The Australian Journal of Primary Health aims to provide its readers with information on issues influencing community health services and primary health care and on integrating theory and practice, utilising perspectives from a range of disciplines.
- Licence to publish
- Journal editorial policy
- Preparation of manuscripts
- Forum articles
- Research papers
- Practice and Innovation
- Letters
- Book reviews
- Language and style
- Title page
- Abstract
- Figures
- Tables
- Graphs
- Conflicts of Interest
- Acknowledgments
- References
- Abbreviations
- Peer review
- Page proofs
- Reprints
- Address for submissions
Licence to publish
For details regarding copyright, please see Copyright/Licence to Publish.
Journal editorial policy
Authors should obtain the appropriate clearances from their directors or supervisors before submission.
Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to use figures and tables previously published in other books or journals. It is also the reponsibility of the authors to check reproduced materials against the original for accuracy.
Preparation of manuscripts
All submissions should be accompanied by a covering letter telling us the names, institutional affiliations, addresses and contact numbers of the authors, in addition to a completed Licence to Publish form.
Submissions should be double-spaced with ample margins. Number all pages consecutively. Authors should retain one copy for their own reference.
Forum articles
Forum articles should address important policy, research, service delivery or practice issues that have wider application to primary and community health. They should present new ideas, proposals and analyses through scholarly argument drawing on the literature and previous literature as appropriate. Forum papers should not normally exceed 5000 words in length.
Research papers
Research papers should present new findings on issues in primary and community health. Topics may include services research, consumer research, policy analyses and clinical studies. A range of methodological approaches including qualitative research, time series designs, experimental studies and correlational designs are acceptable. Papers should include an abstract, up to six key words; introduction, methodology, results and discussion section. Research papers should not normally exceed 5000 words in length, including abstracts and references.
Practice and Innovation
Practice and Innovation papers are different from research papers in some important ways. First, they may be about learning from practice. In the Journal context this requires clarity about the problem addressed, the context in which the practice is located, and how particular projects or practices add to our knowledge of ways to solve the problem. Second, they may be about exploring evidence-based practice. This may mean either that practices emerge from relevant research or evaluation, or it may mean exploration of evidence to practice processes and actions in their own right.
Walter et al. (2003)* describe a taxonomy of interventions reported in the literature on evidence-based policy and practice. In the taxonomy there are six categories of activity: professional, financial, organisational, patient-oriented, structural and regulatory interventions. Some interventions were about publicising research with potential users, and others were about promoting uptake of research findings by users. Some promoted findings of particular research projects, others promoted user engagement with researchers and accumulated bodies of knowledge, while yet others promoted practices that required the acquisition of knowledge. For a more detailed discussion of these issues see the editorial in the November 2007 issue of the Journal.
*Walter, I., Nutley, S., & Davies, H. (2003). Developing a taxonomy of interventions used to increase the impact of research. Research Unit for Research Utilisation, Department of Management, University of St Andrews, St Andrews.
Practice and Innovation papers need to be carefully and systematically written in a style, and with a structure, that is accessible to readers and builds upon existing knowledge. Normally practice papers will not exceed 3500 words.
A typical structure for a practice paper is the following:
The structure of a research to practice paper, which addresses some of the issues described by Walter et al. (2003), may have a structure more like the following:
Letters
Letters should provide brief commentary on primary health policy, research and practice issues. They may include comments on articles published in the Journal. Letters should not exceed 600 words in length. Publication is at the discretion of the editors.
Book reviews
Book reviews should be between 1000-1500 words.
Language and style
Manuscripts should in general conform to the style outlined in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed. 2001). Spelling should conform to the Macquarie Dictionary.
As the journal is multidisciplinary the presentation of material should conform to the standard format according to the particular discipline. Other entries in the journal - reviews, editorials - are likely to require a different format. Please consult the editors for guidance.
Title page
The title page should include the manuscript title, names, institutional affiliations, and academic qualifications of authors (please give complete details including addresses).
