Author Instructions

The Journal of Public Health Policy welcomes unsolicited original scientific and policy contributions on all topics relevant to public health (meaning population health). We seek manuscripts focused on policy issues of interest to public health professionals, policymakers, program participants, advocates, and scholars. We are eager to publish new scientific results, but our primary interest is in presenting insightful and original papers that contain important discussions of and contributions to policy thinking for protecting or improving the health of populations around the world. Studies of the delivery, organization or financing of medical care are among priorities for publication in JPHP only if these are linked to the health of populations. Because public health is a diverse field, readability, general interest, and utility for our global readership are centrally important to us. We ask authors to be explicit about the policy implications of their work, and whenever possible, to point to lessons that may be of use in other countries or under other conditions. We also ask authors to avoid use of acronyms or references to programs, institutions, geography, or other features that may not be easily understood by readers from other parts of the world. As English is not the maternal language of many JPHP readers, we ask authors to avoid or explain terms or idioms likely to be difficult to understand.

We welcome short questions or inquiries about the appropriateness of manuscripts for JPHP. Please send these to the Editors at jphp@umb.edu.

Please ensure that you read the Format Instructions and Conditions of Submission below for more detailed information.

Please make sure you have read through these instructions carefully before beginning the submission process. To contact the Editors regarding a submission that is already in progress, simply click the "Send Manuscript Correspondence" link located under the "More Manuscript Info and Tools" header on the manuscript details screen.

Contents:

New Account Registration
Review Process
Preparing to Submit
Submission Process
Getting Help
Help Filling in Forms
Contact Editors
Login Help
Manuscript Status
Starting the Submission Process

New Account Registration

First time users: to register a new account, click the "New Users: Please Register Here" link on the home page. You will be asked to enter your Last Name, Email and Telephone Number so that the system may first determine if an account already exists for you. If the system determines you already have an account, your login name and a new, temporary password will be automatically emailed to you.

If the system does not find an existing account in the database, you will be directed to the registration screen where you can enter in your personal information and choose a login name and password. You may login immediately after creating your new account. You will also receive an email with your selected login information [from journals@ejpress.com].

Review Process

The manuscript submission and peer review process involves the following steps:

1. The Author submits a manuscript.
2. The Editors consider whether the manuscript is within the scope of interest, and decide whether or not to send it out for external review.
3. If the Editors determine the manuscript to be of potential interest they assign Reviewers.
4. The Reviewers review the manuscript.
5. The Editor drafts a decision to be sent to the Author.

Preparing to Submit

Before submitting a manuscript, please gather the following information:

• For All Authors
  • First and Last Names (please note, to ensure that we use the correct format of your name in correspondence and in preparation of manuscripts, please follow guidelines carefully)
  • Postal Addresses and E-mail addresses
• For Corresponding Author only: Work Telephone Numbers
• Title and Running Title (you can copy and paste this from your manuscript)
• Abstract and Keywords (you can copy and paste this from your manuscript)
• Word Count for Manuscript (including Text, Abstract, References, Tables etc)
• Manuscript files in Word (Please make sure the "Language" is "English (US)" via Tools->Language->Set Language).
• Manuscript files should not contain any author identifiable information as reviewers are not told authors’ names. Main manuscript files containing author identifiable details will be returned for correction.
• Full contact details should be included in a separate file as indicated on the submission page. Full contact details are only required for the corresponding author and should include a full postal address, telephone and fax numbers and an email address which will be used for sending article PDF proofs for checking once the manuscript has been processed by our production department. Please supply an affiliation for each author as this should appear on the title page of the published article. In the same file, include ‘About the Author’ biographies: these are required for each author of an article and should be fewer than 100 words per author. Edited versions of these will be printed at the end of the published article, before the References.
• Figures/Images should be in TIFF, GIF, JPG, PDF, Postscript, or EPS format.
• A cover letter to the editors (this provides an opportunity to explain the special contribution your submission can make to the literature).
• The text (starting with an abstract of no more than 150 words).
• And any charts, tables, graphics, etc.

