Aims 

JoHSCI aims to encourage and support novice and experienced students, practitioners and researchers to publish material that is engaged in bringing about improvements in health and social care policy, practice, research and education. It will also be of interest to anyone involved in the provision of health and social care programmes, the care of populations or communities, and those who contribute to health and social care systems and agendas in any way.

Scope

Published three times a year, the Journal considers submissions on any aspect of health and social care across all age groups and various settings. This is not an exhaustive list and the Editorial Board will consider articles on any issue relating to health and social care. These include:

The Editorial Board will consider the following types of submissions:  

• Original research papers: these will report the results of original research, including case studies, method papers, study protocol, practice, service evaluation and audits.

• Short communications: these include conference reports, pilot projects and undergraduate or postgraduate student research.

• Review articles: critical reviews on topics affecting health and social care are welcomed including literature reviews and book reviews.

• Opinion pieces/personal views:These are invited or uninvited commentaries on relevant topics that affect health and social care.

• Pre-prints: a journal article that is shared prior to peer review by a journal.

• Pre-registration: any part of a research that is conducted under open science processes

• Blog posts: an alternative format of sharing research, especially in the early stages of a project

• Creative pieces: alternative ways of communicating work, for example, posters, slides, poems, storyboards.

The Editorial Board will consider any types of submissions covered in the aims and scope section. The suggested length for the various pieces:

• Original research papers and Pre-prints: Up t0 8000 words with a structured Abstract of no more than 250 words.

• Short communications, Blog posts, Pre-registration: Up to 2,000 words with a structured Abstract of no more than 150 words. A maximum of 2 tables and figures.

• Review articles: Up to 6,000 words, with a structured Abstract of no more than 250 words.

• Opinion pieces/personal views and creative pieces: Up to 1,000 words.

 As an e-journal, JoHSCI can only accept material submitted as electronic files. Manuscripts should be prepared using Microsoft Word (file extension doc. or dox.) in a single-spaced format using Arial 12 point font. Margins should be 2.5 cm. There should be no other stylized text or graphics. All graphics and tables should be submitted separately. The text should indicate the best place for the images, tables and figures.

Structure

A full, but succinct (no more than 20 words) title should be provided together with a maximum of 8 keywords.

Research manuscripts should have a structured Abstract.

The use of bullet points and text boxes is encouraged as action indicators for readers.

Terms of reference, recommendations and suggested further reading are welcomed.

The Editorial Board will use their discretion in deciding on pieces that do not follow this format, but which meet the aims of the journal.

Tables and figures

Tables and figures should be numbered consecutively and submitted as separate documents. Please indicate in the text of the manuscript the approximate location for each table and figure, e.g., [locate Table 1 here]. Ensure that when files are viewed at 400% there is no blurring or pixelation.

References 

All manuscripts should be prepared using the Cite Them Right referencing style guide of the University of Wolverhampton relevant to the field and discipline. Authors are responsible for checking the accuracy and inclusion of all cited references.

Medicine names

Please use the generic name of medicines cited in the article. Brand names can be used but in parentheses following the generic name.

All submissions will be subject to open peer review processes. Authors are encouraged to respond openly to the peer review reports. Articles are accepted after passing a series of prepublication checks by the Editorial Board such as originality, readability, author eligibility, and compliance with JoHSCI Open Science, Research and Access policies and ethical guidelines.

Following the peer-review process, you might be sent an e-mail detailing the reviewers’ comments and informing you of the decision of the Editorial Board. Possible outcomes are:

• Publish outright with no corrections/amendments required
• Slight amendments by the Editors' approval
• Major revisions required by the author, subject to second peer-review
• Reject for the specific issue

Reasons for rejection may be that the subject of the submission does not fall within the remit of the Journal or that the content is deemed to be not appropriate for publication.

JoSCHI licenses all articles under  Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) For a detailed understanding please follow the link. Nothing in the copyright agreement is intended to restrict an author's and others’ rights and as such, authors and readers retain several rights. These are permitted without the need to obtain specific permission from the JHSCI Editor.

These include: 

• The right to share (copy, present, distribute) and adapt (remix, transform, build upon) the material in any format for non-commercial use
• You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use
• You must give appropriate credit (name, link) to the authors
• You must credit JoHSCI (name, link) as the original source of publication
• You must indicate any changes made to the original work
• You must provide a link to the copyright and public licence

Authors should include the following disclosure statements along with the text of their article:

• I/We confirm that my/our work is original, that I/we have not published this article previously and it is not under consideration by another journal
• I/We have consulted any co-authors and where I/we have used the work or words of others I/we have secured the necessary permission for use 

An author's disclosure statements also signify their agreement to the article’s storage electronically or digitally.

All submitted manuscripts must include the following author details on a separate page:

Name of author(s), qualifications, present post, name of organisation, faculty/institute/research centre/department, address for correspondence, email address, phone numbers. 

The corresponding author should be identified and must give an up-to-date email address.

Manuscripts should be sent as an email attachment to FEHWjhsci@wlv.ac.uk.  The receipt of your submission will be via email.

Please see other contact details on the Editorial Board page.