Author Guidelines

I. Article Types

II. Preparing the Manuscript

III. Peer-Review Process and Timeline

IV. Submitting Revisions

V. Proofs, Publication, and Advertising Policy

VI. Corrections, Retractions, and Editorial Expressions of Concern Policy

 I. Article Types

 

The Columbia University Journal of Global Health publishes the following article types: 

Articles will be published online on a continuous basis to ensure dissemination of timely, up-to-date information. However, manuscripts submitted after September 28th will be considered for the Spring issue, and manuscripts submitted after February 8th will be considered for the Fall issue. Please carefully review the article type specifications prior to submission. The word count excludes the title page, abstract, tables, acknowledgements, contributions and references. Manuscripts exceeding the word count limit will be considered at the discretion of the editor.

Original Research

Original research papers address specific questions and/or social phenomena of global health, as defined by Koplan et al., in-depth in a clear and articulate manner backed by research conducted by the authors.

Full research papers should have an appropriate structure with elements of abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, conclusion, references, and tables and figures all contained in the manuscript.

Research on human subjects must have been approved by the appropriate ethics committee and conformed to principles in the Declaration of Helsinki. An author’s statement acknowledging this must be included in the methods section.

Use of the Sex and Gender Equity in Research (SAGER) guidelines for reporting of sex and gender information in the research paper is encouraged. Omission of sex and/or gender information should be explained. 

SAGER: https://researchintegrityjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s41073-016-0007-6

Sex and gender reporting in global health: new editorial policies: https://gh.bmj.com/content/3/4/e001038

Authors must submit a cover letter along with their manuscript in their initial submission stating the title of the manuscript and the name of the authors, describing the rationale behind the study and major findings from the research, and explaining the significance of the study, including an explanation of what is already known, what are the new findings, and what the new findings imply.

 

Word count: up to 5000; not including title page, abstract, figures/tables, acknowledgments, contributions, or references

Requests to exceed our word count must be made to the editor prior to submission and will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Structured or unstructured abstract: up to 300 words; Structured abstracts should have the following structure: Introduction, Methods, Results, Conclusion

Figures/Tables: up to 5

References: up to 100

 

Reviews

Review papers discuss topical issues in global health, analyzing new or existing data or the extant literature. They should be engaging and impartial in evaluating data, with a clear argument and meaningful conclusion.

Authors should tailor their article for a broad and general audience with the goal of introducing a topic or field and perspectives at the prevailing edge of research. Authors should avoid jargon and explain any terminology as needed.

Review papers should have an introduction and conclusion, with thematic headings in between the two. Authors should not use traditional research paper headings such as methods and results/findings.

Authors must complete a summary with 4 to 5 sentences of the main ideas in their review.

 

Word count: up to 5000; not including title page, abstract, figures/tables, acknowledgments, contributions, or references

Requests to exceed our word count must be made to the editor prior to submission and will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Unstructured abstract: up to 300 words

Figures/Tables/Illustrations: up to 5

References: up to 100

 

Field Notes

Field Notes papers detail a field experience specific to a certain setting and may include novel data. They should be written in an engaging style with a clearly outlined problem, discuss how one might address similar problems elsewhere, and have a meaningful conclusion.

Authors should tailor their article for a broad and general audience. Authors should avoid jargon and explain any terminology as needed.

Authors must complete a summary with 3 to 5 sentences of the main ideas in their review.

 

Word count: up to 3000; not including title page, abstract, figures/tables, acknowledgments, contributions, or references.

Requests to exceed our word count must be made to the editor prior to submission and will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Unstructured abstract: up to 300 words

Figures/Tables/Illustrations: up to 5

References: up to 50

Perspectives

Perspectives papers are opinion-based essays that address a large issue or topic in global health, especially in the frame of policy decisions or a specific setting. Perspectives papers make a strong, well-argued point that is compelling and insightful.

Authors should tailor their article for a broad and general audience. Authors should avoid jargon and explain any terminology as needed.

If authors choose to use headings, there should be an introduction and conclusion, with thematic headings throughout the body.

Authors must complete a summary with 3 to 5 sentences of the main ideas in their review.

 

Word count: up to 2000; not including title page, figures/tables, acknowledgments, contributions, or references.

Requests to exceed our word count must be made to the editor prior to submission and will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Figures/Tables/Illustrations: up to 3

References: up to 20

 II. Preparing the Manuscript

 

Authors must submit the following as separate documents in their initial submission: Cover Letter, Title Page, Anonymous Manuscript, Figures and Tables, Supplementary Information (if applicable), Conflicts of Interest Disclosure.

  •  Cover Letter
    • The cover page is a single-spaced, one-page letter addressed to the current journal editor(s) submitted along with the initial manuscript that contains the following information:
      • Title of the manuscript
      • Rationale, major findings, and significance of the study
      • Corresponding author name, affiliation, email address, mailing address, and phone number
      • Assurances that all authors agree with the content of the manuscript and with the order of authorship
      • Assurances that the corresponding author will take responsibility for informing coauthors of editorial decisions, reviews received, and any changes or revisions made
      • Notice of any conflicts of interest or activities that might be seen as influencing the research
    • Authors may suggest up to 5 reviewers in the "Comments for the Editor" section of the submission form.

