Editorial Goal

The editorial goal of the American Journal of Health Promotion is to provide a forum for exchange among the many disciplines involved in health promotion and an interface between researchers and practitioners. We also publish a newsletter called The Art of Health Promotion, which provides practical information to make programs more effective. The newsletter is published as a section of the American Journal of Health Promotion.

Definition of Health Promotion

We define health promotion as "the science and art of helping people change their lifestyle toward a state of optimal health." We define optimal health as "a balance of physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and intellectual health. Lifestyle change can be facilitated through a combination of strategies to enhance awareness, change behavior, and create environments that support good health practices. Of the three strategies, supportive environments will probably have the greatest impact on producing lasting change" (Am J Health Promot. 1989;3:3-5).

Readership

We have approximately 3000 subscribers and an additional 12,000 pass-along readers. On the basis of our reader surveys, approximately 72% of our readers have master's degrees and 25% have doctoral degrees. Approximately 60% are practitioners and 40% are academicians. Our aim is to publish a balanced collection of manuscripts, with about 50% being relevant to practitioners and 50% being relevant to academicians.

Editorial Scope

• Manuscripts can be full-length manuscripts or brief reports. Full-length manuscripts take the form of Quantitative Research, Qualitative Research, or Systematic Literature Reviews. Brief reports take the form of Current Issues and Trends or Applied Research Briefs. Articles are published in the following editorial areas:
   
• Interventions, including emotional health (which includes stress management), intellectual health (which includes mind-body health), physical health (which encompasses fitness, medical self-care, nutrition, smoking control, and weight control), social health, and spiritual health
   
• Strategies, including awareness programs, behavior change programs, and supportive environment programs such as culture change, health policy, and population health
   
• Applications, including employee assistance programs, health-promoting community design and programs for underserved populations
   
•  Research, including issues related to measurement, study design, analysis and sampling, and important results on financial analysis and return on investment

Presubmission Inquiry

Authors MUST submit a "Presubmission Inquiry" in the form of a structured abstract to the Editor, who will determine whether their manuscript fits the editorial scope of the Journal. Guidelines for preparing and submitting the structured abstract are provided at http://ajhp.allentrack.net (please note "www"is NOT used with this address). Structured abstracts should follow the parameters set out in those guidelines and should also be submitted to that website. Responses with a determination of appropriateness will normally be sent within 10 days.

Submission of Manuscripts to American Journal of Health Promotion

If the Editor determines that the manuscript fits the editorial scope of the Journal, authors will be sent instructions to submit the manuscript to the allentrack.net website.

Review Process and Criteria for Acceptance

Authors are encouraged to request copies of the Editorial Review Forms appropriate to their manuscript before preparing and submitting the manuscript. These are not published in the Journal but can be requested from the editorial office by e-mail (jrichmond@allenpress.com).

The initial review process normally takes 3 months. Reviews of subsequent revisions take about 2 months. Acknowledgment of articles received will be sent to authors after the editor has decided whether to send the manuscript out for review.

External reviews of all manuscripts, except Critical Issues and Trends, are blind and anonymous. Internal reviews of manuscripts by the Editor are not blind or anonymous. Manuscripts are reviewed by three reviewers who include a subject matter expert, a practitioner, and a research methodologist, as appropriate. Reviewers consider the following criteria: relevance and importance to practice or research, scientific quality, presentation quality, and conformity to format guidelines.

Manuscripts are reviewed with the understanding that they have not been previously published and are not under consideration by another publication.¹ A complete report after publication of preliminary findings elsewhere is normally acceptable. Copies of preliminary reports and duplicative materials published elsewhere or being considered by other publications should be submitted with the manuscript and referred to in the cover letter.

Authorship Requirements

Each author should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for appropriate portions of the content. One or more authors should take responsibility for the integrity of the work as a whole, from inception to published article. Authorship credit should be based only on (1) substantial contributions to conception and design, or acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data; and (2) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content; and (3) final approval of the version to be published. Conditions 1, 2, and 3 must all be met.² Authors are required to identify their contributions to the work described in the manuscript.