Accuracy for manuscripts and supporting material is the responsibility of the author. The manuscript text must be spell checked and any technical material must be absolutely clear. These requirements apply to all stages of production.

Submission Process

The manuscript submission process requires four steps that gather detailed information about your manuscript and allow you to upload the associated files. The four steps of the submission process are:

1. General Information
   A long form asking for author, title, abstract, and file quantities. Note: at the bottom of this screen is a button allowing you to save what you've done and come back later. We recommend, however, that you try to submit your paper in one session if possible.

2. Upload Files
   A screen asking for the actual file locations (via an open file dialog). After completing this screen, your files will be uploaded to our server.

3. Receipt
   A completion screen that will provide you with a specific manuscript number for your manuscript.

4. Approve Manuscript Files
   An approval screen that will allow you to verify your manuscript has been uploaded and converted to PDF correctly.

After the manuscript is submitted, you will be taken to a page that will allow you to review your manuscript that has been converted to PDF. If the conversion is incorrect, you can replace or delete your manuscript files as necessary. After you have reviewed the converted files, you will need to click on "Approve Manuscript". This link will have a red arrow next to it. Throughout the system, red arrow reflect pending action items that you should address.

Getting Help

• Help Filling in Forms
  If you need additional help, you can click on the help signs spread throughout the system. A help dialog will pop up with information to help you enter the information we are looking for – with guidance specific to each location on the form.

• Contact Editors
  You may contact the Editors at any time by clicking the "Send Manuscript Correspondence" link under the "More Manuscript Info and Tools" header on the manuscript details screen.

• Login Help
  If you have forgotten or do not know your login name or password, simply click the "Unknown/Forgotten Password" link on the home page. You will be asked to enter either your Login Name or your First and Last Name. If a single account can be found in the database, the system will automatically and instantly send you an email with your login name and a new, temporary password. If a single account cannot be identified from the information provided, you will need to contact the Journal Staff to reset your password for you.

Manuscript Status

After you approve your manuscript, the submission process is complete. You may check the status of your manuscript via:

1. Logging into the system with your password.
2. Clicking on the link represented by your manuscript tracking number and abbreviated title.
3. Clicking on the "Check Status" link at the bottom of the displayed page.

This procedure will display detailed tracking information about where your manuscript is in the submission/peer review process.

Starting the Submission Process

The manuscript submission process starts by pressing the "Submit Manuscript" link on your "Home" page after you have logged into the system. Please make sure you have gathered all the required manuscript information listed above BEFORE starting the submission process.

 

Format Instructions and Conditions of Submission

When reviewing manuscripts, the Editors need to know that they:

• are original;
• are not under consideration by any other publisher;
• have not been previously published in whole or in part;
• have not been previously accepted for publication;
• have not been previously reviewed by the Journal of Public Health Policy;

The author agrees that none of the material will be submitted elsewhere until a decision is reached regarding its publication in the Journal of Public Health Policy. Publication of parts of a manuscript elsewhere may not preclude publication in JPHP, but all relevant information must be disclosed to the Editors as authors upload submissions. As the Editors will decide if related publications amount to “duplicate publication” or not, full disclosure by authors of previous or concurrent publication of any similar or related material elsewhere, as well as of partial or complete previous publication, is always required. Authors should always check the box indicating any related publication, then disclose the details.Any prior publication of the data, analysis or argument featured in the manuscript should be explicitly acknowledged as you complete screen 1 of the online submission process. (Any forthcoming or 'in press' articles which use the data should be forwarded immediately to the Editors.)

Manuscript format and style guide
When the Editors send manuscripts for external review, they are double-blind reviewed. Thus, please ensure that no authors names are given on the first page of the manuscript and that author names have been taken out of the "File-Properties" screen in Word.

All manuscripts should be double-spaced. Margins should be one inch (2.5cm) at the top, bottom and sides of the page. Font size should be 12 point or larger. We ask that submissions be limited to 4000 words of text, unless an exception has been granted based on discussion with the Editors in advance of submission. Please contact the Editors at jphp@umb.edu. We give preference to shorter pieces and will return to the authors any submission exceeding the word limit, if the Editors have not explicitly granted an exception.

