Instructions for Authors

  1. About the Journal

Advances in Global Health & Epidemiology is an international, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to improving population health through rigorous epidemiologic research and evidence-based public health practice.

The journal focuses on the distribution, determinants, prevention and control of disease across diverse global settings, with particular emphasis on health equity, vulnerable populations and research aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It aims to bridge research and practice, inform decision-making and support sustainable, data-driven solutions to global health challenges.

  1. Aims & Scope

2.1 Scope

The journal welcomes work that advances knowledge in areas including:

  • Epidemiology
  • Infectious diseases
  • Non-communicable diseases (NCDs)
  • Global health and health equity
  • One Health (human–animal–environment interface)
  • Health economics and health systems
  • Maternal, neonatal, child and adolescent health
  • Environmental and occupational health
  • Implementation science and program evaluation
  • Methodological advances in epidemiologic design and analysis
  • Research addressing SDG-related health targets

2.2 Article categories

We publish:

  • Original research
  • Review articles
  • Letter to the editor

Other article types (editorials, perspectives, case reports, etc.) are also considered as described below when they clearly contribute to global health and epidemiologic practice.

  1. Article Types

Word limits do not include abstract, references, tables or figure legends unless otherwise specified.

3.1 Original Research Article

Reports original, hypothesis-driven or hypothesis-generating research in global health and epidemiology.

  • Maximum words: 3,000
  • Tables and figures: up to 5 in total
  • References: up to 40

A typical structure includes: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions, Acknowledgements, Funding, Conflicts of Interest, Data Availability.

3.2 Review Article

Narrative, scoping or systematic reviews on topics relevant to global health and epidemiology. Methodological transparency (for example search strategy and inclusion criteria) is essential, particularly for systematic reviews.

  • Maximum words: 4,000
  • Tables and figures: up to 5
  • References: up to 100

Reviews that synthesize evidence across regions or income settings, highlight implications for policy and practice and identify gaps and research priorities are particularly encouraged.

3.3 Editorial

Short commentaries that provide critical analysis of an article published in Advances in Global Health & Epidemiology or highlight emerging issues, controversies or policy implications.

  • Maximum words: 1,000
  • Tables and figures: up to 1
  • References: up to 10

Editorials are usually invited but unsolicited submissions may be considered.

3.4 Letter to the Editor

Brief communications that comment on papers recently published in Advances in Global Health & Epidemiology or provide concise observations, clarifications or alternative viewpoints related to previously published material.

  • Maximum words: 1,000
  • Tables and figures: up to 1
  • References: up to 5

Letters should generally be submitted within a reasonable time frame after publication of the article being discussed.

  1. Peer Review Policy

The journal uses a single-anonymized peer review process.

  1. All submissions are first assessed by the editorial team for scope, originality and basic scientific quality.
  2. Suitable manuscripts are sent to at least two independent expert reviewers.
  3. Editors make the final decision (accept, revise, reject) based on reviewers’ comments and their own assessment.

Editors do not handle manuscripts when:

  • They are authors or co-authors
  • The manuscript originates from their institution, close collaborators or family members
  • A conflict of interest exists or could reasonably be perceived

In such cases, handling is delegated to an independent editor.

Authors may submit a reasoned appeal against a decision, addressing reviewers’ and editors’ comments. Only one appeal per manuscript will be considered, and the appeal decision is final.

Special issues and thematic collections follow the same peer review standards. Guest editors may recommend decisions, but final responsibility rests with the journal’s editorial leadership.

  1. Ethics and Publication Policies

5.1 Submission Declaration

By submitting a manuscript, authors confirm that:

  • The work is original and has not been published previously, except as a preprint, abstract, thesis or lecture.
  • The manuscript is not under consideration elsewhere.
  • All authors have approved the submitted version and agree with its submission.
  • If accepted, the work will not be published elsewhere in the same form or language without written permission from the journal.

The journal may use plagiarism detection and other screening tools to verify compliance.

5.2 Authorship and Contributorship

All listed authors must have made substantial contributions to all of the following:

  • Conception and design of the study, or acquisition, analysis or interpretation of data
  • Drafting the manuscript or revising it critically for important intellectual content
  • Final approval of the version to be submitted and published

A corresponding author must be designated for all communication with the journal.

All authors share responsibility for the integrity of the work and must be prepared to respond to questions about any aspect of the manuscript.

5.3 Changes to Authorship

Authors should establish the author list and order before submission.

  • Any request to add, remove or rearrange authors should be made before acceptance.
  • Requests must be made by the corresponding author and include written agreement from all authors (including those being added or removed).
  • Changes after acceptance will be considered only in exceptional circumstances and may require publication of a corrigendum.

Unauthorized authorship changes may result in rejection or retraction.

5.4 Declaration of Competing Interests

All authors must disclose any financial or personal relationships that could influence or appear to influence their work, for example:

  • Employment or consultancies
  • Stock ownership or options
  • Grants or other funding
  • Honoraria or paid expert testimony
  • Patent applications or registrations
  • Editorial or advisory roles at this or related journals

If there are no conflicts, authors should state this explicitly (for example, “The authors declare no competing interests.”).

5.5 Funding

Authors must clearly identify all sources of financial support for the research and/or article preparation, including grant numbers where applicable.

Example:

Funding: This work was supported by [Funder name] [grant number xxx] and [Funder name] [grant number yyy].

If there was no specific funding:

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

Where appropriate, authors should describe the role of funders in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation and decision to publish.

5.6 Use of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Tools

Authors may use generative AI and AI-assisted tools to support manuscript preparation (for example language editing, organization of content), but:

  • AI tools must not be listed as authors.
  • Authors remain fully responsible for the originality, accuracy and integrity of the manuscript.
  • All AI-generated material must be reviewed, checked and edited by the authors.
  • Any use of such tools in generating or editing text should be transparently declared in a dedicated statement near the end of the manuscript.

