Headache Medicine

Headache Medicine (p-ISSN 2178-7468 and e-ISSN 2763-6178), created in 2010, is the scientific publication of the Brazilian Headache Society (SBCe). During the period 1994–2009 it was titled Migraneas & Cefaleias (ISSN 1678-6270).

Headache Medicine aims to attract specialists in headache, working in continuing education with clinical and experimental publications. It also aims to stimulate research with animal models to better understand the pathophysiology of diseases and drug action, and to monitor innovations in the area of headache diagnosis and treatment.

Areas of interest: The editorial board accepts manuscripts in English on headache and orofacial pain. Our scope encompasses clinical and experimental, qualitative and quantitative research.

Types of articles: Articles are published in each edition in ordered sections: editorial, opinion, reviews, original, clinical correspondence, case report, image in headache, and thesis.

Periodicity: Four issues are published per year. From 2023 onward, Headache Medicine has adopted a continuous publication model.

Peer review: All articles are peer-reviewed (single-blind), and the handling editor is identified in the published article.

Author charges: Headache Medicine is an open-access journal and does not charge fees for submission, review, or publication. All processes are performed electronically.

Copyright and licensing: The responsibility for the scientific information contained in the articles rests exclusively with the authors. Content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY).

Archiving policy: Headache Medicine uses the LOCKSS protocol as a digital archiving policy for document preservation.

Ethical Policies

Headache Medicine explicitly adheres to the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing (COPE, DOAJ, OASPA, WAME, 2022) as well as the Singapore and Hong Kong Declarations on Research Integrity. The journal has implemented and prominently displays comprehensive ethical guidelines covering authorship, complaints and appeals, misconduct, conflicts of interest, data sharing, ethical oversight, intellectual property, post-publication discussion, corrections and retractions, and the overall integrity of the scholarly record.

All authors must acknowledge funding and conflicts of interest under a dedicated heading before the References. If not applicable, authors are required to state that the research did not receive specific funding and that there are no conflicts of interest. Author contributions must be declared in accordance with the ICMJE authorship criteria. The journal has a transparent process for handling complaints and appeals, with submissions directed to support@headachemedicine.com.br and reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief within 15 business days.

With respect to misconduct, Headache Medicine follows international standards to ensure research integrity. All manuscripts undergo similarity checks, and cases of plagiarism or misconduct may lead to rejection or retraction, with institutions notified if necessary. Responsibility for content lies exclusively with the authors. Both authors and reviewers must declare conflicts of interest; reviewers are expected to maintain confidentiality, provide objective and timely feedback, and report any suspected plagiarism. Authors must ensure originality, adhere to the Declaration of Helsinki for human research, the UNESCO Universal Declaration of Animal Rights for animal studies, and national regulations such as Plataforma Brasil when applicable.

The journal reinforces transparency and reproducibility by encouraging adherence to international reporting standards including CONSORT, STARD, PRISMA, and STROBE. Ethical oversight extends to compliance with research standards for humans and animals, to the responsible use of artificial intelligence, and to the observance of the SAGER guidelines for sex and gender equity in research.

Regarding intellectual property, authors retain copyright but grant Headache Medicine the right of first publication. The journal publishes under a CC BY license, which allows unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided appropriate credit is given. Post-publication dialogue is encouraged through formal policies on errata, retractions, complaints, and appeals.

Corrections and retractions are only made upon formal, signed requests from authors with plausible justification, and once approved, are implemented via Crossmark, ensuring traceability and integrity of the published record. By applying the Crossmark logo, the journal guarantees version control and transparency for readers. Finally, to safeguard the integrity of the scholarly record, the journal treats as misconduct any form of plagiarism, duplicate submission, data manipulation, or undeclared conflicts of interest. All allegations may be reported by the community and are assessed under COPE guidelines, with actions ranging from correction to retraction as necessary.