In general, the Editors solicit commentaries, book reviews, and other feature articles. We do, however, welcome written inquiries about material that might be appropriate for the Journal. Please contact the Editors at jphp@umb.edu. We welcome short, unsolicited letters to consider for publication.

Title page
As the online submission system captures author names and contact details, the title page should list ONLY the title of the article and suggestions for a short running title of no more than 40 characters (including spaces). Titles should be short, and abstracts should be informative for non-specialists.

Abstract
Authors are asked to supply an unstructured summary, or abstract of no more than 150 words. Abstracts should be informative for non-specialists. Please be sure that the abstract page does not contain any information identifying the author(s). Also, please take care to create a title and an abstract that are direct and 'reader-friendly'.

Keywords
Include three to six keywords that describe your paper for indexing and web searching of your manuscript.

Author biographical information
So JPHP may publish a short biographical note about each author, please upload a separate Author Contact biographical information file containing contact information and 2-3 short sentences (maximum) about each author.

Active Not Passive Voice
Our readers want to know and therefore, JPHP style requires that authors, throughout the article, including the abstract, tell who has made decisions or taken actions by using the active voice (“The research team decided” or “The Department of Health implemented…”), and avoiding the passive voice (“It was decided…” or “The policy was implemented…). Be sure to state by whom any action was taken or decision made.

Text
The introduction should state clearly the objective of the paper as well as the context of the research or analysis. A literature review should inform readers where the JPHP author's new material fits in the evolution of the topic being addressed. The conclusion should summarize key findings and state their importance to the field, including implications for policy or future research. Endnotes must provide the references crucial for placing the new contribution in the field, but should not include any that are not essential for that purpose. All endnotes and references should be placed at the end of the manuscript in endnotes in the form specified below. Substantive comments, including references to “personal communications” or other items that do not fit within the reference style noted below should be integrated within the text. No substantive information should be included in the references or as independent endnotes. JPHP does not use footnotes for references or for substantive notes. Please avoid using acronyms and abbreviations unless they are very commonly in use internationally (e.g. WHO).

Acknowledgements
JPHP encourages contributions short of authorship (for example, by editors, mentors, translators, or other colleagues) and requests authors to acknowledge each individual and the contribution made.

References
The citations should follow the Vancouver system, marked by a superscript number, closed up to the preceding text, but outside any punctuation that is part of the surrounding sentence. Pairs of citations should be separated with an unspaced comma, thus,1,2 and ranges of citations with an en rule, thus.^3–5

Personal communications should be listed as such where they are cited in the text, and not listed in the references.

Example:
Since Paterson (1983) has shown that… This is in results attained later (Kramer, 1984). Results have been reported (Don Graham, 1989, personal communication).

Articles not yet published should show ‘forthcoming’ in place of the year (in both the reference and the citation). ‘In press’ should be used in place of the volume, issue and page range details.

Example:
Sharp Parker, A.M. (forthcoming) Cyberterrorism: An examination of the preparedness of the North Carolina local law enforcement. Security Journal, in press.

List of references

References are placed in alphabetical order of authors. Examples of correct forms of references for alphabetical style:

Book

Slovic, P. (2000) The Perception of Risk. London: Earthscan Publications.

Edited volume

Nye Jr, J.S., Zelikow, P.D. and King D.C. (eds.) (1997) Why People Don’t Trust Government. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Chapter in book

Flora, P. and Alber, J. (1981) Modernization, democratization, and the development of the welfare state. In: P. Flora and A.J. Heidenheimer (eds.) The Development of Welfare States in Europe and America. New Brunswick and London: Transaction Books, pp. 17–34.

Article in journal

Thompson, K., Griffith, E. and Leaf, P. (1990) A historical review of the Madison model of community care. Hospital and Community Psychiatry 41(6): 21–35.

