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JMIR Formative Research

Process evaluations, early results, and feasibility/pilot studies of digital and non-digital interventions

Editor-in-Chief:

Amaryllis Mavragani, PhD, Scientific Editor at JMIR Publications, Canada


Impact Factor 2.4 More information about Impact Factor CiteScore 4.2 More information about CiteScore

JMIR Formative Research publishes peer-reviewed, openly accessible papers containing results from process evaluations, feasibility/pilot studies and other kinds of formative research and preliminary results. While the original focus was on the design of medical- and health-related research and technology innovations, JMIR Formative Research publishes studies from all areas of medical and health research.

Formative research is research that occurs before a program is designed and implemented, or while a program is being conducted. Formative research can help

  • define and understand populations in need of an intervention or public health program
  • create programs that are specific to the needs of those populations
  • ensure programs are acceptable and feasible to users before launching
  • improve the relationship between users and agencies/research groups
  • demonstrate the feasibility, use, satisfaction with, or problems with a program before large-scale summative evaluation (looking at health outcomes)

Many funding agencies will expect some sort of pilot/feasibility/process evaluation before funding a larger study such as a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT).

Formative research should be an integral part of developing or adapting programs and should be used while the program is ongoing to help refine and improve program activities. Thus, formative evaluation can and should also occur in the form of a process evaluation alongside a summative evaluation such as an RCT.

JMIR Formative Research fills an important gap in the academic journals landscape, as it publishes sound and peer-reviewed formative research that is critical for investigators to apply for further funding, but that is usually not published in outcomes-focused medical journals aiming for impact and generalizability.

Summative evaluations of programs and apps/software that have undergone a thorough formative evaluation before launch have a better chance to be published in high-impact flagship journals; thus, we encourage authors to submit - as a first step - their formative evaluations in JMIR Formative Research (and their evaluation protocols to JMIR Research Protocols). 

JMIR Formative Research is indexed in MEDLINEPubMed, PubMed CentralDOAJ, Scopus, Sherpa/Romeo, EBSCO/EBSCO Essentials, and the Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI).

JMIR Formative Research received a 2025 Impact Factor of 2.4, ranking Q2 in Health Care Sciences & Services (97/194).

JMIR Formative Research received a Scopus CiteScore of 4.2 (2025), placing it in the 68th percentile (149/466) as a second quartile (Q2) journal in the field of Medicine, and in the 52nd percentile (81/168) as a second quartile (Q2) journal in the field of Health Informatics. 


Recent Articles

Person in denim jacket and red sneakers holding a dark gray vape pen
Formative Evaluation of Digital Health Interventions

Dual use of combustible cigarettes and nicotine vapes is disproportionately high among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) young adults. Mass-reach health communications may be effective at curbing dual use. Current research is exploring whether comparative risk messaging, which presents nicotine vapes as less harmful than cigarettes, reduces dual use.

Medical professional uses ultrasound device on patient's arm near dialysis machine
Formative Evaluation of Digital Health Interventions

Arteriovenous fistula (AVF) stenosis is an important complication of hemodialysis that may impair dialysis adequacy and patient outcomes. Conventional AVF monitoring relies largely on subjective physical assessment and may delay recognition of abnormal vascular access findings.

Woman teaching child alphabet letters and numbers at a table
Formative Evaluation of Digital Health Interventions

The rising prevalence of autism highlights the challenges faced by health care professionals, educators, and guardians in managing autism care. ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) Autism Communities was established to train professionals in best practice autism care and diagnosis through regular virtual case-based learning sessions. As programmatic offerings expanded to include more professions and ongoing care after diagnosis, program measures were adapted to fit the desired learning outcomes and were adapted over time. As a result, consistent measures were not in place to assess any individual program longitudinally, and assessments of all programs collectively were even further limited. The global expansion of the ECHO Autism model led to an insistent need for standardized outcome measures to evaluate effectiveness.

Three Asian women of different generations smiling and looking at a smartphone.
Formative Evaluation of Digital Health Interventions

Thailand is undergoing a rapid demographic transition, with an estimated 28% of the population expected to be aged 60 years or older by 2030. This shift creates an urgent demand for technology-enhanced solutions for older adults. Despite growing interest in Internet of Things (IoT) sensor networks and machine learning applications for older adult care, the patterns of technology acceptance and implementation readiness in Thai older adult care facilities remain underexplored.

Woman with phone on city street with bus and construction
Development and Evaluation of Research Methods, Instruments and Tools

Retrospective questionnaires are commonly used to assess exposure to unpleasant environmental stimuli, such as sounds and odors, but they are vulnerable to recall and salience biases. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) is often proposed as a superior alternative because it captures experiences close in time to their occurrence. However, self-initiated, event-contingent EMA protocols require sustained participant engagement, and little is known about their feasibility, reporting completeness, and implementation challenges under naturalistic conditions.

Young girl with crossed eyes, looking at the camera.
Formative Evaluation of Digital Health Interventions

Peer-reviewed medical literature consistently violates established health literacy readability targets, creating a gap that effectively excludes patients and caregivers from accessing evidence-based information.

Woman holding smartphone displaying "Tribuna OCODES" app with news articles and family photo.
Formative Evaluation of Digital Health Interventions

Health misinformation has intensified worldwide, especially in digital environments, where low health and media literacy increase vulnerability. Thus, the MEDIATICH program of the University of Zaragoza launched OCODES (Observatorio Contra la Desinformación en Salud), a participatory digital initiative designed to promote health media literacy and provide evidence-based information through a web platform and social media channels.

Woman on video call with healthcare provider for telehealth consultation
Development and Evaluation of Research Methods, Instruments and Tools

The rapid expansion of telehealth has outpaced formal training in virtual interprofessional collaboration across health professions education. Although telehealth and interprofessional education (IPE) competency frameworks exist, limited evidence informs how longitudinal, virtual IPE curricula prepare learners for team-based telehealth practice.

Woman with arms crossed, showing freckled skin and a light pink t-shirt
Formative Evaluation of Digital Health Interventions

Psoriasis is a lifelong, relapsing, quick-to-flare skin disease that requires personalized, continuous management. Due to its unpredictable nature, there is an increasing interest in using electronic patient-reported outcome measures (ePROMs) for remote monitoring of the condition. However, adherence to ePROMs and predictors of adherence have not been sufficiently explored among patients with psoriasis.

Elderly Indigenous woman uses a tablet in a cozy living room.
Formative Evaluation of Digital Health Interventions

Falls are a major public health concern due to their impact on individuals and the health system. StandingTall (Ylva Health Pty Ltd) is a digital balance exercise app that has demonstrated strong adherence and fall-reduction effects in Australia. Before considering implementation in Canada, its acceptability must be assessed.

Woman uses a wellness app on her phone showing mood, energy, hydration, and mindfulness tracking.
Formative Evaluation of Digital Health Interventions

Despite the effectiveness of bariatric surgery in the treatment of severe obesity, a substantial proportion of patients experience insufficient weight loss or weight regain over time. Evidence indicates that behavioral factors and mental health conditions play a central role in these outcomes, representing strategic targets for educational and technology-based self-monitoring interventions.

Preprints Open for Peer Review

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