If authorship is attributed to a group (either solely or in addition to one or more individual authors), all members of the group must meet the full criteria and requirements for authorship as described above. A group must designate at least one or more individuals as authors or members of a writing group who meet full authorship criteria and requirements and who will take responsibility for the group. Other group members who are not authors may be listed in an Acknowledgment.²

Cover Letter

In a separate document, submit a cover letter that includes the following information:

• An explanation of how your paper is innovative, provocative, timely, and of interest to a broad audience.
   

• A list of any papers on related topics by any of the authors that have been published within the past year or that are in review or in press.
   

• For multi-authored papers, a statement that all the authors have made substantial contributions to (a) either conception and design or else analysis and interpretation of data and to (b) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content and on (c) final approval of the version to be published and agree to its submission.
   

• A statement of financial or other relationships that may lead to a conflict of interest. (Consult Section II.D of "Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals."¹)
   

• A statement that written permission was obtained from individuals cited in the Acknowledgments section, if appropriate (attach permission letters to your cover letter).
   

• A statement that, if your manuscript includes a personal communication, you have attached written permission to cite and confirmation of the accuracy of information from the source of the personal communication. (attach permission letters to your cover letter)

Format and Style of Manuscript

General Instructions

Manuscripts should be prepared in accordance with the American Medical Association Manual of Style³ and/or the "Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals."¹ Use the following guidelines when preparing your manuscript for submission. Refer also to the additional guidelines specific to each type of manuscript. These are described in the section titled "Instructions for Specific Types of Manuscripts."

Manuscript Submission Format

To facilitate the blind and anonymous review process, the submitted manuscript should include 2 separate files:  The manuscript and a separate title page. Submit the title page with the following information:

• Title of the article

• Running head containing not more than 50 characters (counting letters and spaces)

• For each author include:

  • First name, middle name or initial(s), and last name

  • Degree designations (e.g. MS, PhD)

  • Affiliation, including the department at the theme the work was done

  • Mailing address, work telephone and FAX numbers and email address

  • Acknowledgments (if any; it the article is accepted, acknowledgments will be put back into the manuscript in a position right before the References section)*

*The name(s) of author(s) and other listed in the acknowledgments should appear elsewhere in the manuscript.

    Title  of the article
    Outline
    Abstract or Synopsis
    Key Words
    Indexing Key Words
    Text
    SO WHAT? (if required)
    References
    Tables
    Figure Legends
    Figures (in separate files)

Outline

Prepare an outline of the manuscript, showing all main headings and subheadings. Show the word counts for the abstract and text (not including the references, tables, figures, and figure legends) at the bottom of the outline.

Abstract or Synopsis

The maximum number of words depends on the type of manuscript. (See "Instructions for Specific Types of Manuscripts" below.) Do not cite references in the abstract.

Key Words

Immediately below the abstract, provide 4 to 6 key words or short phrases. Whenever possible, use terms from the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) list of Index Medicus, which are available online (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/meshhome.html). The key words and indexing key words, described below, are shown beneath the abstract of the published article.

Indexing Key Words

The indexing key words are intended to help readers search editorial indexes of our published manuscripts more effectively. They must be included along with your manuscript submission. Please select the appropriate key word(s) for each of the 9 factors below. List these key words, including the category, at the bottom of your abstract in the order shown - e.g., "Manuscript format: research; Research purpose: program evaluation," etc.

1. Manuscript format: (editorial/commentary/concept, literature review, research)

For research articles

2. Research purpose: (instrument development, intervention testing/ program evaluation,
modeling/relationship testing, descriptive)
3. Study design: (randomized trial, quasi-experimental, non-experimental, qualitative,
content analysis)
4. Outcome measure: (cognitive, behavioral, biometric, morbidity, mortality,productivity, absenteeism, other financial/economic)

Content focus

5. Setting: (family, workplace, school, clinical/health care, local community,
state/national)
6. Health focus: (fitness/physical activity, intellectual health, medical self care, nutrition,
smoking control, social health, spiritual health, stress management, weight control)
7. Strategy: (education, skill building/behavior change, incentives, policy, culture change,
built environment)
8. Target population age: (youth, adults, seniors)
9. Target population circumstances (specify all that apply): education/ income level,
geographic location, and race/ethnicity

Text Format

Create the manuscript in Microsoft Word or save as a .doc file. Use 12-point Times New Roman font. The manuscript should be double-spaced with 1-inch margins on all sides. Leave the right-hand margin ragged (unjustified). Number pages in numerical order. Insert line numbers in the margin on the left-hand side of each page of the abstract and text. Line numbers are not required for references, tables, figures, or figure legends.

