the impact of delirium on older adults
– Innovative prevention strategies for delirium
– Assessment tools for evaluating mental status in older adults
BMC Geriatrics
submission deadline: August 27, 2026
Article Collection: Tuberculosis in older adults
Topics of interest for this Collection include (but are not limited to):
Epidemiology of TB in older adults
Comorbidities and TB outcomes in the elderly
Innovative prevention, screening, diagnosis, and treatment strategies for older populations
Social determinants influencing TB in older adults
Innovations in Aging
submission deadline: August 31, 2026
Article Collection: Innovating Qualitative Research in Gerontology
This special issue seeks to advance methodological scholarship by highlighting studies that move beyond standard applications of qualitative methods and instead demonstrate clear innovation in qualitative research design, data collection, analysis, or engagement with older adult populations. Submissions should explicitly describe how the qualitative approach advances existing methodological practice within gerontology.
npj | aging
submission deadline: September 3, 2026
Article Collection: Cellular Senescence 2025
This Collection invites research on cellular senescence, its mechanisms in aging and age-related diseases, interactions with inflammation and immunity, and interventions targeting senescent cells to promote healthy longevity.
npj | aging
submission deadline: September 21, 2026
Article Collection: Sex Differences in Aging Research
This collection invites research on sex and gender differences in health, disease, treatment response, and disparities in aging research—advancing inclusive, equitable biomedical knowledge.
Public Policy & Aging Report
Abstract deadline: September 23, 2026
After the Cuts: Cascading Consequences of Federal Policy Changes and Paths to Reform
Public Policy & Aging Report invites abstracts for an issue examining the cascading, compounding, and longer-term consequences of federal policy changes for older adults, their families, and the systems that serve them.
Innovations in Aging
submission deadline: October 1, 2026
Article Collection: Innovations in Super-Aged Societies
nnovation in Aging, in collaboration with the Taiwan Association of Gerontology, invites submissions for a special issue focused on the social, economic, political, cultural, and policy dimensions of super-aged societies as well as the broader implications of super-aging for gerontology.
Innovations in Aging
submission deadline: October 1, 2026
Article Collection: Small Solutions to Big Problems: Gerontological Innovations
In this special issue of Innovation in Aging, we aim to highlight research in gerontology that illustrates how small but innovative solutions by individuals or communities can make substantial contributions to addressing big problems that affect older adults.
BMC Geriatrics
submission deadline: October 12, 2026
Article Collection: Managing multimorbidity in older adults
The topics of interest include (but are not limited to):
Strategies for managing multimorbidity in older adults
Impact of multimorbidity on healthcare utilization
Personalized care approaches for chronic diseases
The role of technology in chronic health condition management
Psychological and social factors influencing multimorbidity
Health policy implications for managing chronic conditions in older adults
Economic burden of multimorbidity on healthcare systems
Cultural considerations in managing comorbid chronic conditions among diverse populations
BMC Geriatrics
submission deadline: October 12, 2026
Article Collection: Cardiovascular diseases in the older population
The topics of interest include (but are not limited to):
– Impact of multimorbidity on cardiovascular health in older adults
– Management of atrial fibrillation in the geriatric population
– Lifestyle interventions for reducing heart disease risk
– Advances in heart failure management for older patients
– The relationship between obesity and cardiovascular disease in seniors
– Role of social determinants of health in cardiovascular outcomes
– The impact of cognitive decline on cardiovascular health in older adults
– Heart failure as a model of biological vulnerability and geriatric complexity
– Integration of geriatric assessment into cardiology pathways and services
– Pharmacological appropriateness, deprescribing, and treatment burden in frail older adults with cardiovascular conditions
The Journals of Gerontology Series B
Manuscript submission deadline: October 15, 2026
Article Collection: Women’s Health and Psychological Aging: Integrative Perspectives on Mind, Brain, and Behavior Across the Female Lifespan
Women constitute the majority of older adults, yet advances in understanding cognitive decline, emotional well-being, and resilience in later life have often overlooked the biological and social contexts that uniquely shape women’s aging.