 

  • Title Page
    • Manuscript Title
    • Full Author Names & Titles (highest academic degree, professional designation only)
      • Authors must all fulfill the following criteria: 1) contributed to concept, design, or analysis and interpretation of the data, 2) drafted or critically revised the manuscript for important intellectual content, and 3) approved the final version
      • Note: In the "Enter Metadata" section of the submission form, all authors must be added as contributors with all necessary information entered including name, email, country, affiliation, suffix, and contributor role. Other blanks are optional.
    • Academic Affiliation: department, city, state/province, country.
    • Corresponding author information must have full name, postal address, and email address.
      • Please indicate the corresponding author also in the "Enter Metadata" section of the submission form.
    • Funding Sources: If none, write “No funding.”
    • Conflict of Interests: If none, write “The authors have no conflicts of interest.”
    • Disclose any previous presentation of the underlying manuscript content
    • Ethical Approval: Include IRB/Ethical Board approval and protocol number
    • Author Contributions: Must be formatted according to CRediT Taxonomy.
    • Acknowledgments (optional)
    • Wordcount (excluding title page, abstract, references, and figures)

 

  • Anonymous Manuscript
    • Formatting and Style
      • Submit manuscripts in double-spaced, size 12, Times New Roman font in Microsoft Word format (.doc or .docx only).
      • Include continuous line numbers on the left side of the page. Tutorial here.
      • Acronyms and abbreviations must be explained when first used, and should be standard. Drugs should be referenced by their approved generic name and any brands should be capitalized.
      • Ensure the anonymous manuscript is appropriately anonymized. Guidelines for removing identifying information may be found here.
      • The following hierarchy should be followed: BOLD CAPS > bold lower case > Plain text > Italics for main text headings and sub-headings.
    • Abstract
      • Manuscript title
      • Structured or unstructured abstract according to article type guidelines.
      • 3-5 keywords
        • Note: Keywords must also be inputted in the "Enter Metadata" portion of the submission form.
    • Text
      • Research manuscripts (original research and Field Notes) contain the following sections in order: Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion (optional).
      • Literature reviews contain an Abstract, Introduction, Literature Review sections with thematic headings, and Conclusion.
      • Perspectives contain an Introduction, Body with thematic headings, and Conclusion.
      • References must be numbered sequentially as they appear in the text. References cited in figures or tables should appear at the end of the reference list to avoid any difficulties if figures are moved around during the editing process. Reference numbers should be inserted immediately after punctuation with no word spacing. For example:

        Correct: This…..idea[2].

        Incorrect: This...idea [2].

        Citations with multiple references should be separated by a comma. References with consecutive numbers should contain the first and last number separated by a hyphen.

        Multiple references: [1, 3, 7]

        Consecutive references: [1-7]

    • References
      • List References sequentially in standard format starting on a separate page after the manuscript.
      • References must be in APA style.
      • Authors are held responsible for the accuracy of their references. References should be checked before the submission of the manuscript.
      • Only published or in-press papers should be in the reference list. Any personal communications or unpublished data should be cited in parenthesis in the text with the source name(s) and year.  Citing unpublished data should be with permission from the source.
      • List all authors with last name and first (and middle, if included) initials. Use only one space between words up to the year. Italicize the journal title and abbreviate it according to Medline. See here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nlmcatalog/journals

        If the journal is not listed there, write out its full name. DOI should be included in the citation if possible.

        Example references:

        Journal article: Zyra JM, Ryze R, Teem OV, Jinx A. Measuring brain injury: effects of online platforms. Riot Prev  2020;5:135-45 doi:#######.

        Electronic journal article: Zyra JM, Ryze R, Teem OV, Jinx A. Measuring brain injury: effects of online platforms. Riot Prev  2020 Jan-Mar;1(3). Link to article (accessed 9 April 2020). doi:#######.

  • Figures and Tables
    • Figures and Tables must be initially submitted as a single PDF file with legends below each figure or table and cited within the main text in numerical order. Authors should submit only one figure per page.
    • In proofs, authors will be expected to submit figures/tables as seperate files in lossless formats (TIFF, PNG, or PDF) with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi. Line art should be at least 1200 dpi.
    • Figures consisting of multiple parts must be submitted as a single image.
    • If figures do not meet our standards authors will be asked to resubmit them.
  • Supplementary Materials
    • Additional figures and tables, methods, or raw data may be published within this section and should be submitted as a single PDF file. Note that supplementary materials will not be copy-edited or typeset and will published as is.
  • Conflicts of Interest Disclosure
    • Authors are asked to fill out, sign, and submit the ICJME Conflicts of Interest form which may be downloaded here. Furthemore information may be found at the ICMJE website.
  • Human Subjects Research & Informed Consent
    • Authors must confirm that written informed consent was obtained from all participants (or their guardians) where identifiable information is used, such as photographs, case reports, or personal data. The journal reserves the right to request copies of ethics approval or consent documentation for verification. Research involving human participants must comply with ethical standards established in the Declaration of Helsinki and applicable institutional or national ethics review boards. Manuscripts must include a statement in the Methods section confirming that ethics committee or institutional review board (IRB) approval was obtained, including the committee name and approval number.
  • Animal Research Ethics