Ensure that main headings and subheadings correspond directly to headings in the outline. Report  p values as precisely as possible, rather than automatically rounding them to the 0.05 or 0.01 level.

Ethical Requirements

For experimental investigations of human subjects, state in the Methods section that an appropriate institutional review board approved the project.^3(p.140) For those investigators who do not have formal ethics review committees, the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki should be followed.⁴ For investigations of human subjects, state in the Sample part of the Methods section the manner in which informed consent was obtained from the study participants.

SO WHAT? (if required)

For Quantitative Research, Qualitative Research, and Systematic Literature Review manuscripts, prepare a four- to six-sentence summary of the significance of the study. The SO WHAT? section should succinctly and conservatively state the conclusions we can draw from your study or review. It should also state the implications of your conclusions for health promotion practitioners and/or researchers.

Acknowledgments (if applicable)

Written permission must be obtained from each person cited in the Acknowledgments section. Submit the permission letter(s) with your cover letter.

References

Authors are responsible for the accuracy of their references and for their correct citation in the text. Number references in the order in which they are cited in the text. Use superscript Arabic numerals when citing references. Begin the list of references on a separate page. References should be formatted in the American Medical Association (AMA) style. Give the complete URL and the date accessed when citing online addresses. Please also note the following:

• Authors who use automatic bibliographic software must convert the bibliographic software’s reference style to the Journal style and delete any embedded links between the citation numbers and the references
   
• For standard journal articles, list all authors up to 6; for 7 or more authors, list only the first 3 authors and add "et al."
   
• Abbreviate journal titles according to the Index Medicus style. Abbreviations for journal titles are available online (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/tsd/serials/lji.html).

Examples of reference style:
1. Shegog R, McAlister AL, Hu S, Ford KC, Meshack AF, Peters RJ. Use of interactive
health communication to affect smoking intentions in middle school students: a pilot test of the "Headbutt" risk assessment program. Am J Health Promot. 2005;19:334 - 338.
2. O'Donnell MP. Health Promotion in the Workplace. Albany, NY: Delmar; 2002.
3. Wilbur CS, Garner D. Marketing health to employees: the Johnson and Johnson Live for Life Program. In: Frederiksen LW, Soloman LJ, Brehony KA, eds. Marketing Health Behavior: Principles, Techniques, and Applications. New York: Plenum Press; 1984:137-163.
4. Lewis MA. The Prevalence of HIV and AIDS Workplace Policies [dissertation].
Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia: University of Newcastle; 1996.
5. US Bureau of the Census. American Fact Finder, 2000. Available at:
http://www.census.gov. Accessed March 24, 2002.

Manuscripts that have been accepted but not published may be included; in these cases, provide the journal name followed by "In press". Do not include "personal communications" in the list of references. Rather, insert them within the text, using the following style: A written survey was administered to adults by trained, college aged interviewers (Dr. Patrick O'Malley, personal communication, April 2005).

Tables and Figures

Up to six tables, figures, graphs, and illustrations are allowed. Refer to all tables, figures, graphs, and illustrations by number within the text (callouts) in the order which they appear, each type (tbles, figures, etc.) should start with number 1. For example:  "Smoking was...with different smokers (Table 1)" or Figure 1 illustrates the relationship between..." 

Include a list of all tables, figures, etc., along with captions or titles, at the end of the article after references tables.