BMC Geriatrics
submission deadline: October 23, 2026
Article Collection: Addressing obesity in older adults
The topics of interest include (but are not limited to):
– Characterization and epidemiology of obesity in older adults
– Physiological and metabolic changes that affect weight management in aging
– The impact of obesity on ageing conditions such as multimorbidity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and osteoarthritis
– Interventions for weight management in older adults such as dietary approaches, physical activity programs, pharmacotherapy, and bariatric surgery
– Health disparities, social determinants, and the psychological aspects of obesity in later life
BMC Geriatrics
submission deadline: October 30, 2026
Article Collection: Advances in geriatric nutrition
The topics of interest include (but are not limited to):
Functional foods and nutrition-related interventions for healthy aging
Frailty, sarcopenia, and dietary support
Culturally responsive nutritional guidelines for older adults
Nutritional biomarkers in aging
Cognitive decline and nutrition
The Journals of Gerontology, Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences
submission deadline: October 30, 2026
Article Collection: Innovative Hypotheses on the Pathophysiology of Dementia Beyond Amyloid and Tau
This special issue seeks basic, translational, and interdisciplinary work that interrogates alternative and complementary pathways in cognitive decline and dementia. We especially encourage submissions that challenge current dogma, introduce innovative conceptual frameworks, or offer compelling mechanistic insights supported by rigorous experimental or clinical data.
npj | Dementia
submission deadline: November 7, 2027
The Human Connection — Bridging lived experience and scientific discovery in dementia research
This collection highlights experiences of those affected by dementia—whether Alzheimer’s, FTD, Lewy body, ALS, Parkinson’s, vascular, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy. We welcome essays and personal perspectives from patients, at-risk individuals, care partners, clinicians, and researchers, capturing diverse voices and insights across the spectrum of dementia.
BMC Geriatrics
submission deadline: November 9, 2026
Article Collection: Health disparities in aging: addressing inequities in geriatric care
Potential topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
– Socioeconomic determinants of health in aging, such as income, wealth, education and working conditions
– Geographic and environmental disparities in geriatric care, including differences in urban and rural healthcare and environmental stressors
– Gender, racial, and ethnic disparities in geriatric care
– Inequalities in the provision of and access to social care, and the consequences for health
– Barriers to care, such as language, cost, or transportation
– Culturally competent care for older adults
– Community-based interventions to reduce health disparities
Journal of Women & Aging
submission deadline: November 15, 2026
Intergenerational Relationships, Aging and Public Health
We seek papers that collectively address the following core questions:
(1) How do intergenerational relationships influence population health across diverse communities?
(2) What public health interventions can optimize healthy aging within and across generations among different communities?
Gerontology
submission deadline: November 30, 2026
Article Collection: Osteoporosis in the Oldest Old
The topical issue “Osteoporosis in the Oldest Old“ wants to address these problems regarding the diagnostic and therapeutic management of the oldest old patients. The available data on the management of osteoporosis in this age group and specific problems, such as additional sarcopenia, frailty, falls, or other comorbidities should be evaluated and discussed. The aim should be to present the reader differentiated and well tailored approaches for diagnostics and therapies for osteoporosis in the oldest old.
npj | aging
submission deadline: November 30, 2026
Article Collection: Gerophysics
In recent years, the integration of theoretical physics and advanced mathematical modeling with aging biology – collectively termed “Gerophysics” – has emerged as a transformative approach to comprehending the fundamental mechanisms underlying aging and longevity. This special collection aims to highlight pioneering research at the intersection of physics-based theoretical frameworks, complex systems science, quantitative mathematical models, and experimental biology to systematically unravel the complexities of aging processes. We warmly invite contributions from leading scientists, theoreticians, and experimentalists working collaboratively across these disciplines.
BMC Geriatrics
submission deadline: December 1, 2026
Article Collection: Climate change and aging
This collection explores how climate change affects older adults, who are often more vulnerable to heat, extreme weather, and environmental hazards. Submissions may address health risks, preparedness, policy, and adaptation strategies.
