For Authors

Instructions for Authors

A working guide to preparing and submitting a manuscript to the Journal of Human Health Research (JHHR) — from checking fit through review, revision and publication.

These instructions are journal-specific. Ethical, legal and institutional obligations (IRB approval, local law, funder mandates) sit above them and are never replaced by them.

Before you write

Is JHHR right for your manuscript?

Confirm your manuscript falls within JHHR’s Aims & Scope before preparing a full submission — this is the fastest way to avoid a desk rejection on scope grounds. If you are responding to an open call, the Call for Papers lists the research areas currently welcomed.

The word limits, article types and requirements below apply to every submission regardless of topic.

Manuscript types

Categories & word limits

JHHR publishes five manuscript categories, each with its own limits.

Category	Word limit	Abstract	Figures/tables	References
Original Research	4,000–8,000	300 words (structured)	Up to 10	Up to 60
Review Article	6,000–12,000	350 words (structured)	Up to 15	Up to 150
Systematic Review	5,000–10,000	300 words (PRISMA)	Up to 8	Up to 100
Short Communication	2,000–3,000	200 words (unstructured)	Up to 4	Up to 25
Case Report	1,500–3,000	200 words (structured)	Up to 5	Up to 30

Requesting a length exception

These limits support clarity and an efficient review. If reducing your manuscript would compromise its scientific meaning or completeness, contact the Editorial Office at [email protected] before submission to request guidance on an exception.

Preparation

Manuscript structure

Original-research articles should follow this order.

Title page

Concise title; full author names, affiliations and corresponding-author contact; word count; article type; funding sources; conflict-of-interest declarations; 5–8 keywords aligned with MeSH terms.

Abstract

Structured — Background, Objective, Methods, Results, Conclusions. Should stand alone as a complete summary, including study design and key numerical findings.

Introduction

Background context, the research problem, relevant prior work, and the study’s objectives and hypotheses.

Methods

Study design, setting, participants (inclusion/exclusion criteria), data collection, outcome measures, statistical analysis plan, and ethical-approval information.

Results

Findings in the order set out in Methods, using tables and figures strategically. Report all pre-specified outcomes.

Discussion

Interpretation in context of existing literature; clinical implications, limitations and future directions. Avoid overstating conclusions.

Conclusions

Brief summary of key findings and their significance for human health.

Acknowledgments

Funding agencies and contributors who do not meet authorship criteria.

References

Vancouver style, complete bibliographic information, DOIs where available.

Human-health research

Health-research requirements

JHHR requires the following for health and medical research submissions. These support — they do not replace — your institution’s ethics committee, local law, or professional standards.

Ethical approval

IRB/ethics-committee approval statement, with approval numbers and institution names
Description of informed-consent procedures
IACUC approval for animal studies
Statement of compliance with the Declaration of Helsinki

Clinical trials

Prospective registration (ClinicalTrials.gov, ISRCTN, etc.)
Registration number stated in the abstract
CONSORT-guideline reporting
Participant-flow diagram; all pre-specified outcomes reported

Statistical requirements

Statistical methods described in sufficient detail
Confidence intervals and effect sizes reported
Analysis software named
Missing-data handling and sample-size justification addressed

Reporting guidelines by article type

RCTs → CONSORT Statement
Observational studies → STROBE Statement
Systematic reviews → PRISMA Statement
Case reports → CARE Guidelines
Qualitative research → COREQ Checklist

Presentation

Figures, tables & references

Figures & tables

Submit figures as separate high-resolution files (300 DPI minimum)
Use accessible colour palettes, considering colour-blind readers
Label all axes with units; give tables descriptive titles and define abbreviations in footnotes
De-identify images of patients, or include their written consent
Number figures and tables consecutively as cited in text

References (Vancouver style)

Number references consecutively in the order they appear in the text; use superscript numbers in-text; include DOIs where available.

Journal article: Smith AB, Jones CD, Wilson EF. Effects of exercise on cardiovascular health: a randomized trial. J Health Res. 2025;15(2):123-135. doi:10.1000/jhr.2025.0123
Book chapter: Johnson PR. Clinical research methods. In: Green M, editor. Health research handbook. New York: Academic Press; 2024. p. 45-72.
Website: World Health Organization. Global health statistics 2024 [Internet]. Geneva: WHO; 2024 [cited 2025 Jan 15]. Available from: https://www.who.int/data

Credit & accountability

Authorship & cover letter

Authorship (ICMJE criteria)

All listed authors must have made substantial contributions to conception/design or data acquisition/analysis; drafting or critically revising the manuscript; final approval; and agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work. Contributors who do not meet all criteria should be acknowledged rather than listed as authors. Authorship changes after submission require written confirmation from all authors.

Cover letter

Address the cover letter to the Editor-in-Chief. Briefly describe the study’s significance and key findings and why it suits JHHR; declare any prior publication or submission of related work; confirm the manuscript is original, not under consideration elsewhere, and approved by all authors.

Reproducibility

Data availability

JHHR encourages data sharing to promote reproducibility and transparency. Include a Data Availability Statement describing how readers can access the underlying data: a public repository (preferred for large datasets), supplementary files, availability upon reasonable request to the corresponding author, or not applicable for review articles without original data. For clinical data, balance transparency with patient-privacy requirements.

The process

Submission process

Prepare

Format the manuscript to these guidelines; prepare figures, tables and supplementary materials.

Register

Create an account on the ManuscriptZone submission portal if you do not already have one.

Upload

Submit the manuscript file, figures, supplementary files and a cover letter explaining significance and any prior submissions.

Review

Single-blind peer review (double-blind on request) by health-research specialists, typically 2–4 weeks. You receive reviewer comments and the editorial decision.

Revise

If revision is requested, address all reviewer feedback point-by-point with a response document.

Accept & pay

The Article Processing Charge is due only after the manuscript is formally accepted — never before.

Publish

The article is published online within 2 weeks of payment confirmation.

Public access & funder compliance

Some funders require public availability of your accepted manuscript (e.g. the 2024 NIH Public Access Policy, for manuscripts accepted on or after 1 July 2025). JHHR publishes the Version of Record under CC BY 4.0 and permits deposit of the Author Accepted Manuscript in funder-designated repositories, but does not itself deposit manuscripts in PubMed Central — authors are responsible for meeting their own funder’s requirements. Deposit in PubMed Central does not mean JHHR is indexed in MEDLINE or included in the PMC Journal List; current coverage is listed on Indexing.

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Ready to prepare your submission

Submit your manuscript

Once your manuscript follows the structure and requirements above, submit it through ManuscriptZone.

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