Example:

During the preparation of this work, the authors used [tool name, version] to improve language and readability. After using this tool, the authors reviewed and edited the content and take full responsibility for the content of the article.

Use of AI tools to generate or alter data, images or figures must be clearly described in the methods where it is part of the research process, and must never misrepresent or fabricate data.

  1. Research Involving Humans, Animals and Sensitive Data

6.1 Studies in Humans

For any research involving human participants, tissues or data, authors must:

  • Conduct the study according to recognized ethical principles such as the Declaration of Helsinki.
  • Obtain approval from an appropriate ethics committee or institutional review board and report the committee name, approval number and date in the Methods section.
  • Confirm that informed consent was obtained from participants or their legal representatives, and that privacy and confidentiality were protected.

Personal identifiers (for example names, initials, dates of birth) must not be included. Where case details, images or videos might identify individuals, written consent must be obtained and retained by the authors.

6.2 Inclusive and Respectful Language

Authors should use inclusive, non-stigmatizing language and avoid:

  • Bias or stereotypes based on gender, sex, race, ethnicity, culture, age, disability, sexual orientation or health status
  • Unnecessary descriptors of personal characteristics unless scientifically justified and relevant

Gender-neutral phrasing should be used where possible. Authors are encouraged to follow Sex and Gender Equity in Research (SAGER) principles when reporting sex and gender-related analyses.

  1. Manuscript Preparation

7.1 File Format and Layout

  • Submit manuscripts in an editable format such as .doc or .docx.
  • Use single-column layout, double spacing and number pages and lines.
  • Use a standard, readable font.
  • Use spelling and grammar checks prior to submission.

7.2 Title Page

Include:

  • Article title (concise, informative, minimal abbreviations)
  • Author names (given name, middle name (if any) and family name)
  • Affiliations (department, institution, city, country; email address)
  • Corresponding author details (name, email, full postal address)
  • Present or permanent address if different from the affiliation at the time of the study

7.3 Abstract

Provide an abstract of up to 250 words that:

  • States the purpose of the study
  • Summarizes key methods
  • Presents principal findings
  • Highlights main conclusions and implications

Avoid citations and non-standard abbreviations.

7.4 Keywords

Provide 1–7 keywords that reflect the main topics of the article. Avoid long phrases and use widely recognized terms where possible.

7.5 Highlights (Optional)

Authors may submit 3–5 bullet points, each up to 85 characters (including spaces), summarizing the novel findings or contributions of the paper.

7.6 Tables

  • Submit tables as editable text, not as images.
  • Number tables consecutively (Table 1, Table 2, etc.) in order of appearance in the text.
  • Provide a concise title and, where necessary, explanatory footnotes.
  • Avoid duplication of data already presented in the text or figures.

7.7 Figures and Images

  • Submit figures as separate files (for example TIFF, JPG, PNG, EPS, PDF) with sufficient resolution for publication (more than equal to 300 dpi).
  • Number figures consecutively (Figure 1, Figure 2, etc.).
  • Provide a separate list of figure captions explaining each figure and any symbols or abbreviations used.
  • Keep text within figures to a minimum.

Images must accurately represent the underlying data and must not be manipulated in a misleading way.

7.8 Supplementary Material

Supplementary files (for example additional tables or figures, appendices, questionnaires, extended methods) may be submitted if they are directly relevant.

  • Cite each supplementary file in the main text.
  • Provide clear and concise captions.
  • Be aware that supplementary materials will be published largely as supplied.
  1. Research Data and Data Sharing

The journal encourages sharing of data underlying published findings whenever ethically and legally feasible.

  • Data can be deposited in appropriate repositories and cited in the manuscript.
  • A data availability statement should be included, describing whether data are available, where they are located, or why they cannot be shared.

Examples:

Data availability: De-identified individual participant data and analysis code are available from [repository, DOI].

Data availability: Due to ethical and legal restrictions concerning participant privacy, data are not publicly available. De-identified data may be available from the corresponding author on reasonable request and subject to ethical approval.

  1. Article Structure

For Original Research, a standard structure is recommended:

  1. Introduction
  2. Methods
  3. Results
  4. Discussion
  5. Conclusions
  6. Acknowledgements
  7. Author Contributions
  8. Funding
  9. Conflicts of Interest
  10. Data Availability Statement
  11. References
  12. Appendices (if applicable)

Use numbered sections and clear headings and subheadings where appropriate.

  1. References
  • Use numbered citations in the text, in square brackets, for example [1], [2–4].
  • Number references in the order in which they appear in the text.
  • Ensure references are accurate and complete (authors, title, journal or book, year, volume, pages or article number and DOI where available).
  • Preprints central to the work may be cited and clearly identified as such.

A single specific reference style is not required at initial submission, but references must be consistent and contain all necessary information. The journal’s reference style will be applied after acceptance.

  1. Submission and Publication Process

11.1 Submission

Manuscripts should be submitted via the journal’s online submission system or as indicated on the journal website.

Before submission, ensure that:

  • All authors have approved the final version.
  • All required files are prepared (main text, title page, figures, tables, supplementary material, declarations).
  • Ethical approval and consent statements are included where needed.
  • Conflicts of interest and funding statements are clearly provided.

11.2 After Acceptance

After acceptance:

  • Page proofs will be sent to the corresponding author to check for typographical errors and minor corrections.
  • Once finalized, the article will be assigned an issue and published online.

Substantial changes at proof stage are discouraged and must be justified.

11.3 Sharing and Promoting Your Article

Authors are encouraged to:

  • Share the article  link through professional networks and institutional channels.
  • Promote their work responsibly, respecting licensing and copyright conditions.