Current Psychology
submission deadline: December 1, 2026
Attachment Across Adulthood and Aging: Developmental Trajectories, Mechanisms, and Adaptive Processes
This collection aims to promote a lifespan perspective on attachment by encouraging empirical, theoretical, and integrative contributions exploring how attachment-related processes evolve from emerging adulthood through midlife and into older age. Particular attention will be given to developmental trajectories, the underlying psychological and relational mechanisms, and the adaptive processes that occur in response to both normative and non-normative life transitions.
Journal of Loss and Trauma
submission deadline: December 1, 2026
Loss and Transformation Identified within the Aging Process
Various forms of loss are experienced across the lifespan; however, their meaning, accumulation, and consequences often intensify in later life. This special issue focuses on the diverse and intersecting ways that loss is experienced by older adults, as well as by stakeholders connected to this cohort.
npj | Dementia
submission deadline: December 20, 2026
Expanding the Reach of Dementia Clinical Trials, Innovations in Design, and Lessons from the Field
This Collection invites submissions that advance how dementia clinical trials are designed, conducted, and expanded beyond traditional research environments. We welcome methodological innovations and conceptual frameworks alongside real-world field experience. Submissions that bridge trial design and practical implementation are especially encouraged.
npj | Dementia
submission deadline: December 30, 2026
Expanding the Reach of Dementia Clinical Trials, Innovations in Design, and Lessons from the Field
This Collection invites submissions that advance how dementia clinical trials are designed, conducted, and expanded beyond traditional research environments. We welcome methodological innovations and conceptual frameworks alongside real-world field experience. Submissions that bridge trial design and practical implementation are especially encouraged.
Aging Clinical and Experimental Research
submission deadline: December 31, 2026
Physical Activity and Health in Older Adults
Physical activity remains a cornerstone of healthy ageing, offering substantial benefits for cardiovascular function, musculoskeletal strength, cognitive vitality and overall quality of life. With an increasingly ageing global population, maintaining regular physical activity is crucial for mitigating chronic disease, preserving independence, and reducing the burden of comorbidities associated with sedentary lifestyles. Research continues to demonstrate that bespoke exercise programmes, particularly those integrating moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), can improve both physical and mental health outcomes in older adults, while also addressing global disparities in activity levels.
nature portfolio
submission deadline: December 31, 2026
Article Collection: Healthy Aging
Aging is a physiological process that occurs during a person’s lifetime. During healthy aging, functional ability changes, but not because of disease or injury. Healthy aging can be encouraged by adopting healthy behaviors earlier in life, such as an optimum diet and exercise. In addition, healthy aging can be encouraged by medical services, dietary supplements or medications being available that prevent, slow, or reverse declines in older peoples’ physical and mental states.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated 2021-2030 as the UN decade of healthy aging. In recognition of this, the editors at Nature Communications, Communications Medicine, Communications Biology and Scientific Reports invite submission of manuscripts to a Cross-journal Collection on healthy aging.
The Journals of Gerontology, Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences
submission deadline: December 31, 2026
Special Issue: Genetic and Epigenetic Mechanisms of Aging and Longevity
Although a comprehensive understanding of the genetic and epigenetic regulatory networks governing aging and longevity remains incomplete, rapid progress continues to refine mechanistic insights and translational applications. This special issue seeks to showcase high-quality basic, translational, and interdisciplinary research that elucidates or critically reexamines the genetic and epigenetic determinants of aging and exceptional longevity.
We particularly encourage submissions that challenge prevailing paradigms, introduce innovative conceptual frameworks, or provide compelling mechanistic evidence supported by rigorous experimental, computational, or clinical data.
Aging Clinical and Experimental Research
submission deadline: January 1, 2027
Successful Aging and Health in Older Adults
Successful ageing is a multidimensional concept encompassing the maintenance of physical health, cognitive function and social engagement alongside psychological well‐being. Researchers characterise healthy ageing not only by the absence of disease or disability, but also by the utilisation of compensatory mechanisms that allow older adults to adapt to physiological and psychosocial challenges. Global studies have shown that the integration of lifestyle factors, early health interventions and continuous social participation can promote a trajectory of healthy ageing. This integrated approach has important implications for public health policy and clinical practice, as it highlights both modifiable risk factors and the need for comprehensive assessment tools that capture the bio‐psycho‐social model of ageing.