Article in newspaper

Webster, B. (2008) Record bonus for Network Rail chief, despite Christmas chaos. The Times, 6 June: p1.

Newspaper or magazine article (without a named author)

Economist (2005) The mountain man and the surgeon. 24 December, pp. 24–26.

Article online

Gardener, T. and Moffatt, J. (2007) Changing behaviours in defence acquisition: a game theory approach. Journal of the Operational Research Society, advance online publication 28 November, doi: 10.1057/palgrave.jors.2602476.

Other online resource

Green Party. (2005) Greens call for attack on asylum ‘push factors’. Green Party report, 4 March, http://www.greenparty.org.uk/index.php?nav=new&n=1838, accessed 9 March 2005.

Conference proceedings

Sapin, A. (ed.) (1985) Health and the Environment. Proceedings of the Conference on Biological Monitoring Methods for Industrial Chemicals; 30–31 March 1984, Chicago, IL. Chicago: American Toxological Association.

Conference paper

Harley, N.H. (1981) Radon risk models. In: A.R. Knight and B. Harrad, (eds.) Indoor Air and Human Health. Proceedings of the Seventh Life Sciences Symposium; 29–31 October, Knoxville, TN. Amsterdam: Elsevier, pp.69–78.

Papers/talks presented at a conference but not published

Martin, S. (2003) An exploration of factors which have an impact on the vocal performance and vocal effectiveness of newly qualified teachers and lecturers. Paper presented at the Pan European Voice Conference; 31 August, Graz, Austria.

Dissertation/thesis

Young, W.R. (1981) Effects of different tree species on soil properties in central New York. MSc thesis, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.

Research papers/reports/working papers

Bloom., G. et al (2005) Poverty Reduction During Democratic Transition: The Malawi Social Action Fund 1996-2001. Brighton, UK: Institute of Development Studies. IDS Research Report no. 56.

Mimeo

Bond, S. A., Hwang, S., Lin, Z. and Vandell, K. (2005) Marketing Period Risk in a Portfolio Context: Theory and Empirical Estimates from the UK Commercial Real Estate Market. Cambridge, UK: Department of Land Economy, University of Cambridge (mimeo).

Speech

Blair, A. (2003) Britain in the World. Speech to FCO Leadership Conference. London, 7 January.

Figures and tables
Ensure that every table or figure is referred to in the text. The table or figure will be placed after the first mention in the text. Legends should be short, descriptive and define any acronyms, abbreviations or symbols used.

Figures
Figures should be submitted electronically as TIFF or JPEG files at a minimum resolution of 300 dpi and preferably in black and white. Number figures with Arabic numerals in order of appearance.

Tables
Tables should be submitted in their original Word format. Number each table consecutively with Arabic numerals in order of appearance. Avoid using vertical rules. Horizontal rules should be used only above and below column headings and at the bottom of the table.

Copyright
To enable the Publisher to protect the copyright of the journal, authors must assign copyright in their manuscripts to Palgrave Macmillan. If you are unable to assign copyright, we will ask you to sign license to publish instead. Upon submission, authors must confirm that the article is orginal, is not under consideration by another journal, has not previously been published elsewhere, that its content has not been anticipated by previous publication and should disclose to Editors any possible ambiguities as noted above.

Proofs and offprints
Following acceptance, the corresponding author will be sent an email with a link to a PDF file of their typeset article proof, which must be carefully checked and returned. The publisher will also provide an offprint order form with these proofs. Charges for reprints ordered at a later date are necessarily higher.

Supply of PDF
Corresponding authors will receive a PDF offprint of their article once published. This PDF offprint is provided for personal use. It is the responsibility of the corresponding author to pass the PDF offprint onto co-authors (if relevant) and ensure that they are aware of the conditions pertaining to its use.

The PDF must not be placed on a publicly-available website for general viewing, or otherwise distributed without seeking our permission, as this would contravene our copyright policy and potentially damage the journal's circulation. Please visit http://www.palgrave-journals.com/pal/authors/rights_and_permissions.html to see our latest copyright policy.

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