Abstract
All long articles should include an abstract. The abstract should summarise the paper in 200 words or less. Abstracts can be reprinted in other publications and databases so that it is important to include the main purpose, content, and conclusions of the article.
Figures
Examine all figures carefully to ensure that the data are presented with the greatest possible clarity and help the reader to understand the text. Similarly, determine if a figure would communicate the information more effectively than narrative. Titles and captions of figures should be placed in the text and not in the figure. Figures may be from original artwork, photographs, graphs or charts. If the figures are to be reproduced from text books please supply original work or text-book.
Photographs will normally be converted to grey scale. On the back of each figure, clearly identify the top of the figure/photograph: include the figure number and name(s) of the author(s). Photographs which disclose their identity must be accompanied by signed permission.
Tables
Each table must be typewritten on a separate page, double spaced, numbered consecutively, and given a title. Tables should not duplicate information in the text. Be sure that each table is cited in the text. They should be simple without any distracting elements such as lines and shading. Use lines at top and bottom and below the heading row only. Do not use vertical lines or boxes. The table should have a title which should clearly describe what the table is about. Each column and row should have a heading. Abbreviations should be explained in a footnote.
Graphs
Graphs should be simple. Every line should have a purpose and should be part of the message of the graph. Do not use three-dimensional boxes or unnecessary shading. If you need to distinguish columns in a histogram, use a pattern rather than a colour or shading. Graphs need a figure legend (which should include all explanatory text: that is, avoid displaying stray text on the graph itself), and both axes should be labelled. Make sure that text on the graph is large enough to be legible when the graph is reduced to the size of a column (8 cm wide).
If material is presented in a table or graph, there is no need to repeat it in the text.
Conflicts of Interest
Under a subheading ´Conflicts of Interest´ at the end of the text all authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with organisations or people that could inappropriately influence their work. If there are no conflicts of interest, authors should state that none exist.
Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments should be typed on a separate page, following the text. Where appropriate give credit to grantors, sponsors, technical assistants, and professional colleagues.
References
References should conform to APA style guide, Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th edn. 2001). Please refer to earlier editions of the Journal, or please contact the editor for referencing examples.
Abbreviations
Avoid using abbreviations unless there are many repetitions (more than five). Abbreviations are appropriate in tables and graphs, but these should be explained in a footnote.
Peer review
The Australian Journal of Primary Health uses peer review to maintain standards and ensure relevance. Not all material submitted is accepted. Each reviewer is provided with standard guidelines to focus his or her evaluation.
The time between submission of a manuscript and a decision by the editor regarding publication depends on the nature of the manuscript, and the availability and other commitments of the reviewer. The Australian Journal of Primary Health follows a standard protocol for administering the peer review process.
Page proofs
We will send page proofs to the corresponding author as PDF files. They must be returned to the production editor within three days of receipt. Major alterations to the text and illustrations are accepted only when absolutely necessary.
Reprints
The publisher will provide a final version of the paper free of charge as a high-resolution PDF. Authors may purchase hard copies and order them from the publisher when the proofs are returned. Hard copies (if ordered) are sent out a few weeks after online publication.
Address for submissions
To submit your paper, please use the online journal management system OSPREY which can be reached directly through this link or from the icon on the Journal´s homepage. Choose Australian Journal of Primary Health and, if a first time user, log in via the New User box. Otherwise, use your existing username and password to log in. Choose ´Submit manuscript´ from the menu on the left side of the screen and then follow the steps, providing the information requested under each step.
A covering letter must accompany the submission and should include the name, address, fax and telephone numbers, and email address of the corresponding author. A completed Licence to Publish form (which you will be asked to download from the website as part of the submission process) should be faxed or mailed to the Journal as soon as possible after submission.
For general enquiries not related to submissions please contact:
Attention: Jenny Macmillan
Australian Journal of Primary Health
c/o Australian Institute for Primary Care
La Trobe University
Bundoora, Vic. 3086
Australia
Telephone +61 3 9479 1772
Fax +61 3 9479 5977
Email ajph@latrobe.edu.au