BMC Geriatrics
submission deadline: January 22, 2027
Article Collection: AI and geriatric care
This Collection aims to explore the intersection of AI and geriatric care, highlighting research that examines the applications and implications of AI in the field of gerontology.
Topics of interest include but are not limited to:
Applications of AI in geriatric healthcare
Machine learning for predictive analytics in aging
Integration of AI with existing wearable or sensor-based technologies
Ethical considerations in AI for gerontology
AI-driven tools for daily caregiving tasks
Balancing innovation with compassionate, human-centered care
BMC Geriatrics
submission deadline: January 27, 2027
Article Collection: Geriatric hepatology: addressing liver disorders in older adults
This Collection will explore a wide range of topics within geriatric hepatology, including but not limited to:
Age-related changes in liver function
Pathophysiology of liver diseases in older adults
Epidemiology of chronic liver diseases in the older population
Management strategies tailored for older patients
Prevention and management of sarcopenia and frailty in the older cirrhotic patients
Prevention and early detection of liver diseases
Therapeutic interventions specific to geriatric populations
Impact of comorbidities and polypharmacy on liver disorders
Critical care services for older liver disease patients
Socio-economic factors influencing care for older patients with liver conditions
Hepatocellular carcinoma in older patients
Hepatobiliary disorders in the elderly population
Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition
submission deadline: January 29, 2027
In Memory of Dr. Denise C. Park Brief description: Cognitive-aging research building on Denise Park’s legacy, including memory, neurocognitive aging, the aging brain, and the Scaffolding Theory of Aging and Cognition
In this call for papers, we hope to honor Denise Park’s remarkable legacy within the field of cognitive aging. We seek empirical papers, reviews, or future-oriented perspectives that clearly build from her foundational contributions to cognitive aging.
npj | aging
submission deadline: January 29, 2027
Article Collection: Frailty
This collection invites research on frailty in aging, including mechanisms, early detection, interventions, and impacts on health, resilience, and care systems.
CyTA – Journal of Food
submission deadline: January 31, 2027
Antioxidant and Other Properties of Natural Products for Healthy Aging
This Article Collection will cover new interdisciplinary approaches and novel research in the field of nutrition and aging for healthy longevity via natural products. This includes the identification and characterization of bioactive molecules and the mechanisms for the decrease in the gradual deterioration of physiological integrity that characterizes aging. The emphasis will be on natural compounds with antioxidant and other properties with impact on aging. Also included are the extraction processes, the compound stability when incorporated into foods, and their bioavailability when consumed. Exploration of new metabolites with such bioactivity is of interest not only in food production but also in the cosmeceutical and supplement industries. Natural compounds obtained using green technologies from sustainable sources and available in commercial quantities are preferred.
BMC Geriatrics
submission deadline: February 22, 2027
Article Collection: Epigenetic Aging
We invite researchers to submit their work to this Collection that will showcase research including but not limited to:
Epigenetic clocks and biological age
Chronological vs. biological aging
Cellular senescence and aging
Epigenetics, chronic disease, and healthspan
Lifestyle factors and social/environmental determinants of epigenetic aging
Epigenetic aging in vulnerable populations
npj | Dementia
submission deadline: March 9, 2027
Towards Multidimensional Models of Dementia
While clinical definitions of dementia focus on cognitive decline and functional impairment, a growing body of evidence highlights the need for more nuanced, multidimensional models that integrate biological, psychosocial, and environmental domains. These frameworks are often explored in isolation, limiting their ability to explain the full complexity of the disease. In this Collection, we welcome contributions that bridge traditionally separate domains and use them to explain dementia etiology, progression, and lived experience.