    • For studies involving animal experimentation, authors must confirm that research followed institutional, national, or international guidelines for the ethical treatment of animals (e.g., NIH Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, ARRIVE Guidelines, or EU Directive 2010/63/EU). Manuscripts must include the name of the ethical review committee approving the study and the approval reference number. The journal encourages authors to follow the ARRIVE guidelines for transparent reporting of animal research.

  • Data Sharing Guidelines: The Journal of Global Health supports transparency, reproducibility, and open science. Authors must include a Data Availability Statement describing where and how data supporting the results of the study can be accessed.

    Acceptable statements include:

    • “All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article [and/or] its supplementary information files.”

    • “The datasets generated during the current study are available in [repository name], [persistent identifier or link].”

    • “Data are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.”

    If data cannot be shared (e.g., due to privacy or legal restrictions), authors must clearly state this and explain the reason.

III. Peer-Review Process and Timeline

  • Intial Decision - The Journal aims to provide an Editorial decision to reject or send out for review within two weeks of submission*
  • Review Time - The Journal aims to provide review comments within two months.
  • Resubmission - Authors will be given two weeks to revise and resubmit their manuscript.
  • Copyediting - The Journal will copy-edit and typeset the manuscript within a month of resubmission.
  • Proofs - Authors must approve of proofs after the manuscript is typest within one week of receipt.
  • Publication - Once proofs have been approved, the manuscript will be scheduled for publication on our website.
  • Decision Categories:
    • Accepted - No changes are necessary beyond copy editing and corrections and is ready for publication by the Journal.
    • Minor Revisions - Significant revisions, as suggested by reviewers/editors are necessary before further consideration.
    • Major Revisions - Serious flaws/issues must be addressed, and additional information must be provided before further consideration.
    • Rejected - The editors and/or reviewers believe any flaws/issues in the manuscript cannot be corrected, and the manuscript is not suitable for publication by the Journal.
  • Appeals - Appeals submitted within two weeks of the Editorial decision with significant rationale for reconsideration will be assessed by the Editorial Board.

* The two week decision timeline is not applicable during the summer semester (May-August) when The Journal is not in session. 

IV. Submitting Revisions

 

  • Authors must submit a "Response to Reviewers" document formatted in MS Word itemizing all Author Responses to each Reviewer Suggestions for revisions, and any other changes.
  • To submit a revised manuscript, authors must submit the following documents separately and in this order:
    • Title page - same format as new manuscript submission
    • Main text (anonymous) - changes should be highlighted in yellow, including abstract, main text, references
    • Figures and Tables
    • Response to Reviewers
  • Revisions must be submitted by the date specified in the decision notification email. Failure to do so will result in the closing of this submission. Any further submissions will be evaluated as new submissions.

V. Proofs, Publication and Advertising Policy

 

  • After acceptance, proofs will be prepared for author review. No changes to the content are permitted. Authors should make any necessary corrections and respond to Author Queries from the editorial staff.
  • This is the final opportunity for authors to proofread/copy-edit the manuscript before its publication. No substantial content changes are allowed.
  • Any corrections must be submitted by the date specified to ensure timely publication.
  • The manuscript will be published on our website and possibly in a print issue.
  • Advertising Policy: The Columbia University Journal of Global Health does not accept or publish any form of commercial advertising, sponsored content, or promotional material. All editorial content is produced independently of any commercial or financial interests. This policy ensures that editorial decisions are made solely based on scientific merit and relevance, free from external influence. The journal may acknowledge institutional or grant support where appropriate, but such support does not influence editorial content or peer review.

VI. Corrections, Retractions, and Editorial Expressions of Concern Policy

  • The Columbia University Journal of Global Health follows the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines for handling errors and ethical concerns in published work.
  • Corrections: If a minor error (such as a typographical or factual error that does not affect the validity or interpretation of the results) is identified after publication, the journal will publish a correction notice linked to the original article. The correction will clearly describe the changes made and the reason for the correction.
  • Retractions: If an article is found to contain major errors or evidence of research misconduct (such as data fabrication, plagiarism, or unethical research), the journal will issue a retraction notice. Retractions are clearly labeled and remain publicly accessible with links to both the retracted article and the notice explaining the reason for retraction.
  • Editorial Expressions of Concern: If there is an unresolved concern about an article (for example, while an investigation is ongoing), the editors may publish an Editorial Expression of Concern to alert readers to potential issues. This notice will remain linked to the article until the matter is resolved, at which time it may be replaced by a correction or retraction as appropriate.