Before you submit
Submissions are made through the online submission system. Please read these guidelines and the journal policies first: manuscripts that do not follow them are returned before review.
Article types and limits
| Article type | Length (words) | Abstract | Tables and figures | References (max) | Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original research | 5,000 to 7,000 | 250 words | 6 tables and figures | 50 | Double-anonymous, at least 2 external reviewers |
| Systematic review | 6,000 to 8,000 | 300 words | 8 tables and figures | 80 | Double-anonymous, at least 2 external reviewers |
| Policy brief | 2,500 to 3,000 | 150 words | 3 tables and figures | 25 | Double-anonymous, at least 2 external reviewers |
Files
- Upload the manuscript as an editable Microsoft Word file (.doc or .docx).
- Also upload an anonymised copy with no author names, affiliations, acknowledgements or self-identifying references, and a separate title page with all author details. Remove document properties (author metadata) from the anonymised file.
- Upload figures as separate high-resolution files (at least 300 dpi, TIFF or PNG) as well as placing them in the text.
Page and text
- Times New Roman, 12 point, 1.5 line spacing, 2.54 cm (1 inch) margins.
- Page numbers at the bottom right; continuous line numbering throughout, so reviewers can point to exact lines.
Structure
- Title of no more than 15 words, an unstructured abstract covering objective, methods, key findings and conclusions, and 4 to 6 keywords.
- Research articles follow IMRaD: Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion, with limitations addressed explicitly in the Discussion.
- Back matter: funding, competing interests, data availability statement, CRediT author contributions, and references.
Tables, figures and equations
- Tables as editable Word tables (not images), placed after the paragraph where they are first cited, with horizontal borders only.
- Each figure labelled beneath the image, for example: Figure 1. Title explaining the data shown.
- Equations with the Word equation editor, numbered on the right for cross-reference.
References
- APA 7th edition. In the text: (Smith, 2026); (Smith & Jones, 2025); (Smith et al., 2024).
- Reference list in alphabetical order by first author surname, with an active DOI link (https://doi.org/...) wherever one exists.
- Works published in another language are cited with an English translation of the title and the original language noted, for example [in Spanish].
Declarations every submission needs
- Ethics approval: the committee name and approval number, or a statement that approval was not required
- Informed consent, where applicable
- Funding sources, including grant numbers
- Competing interests of every author
- Data availability statement
- Author contributions using the CRediT roles
- Any use of generative AI tools
Submission checklist
- All author names, institutional clues and file metadata are removed from the anonymised manuscript.
- The uncited similarity of the text is well below 15 percent.
- Continuous line numbering is switched on from the first page to the last.
- Ethics approval, informed consent, data availability and funding statements are included.
- Every reference that has a DOI ends with an active https://doi.org/ link.