LGBTQ Family: An Interdisciplinary Journal
submission deadline: March 15, 2027
Aging Queerly: LGBTQ+ Aging within Diverse Family Formations
This Special Issue aims to explore family experiences that transcend, complicate and sit outside of the gender binary. Non-binary identities are becoming increasingly socially visible and family practices are diversifying, with more people ‘doing family’ in ways that challenge binary understandings of gender, kinship and care. However, much family research focusses on the experiences of men/women and boys/girls, and dominant methodological and theoretical approaches are often not inclusive of non-binary experiences. In a global context marked by increasing societal transphobia and resistance to family diversity, it is especially urgent for family studies to engage more deeply with family experiences that transcend the gender binary.
This Special Issue seeks to bring together innovative family research that moves beyond binary frameworks, whether in empirical focus, theoretical orientation or methodological approach.
Humanities and Social Sciences Communication
submission deadline: March 25, 2027
Article Collection: Ageism
In an era marked by demographic shifts, longer life expectancies, post-pandemic reflections on vulnerability and care, and global debates about generational justice, ageism demands renewed interdisciplinary attention. This Collection invites scholarship that explores ageism in all its forms.
We welcome work from across the humanities and social sciences, including sociology, anthropology, cultural studies, media and film studies, gender and sexuality studies, disability studies, philosophy, psychology (non-clinical), political science, education, history, and related fields.
Food and Agricultural Immunology
submission deadline: March 31, 2027
Nutritional Approaches to Inflammaging, Sarcopenia, and Frailty
This Article Collection welcomes contributions exploring the molecular and clinical links between nutrition, inflammaging, sarcopenia, and frailty. Topics of interest include:
– The role of the Mediterranean diet and its components in modulating chronic low-grade inflammation
– The impact of protein, vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, and polyphenols on muscle mass, strength, and physical performance
– The contribution of gut microbiota and dysbiosis to inflammaging and frailty, including probiotic and prebiotic interventions
– Combined nutritional and exercise-based strategies for pre-frail and frail older adults.
Original research articles, systematic and narrative reviews, and meta-analyses are particularly encouraged.
npj | aging
submission deadline: April 20, 2027
Article Collection: DNA Damage and Aging
This collection explores the role of DNA damage in aging, focusing on molecular mechanisms, that drive genome instability, influence health span, and contribute to age-related diseases.
nature portfolio
submission deadline: April 23, 2027
Article Collection: Neurodegenerative disease imaging
This Collection features original research on imaging biomarkers and their clinical relevance in neurodegenerative diseases, including MRI applications. Narrative review articles are also welcomed to our sister journal Scientific Reviews. For further information please view the ‘Participating Journals’ below.
BMC Geriatrics
submission deadline: April 30, 2027
War and aging
The effects of war on aging populations present a multifaceted challenge that warrants extensive exploration. The intersection of conflict and geriatric health is increasingly relevant as global instability and armed conflicts persist. During active conflicts, older adults, who often face unique health vulnerabilities, suffer disproportionate consequences including disrupted access to healthcare and essential resources. A growing body of literature also shows that earlier life war exposure, both for combatants and civilians, has impacts on later life health and well-being. This Collection seeks to address the myriad ways in which war directly and indirectly influences the health and wellbeing of older individuals, encompassing physical, mental, moral, and social dimensions.
The European Legacy
submission deadline: April 30, 2027
Demographic Transitions: Aging Europe and Its Future
We welcome original research articles, theoretical analyses, and case studies that address one or more of the following interconnected themes:
– Welfare Systems and Intergenerational Justice
– Perceptions of Cultural Difference
– Family Structures and Social Cohesion
– National Variants and Cultural Specificity
– Philosophical and Cultural Reflections
– Interdisciplinary Approach
Cogent Gerontology
submission deadline: May 31, 2027
Successful Aging: Perspectives from Different Cultures
We welcome submissions from the global academic community in a range of categories including research manuscripts, review articles, guidelines, and opinion pieces that are based on implementation experience. Submissions should address the spectrum of understandings and approaches to successful aging in different cultural, socio-economic, and geographic contexts and settings. Given the broad range of these populations and settings, sub-topics may include but are not limited to the following:
– Rural vs urban aging
– LGBTQ health
– Aging in place
– Cultural perspectives
– Developing countries
Aging in special populations