Tables. Tables should supplement, not duplicate, the text. Prepare table files in Excel or Word format. Number tables in the order in which they are mentioned in the text. Place each table on a separate page and use appropriate orientation (portrait or landscape). Most tables can be included with the manuscript, but they need to be at the end of the references and before the lists(s) of tables, figures and figure captions, etc. Save large tables in separate files. Explain in footnotes all non-standard abbreviations used in each table. Indicate table footnotes with symbols, shown in the following order: *, †,‡,§, ׀,¶, #, **,†† , ‡‡, etc. When p values are reported, use the asterisk (*) for the p values and begin the list of footnotes with the "†" symbol.

Figures. Prepare figures in PDF, PPT, XLS, TIFF, JPEG, or DOC format. Consult the table below for guidance on minimum and ideal figure resolutions. Save each figure in a separate file (i.e., if there are 5 figures in the manuscript, 5 figure files should be submitted along with the text file). Place figure legends, double-spaced, at the end of the text file, after the tables; if there are no tables, the figure legends should follow the list of references.

* ppi indicates pixels per inch.

File Size

Files greater than 5 MB may cause problems for editors and reviewers. If any of your files are greater than 5 MB, please contact the AllenTrack support team (support@allentrack.net) before submitting your files.

Instructions for Specific Types of Manuscripts

Quantitative Research

Review Criteria. Quantitative research manuscripts are evaluated based on their relevance, the quality of the design and execution of the study, and the quality of the reporting of the study.
Abstract. Prepare an abstract of no more than 220 words. Divide the abstract into the following headings: Purpose, Design, Setting, Subjects, Intervention (if appropriate), Measures, Analysis, Results, Key Words and Indexing Key Words and Conclusion. Include sample sizes, response rate, statistical tests used, primary results in quantitative form, and critical limitations.
Length. Limit Quantitative Research articles to 12 to 18 double-spaced typed pages, or about 3000 to 4500 words. Avoid preparing articles longer than 5000 words, except in unusual situations.
Text Format. Include the following headings and subheadings: Purpose, Methods (Design, Sample, Measures, Intervention [if appropriate], and Analysis), Results, Discussion, and SO WHAT?

Qualitative Research

Review Criteria. Qualitative Research manuscripts are evaluated based on their relevance, the quality of the design and execution of the study, and the quality of the reporting of the study.
Abstract. Prepare an abstract of no more than 220 words. Divide the abstract into the following headings: Purpose, Approach or Design, Setting, Participants, Intervention (if appropriate), Method (data collection and analysis strategies), Results, and Conclusion, Key Words and Indexing Key Words. Include sample sizes, response rate, statistical tests used, primary results in quantitative form, and critical limitations.
Length. Limit Qualitative Research articles to 12 to 18 double-spaced typed pages, or about 3000 to 4500 words. Avoid preparing articles longer than 5000 words, except in unusual situations.
Text Format. Purpose, Approach or Design, Setting, Participants, Intervention (if appropriate), Method (data collection and analysis strategies), Results, Conclusion, and SO WHAT?

Systematic Literature Reviews

Review Criteria. Systematic Literature Review manuscripts are evaluated based on their relevance, scope and design of the review process, accuracy and astuteness in recognizing trends, and presentation quality of the review.
Abstract. Prepare an abstract of no more than 220 words. Divide the abstract into the following headings: Objective, Data Source, Study Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria, Data Extraction, Data Synthesis, Results, Conclusions, Key Words and Indexing Key Words, and SO WHAT?
Length. Limit review articles to 12 to 18 double-spaced typed pages, or about 3000 to 4500 words. Avoid preparing articles longer than 5000 words.
Text Format. Include the following headings and subheadings: Objective, Methods (Data Sources, Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria, Data Extraction, and Data Synthesis), Results, Conclusions, and SO WHAT?

Critical Issues and Trends

Types of Articles. Articles published in this section describe events and constructs that are having or will have a major impact on health promotion practice or research. Articles might describe important legislation, research breakthroughs, emerging trends, paradigm shifts, emerging policy, or a wide range of other topics.
Selection Criteria. The following criteria are considered in the review process: overall importance (A topic of critical importance to the field of health promotion is addressed; the topic is of interest to readers; and the author has sufficient credentials to be perceived as credible) and presentation quality (Length is within the Instructions to Authors guidelines; the writing is clear; the structure and organization are clear; and sufficient documentation of controversial claims is presented).
Synopsis. Prepare a synopsis of no more than 100 words.
Length. Limit manuscript length to no more than 1300 words.
Text Format. Any format can be used.
Note. The author’s identity for articles in this format is not blinded for the review process.

