Submissions

Author Guidelines

The editorial board welcomes contributions from undergraduate students undertaking course work in Health Studies. In particular, authors are encouraged to submit exceptional papers that started as course work but have been transformed for a wider audience and that address key health studies issues in the areas of health management, health informatics and health and social care policy.

The journal publishes the following types of submissions:

• Literature Reviews
• Conceptual Papers that explore ideas, trends and issues
• Findings of student-led research projects

When you submit an article, it implies that the work has not previously been published, it is not under consideration for publication at any other journal and all authors agree with the submission. Manuscripts should be submitted online.

The journal is completely online and manuscripts should be submitted using WS Word. The manuscript should not contain any identifying information (you name and all other information should not be contained in the word document).

Style:

• The journal uses APA 5th (or higher) and all submissions should conform to this style.
• Maximum length: 3000 words including endnotes and abstract, but excluding tables, figures and the reference list. Longer manuscripts will be processed only in exceptional cases.
• Format: Double-spaced using Microsoft Word, Times New Roman Typeface, and 12-point font. No more than 3 levels of headings.
• Abstract: an abstract of no more than 250 words must be included with the submitted manuscript.

Other suggestions:

• Avoid quotations
• Avoid asking questions in your paper
• Headings help readers follow the paper well. Ensure that there are headings in the paper!
• Include page numbers (top right hand corner according to the APA style)
• Make sure your references are indented
• Thesis should be very clear
• Your introduction should merely introduce the topic and state your thesis. It should not be very detailed.
• Your paper should not include personal opinions.
• Avoid repetition

Watch out for the following grammatical issues:

1. Run-on-sentence: A sentence should not include too many ideas. It is very difficult to read run-on-sentences.
2. Comma Splice: This is a very common mistake that students make.
3. Parallel construction:

   Ex: Bob like to skate and water skiing.

   It should be: Bob likes skating and skiing.

4. Avoid short choppy sentences
5. Subject-verb agreement: This is also a very common mistake that students make.

   Ex1: The first three weeks at university is the most difficult.

   In this case, we are referring to three weeks, not university as a subject. Therefore, the sentence should be: The first three weeks at university are the most difficult.

   Ex2: The use of appetite suppressants, while appealing to people who are trying to lose weight, are not as effective as exercise and diet control.

   The sentence should be: The use of appetite suppressants, while appealing to people who are trying to lose weight, is not as effective as exercise and diet control.

   We are referring to “use” not suppressants

6. Passive voice! Avoid using passive voice, and use active voice instead. Active voice sentence are considered more powerful.

   Ex of Passive voice: The cause of the cardiovascular diseases will be examined.

   Ex of Active voice: They examined the causes of cardiovascular diseases.

Note: Authors are free to retract their submission within 7 days of final acceptance of a submission by the journal's editors. Authors are free to refuse to change their work if they do not wish to do so, but in the event of a dispute regarding proposed changes to an author's work between a journal editor and author, the editorial board of Health Dialogue (HD) reserves the right to retract the acceptance of the work in question for the journal. If an author fails to meet a submission or editing deadline as set by HD, the editorial board reserves the right to refuse publication of that author's work. In the event of a retraction of acceptance or a refusal of publication, HD will notify the author by the contact methods provided by the author with his/her submission.

HD does not require authors of original research papers, reviews or articles to assign copyright of their published contributions. Authors grant the journal a license to publication, in return for which they can reuse their papers in their future printed work without first requiring permission from the publisher of the journal.

Peer Review Process

Upon submission, the article and abstract will be reviewed by the edirotial board for its relevance to the journal's aims and scope and conformity to its style guidelines. If the editors deem the article to be acceptable, it will then be sent to a minimum of two (2) anonymous peer/faculty reviewers (an upper-year Health Studies student and a faculty member from the School of Health Policy & Management) for review. Reviewers will comment on whether the paper should be rejected, revised, or, in extremely rare circumstances, accepted without further revisions.

Publication Frequency

Deadline for Submissions: Beginning of Jan 2014

Editorial Decision: Mid January

Section Editor Editing: January to February

Author Re-write: February to March

Review: April

Author Re-write: May

Publication: June