Applied Research Briefs

Types of Articles. Applied Research Briefs are designed to provide readers with pertinent research findings in a condensed format. These include original studies that are not appropriate for full-length manuscripts but that are relevant to the practice of health promotion. These articles highlight work that can influence how, where, when, what, and for whom health promotion services are provided. The study findings should be succinct and focused and provide a clear message about how they apply to the practitioner. The Applied Research Brief format is appropriate for studies that fall into the following categories: preliminary studies; simple comparisons between two or more program alternatives; and studies that have methodologic flaws, such as small sample sizes or lack of a control group, yet convey important findings.
Review Criteria. Brief reports undergo a review process similar to but less rigorous than that for Quantitative Research and Qualitative Research manuscripts. All external reviews are blind and anonymous. For acceptance, the manuscript should address an important issue, be of interest to practitioners, illustrate good research in a practice setting, clearly describe the implications of methodological limitations, be well written and presented, and be within length guidelines.
Abstract. Prepare an abstract of no more than 220 words. Divide the abstract into the following headings: Purpose, Design, Setting, Subjects, Intervention (if appropriate), Measures, Analysis, Results, and Conclusion, Key Words and Indexing Key Words. Include sample sizes, response rate, statistical tests used, primary results in quantitative form, and critical limitations.
Length. The manuscript should be no longer than 1800 words of text, plus no more than 10 references and two tables or illustrations.
Text Format. Include the following headings, subheadings, and word counts: Purpose (100 to 200 words), Methods (250 to 600 words: Design, Sample, Measures, Intervention [if appropriate], and Analysis), Results (250 to 550 words), and Discussion (250 to 450 words: Summary, Limitations, Significance).

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
References

1. International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Uniform Requirements for
Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals: Writing and Editing for Biomedical Publication. Updated October 2004. Available at: http://www.ICMJE.org. Accessed July 15, 2005.
2. Flanagin A, Fontanarosa PB, DeAngelis CD. Authorship for research groups. JAMA.
2002;288:3166–3168.
3. Iverson C, Flanagin A, Fontanarosa PB, et al. American Medical Association Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors. 9th ed. Baltimore, Md: Williams & Wilkins; 1998:28–51.
4. The World Medical Association, Inc. Declaration of Helsinki: Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects. Updated 2004. Available at: http://www.wma.net. Accessed July 15, 2005.

American Journal of Health Promotion Manuscript Checklist

Please submit this checklist with your manuscript and cover letter. A copy of this checklist can be downloaded from the AllenTrack website at http://ajhp.allentrack.net (please note “www” is NOT used with this address).

c The American Journal of Health Promotion is the only journal to which this manuscript (or one with essentially the same content) has been submitted.
c The attached manuscript is of the following type (check one):
____ Quantitative Research
____ Qualitative Research
____ Systematic Literature Review
____ Critical Issues and Trends
____ Applied Research Brief

c The cover letter contains the contact author’s name, mailing address, phone and fax numbers, and e-mail address; financial disclosure; and copyright statement.
c The title page shows the authors’ names, degrees, affiliations, mailing addresses, phone and fax numbers, e-mail addresses; disclaimer, if any; and a short running head.
c Abstract is formatted correctly and meets the word count requirement for this type of manuscript.
c Key Word list and Indexing Key Word list are included.
c All pages are double-spaced and numbered.
c A manuscript outline of main headings and subheadings is included.
c Abstract and text pages contain line numbers in the left-hand margin.
c SO WHAT? section included, if appropriate.
c Tables are typed on separate pages and numbered consecutively. Tables are cited in the text in chronological order (i.e., Table 1, Table 2, etc.).
c Figures are in separate files. Figures do not have embedded captions, even if they are graphs or line drawings.
c References are formatted according to the American Medical Association style and numbered.
c Copyright permission has been obtained for the use of tables, figures or illustrations. The written copyright permission for each table, figure and illustration is attached.