Submissions

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Author Guidelines

Stanford Journal of Health Equity and Community-Engaged Medicine accepts four article types: Original Research (including community-based participatory research), Review Articles, Clinical Case Reports, and Perspectives (including service-learning and community-engagement reflections). All four receive full double-blind peer review.

The Journal accepts four article types. All four receive full double-blind peer review. 

Article Type

Word Limit

Peer Review

Original Research (incl. community-based participatory research)

4,000

Full (2–3 reviewers; 3 for CBPR involving primary human-subjects data)

Review Article

5,000

Full (2–3 reviewers)

Clinical Case Report

1,500

Full (2 reviewers)

Perspectives (incl. service-learning and community-engagement reflections. Must meet the same de-identification/consent standard as case reports). 

2,000

Full (2 reviewers); capped at ≤25% of each issue's peer-reviewed content

Manuscripts should include:

  • Structured abstract (Background, Methods, Results, Conclusions for research articles). 
  • 3–8 keywords, ideally mapped to MeSH terms where applicable.
  • Clear section headings (Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Limitations, Conclusion, Community Impact Statement where relevant).
  • Author names, affiliations, and ORCID iDs for every author. 
  • A one-paragraph “Community Impact Statement” describing plain-language relevance to the population studied — a distinguishing feature aligned with the journal's mission.

All submissions involving human participants, patient data, or community data must include documentation of IRB/ethics committee approval (or a formal exemption determination) and a statement confirming informed consent or an approved waiver rationale. Community-based participatory research submissions additionally require a community partnership/consent statement.

All authors must submit a conflict-of-interest disclosure and an authorship contribution statement (ICMJE criteria). Guest and ghost authorship are prohibited; community co-authorship is welcomed for community partners meeting ICMJE authorship criteria.

Use people-first, non-stigmatizing language for populations discussed (e.g., “people experiencing homelessness,” not “the homeless”).

Submission Preparation Checklist

All submissions must meet the following requirements.

  • The submission has not been previously published and is not before another journal for consideration.
  • The submission file is in Microsoft Word, OpenOffice, or RTF format.
  • The manuscript includes a structured abstract, 3–8 keywords, and ORCID iDs for all authors.
  • References follow AMA Manual of Style (11th edition) and are provided as a structured list.
  • IRB/ethics approval documentation (or exemption determination) is attached, with an informed consent statement or waiver rationale.
  • A completed conflict-of-interest disclosure and authorship contribution statement is attached for every author.
  • For community-based participatory research: a community partnership/consent statement is attached.
  • The manuscript uses people-first, non-stigmatizing language throughout.

Required at submission:

  • IRB/ethics approval letter or exemption determination.
  • Informed consent statement (or waiver rationale) — see Editorial & Peer-Review Policies §4.
  • Conflict of interest disclosure form for every author.
  • Authorship contribution statement (ICMJE criteria) for every author.
  • For CBPR submissions: a community partnership/consent statement describing community involvement in design and dissemination.
  • Data availability statement (where data is hosted, or justification for restriction, e.g., participant privacy).

Formatting and Style

  • Citation style: AMA Manual of Style, 11th edition (standard for clinical/biomedical journals).
  • File format: Word (.docx) or LaTeX; figures as separate high-resolution files (TIFF/EPS/PNG, ≥300 dpi).
  • Tables and figures numbered sequentially, with captions and data source notes.
  • Use people-first, non-stigmatizing language for populations discussed (e.g., “people experiencing homelessness,” not “the homeless”); a full style note will be maintained by the editorial office.

Review Articles

Systematic or narrative reviews synthesizing existing evidence on a health equity topic. Word limit: 5,000. Full double-blind peer review, 2–3 reviewers.

Original Research

Original empirical research on health equity, including community-based participatory research (CBPR), addressing disparities in diagnosis, treatment, access, outcomes, or the structural/social determinants of health. Word limit: 4,000. Full double-blind peer review, 2–3 reviewers (3 for CBPR involving primary human-subjects data).

Clinical Case Reports

Case reports illustrating a health equity dimension of clinical care, with documented patient consent or sufficient de-identification. Word limit: 1,500. Full double-blind peer review, 2 reviewers.

Perspectives

Argued, first-person scholarly pieces, including service-learning and community-engagement reflections. Word limit: 2,000. Full double-blind peer review, 2 reviewers, identical in rigor to every other section. Capped editorially at no more than 25% of each issue's peer-reviewed content; pieces describing an identifiable patient, clinic, or community encounter require the same de-identification/consent standard as case reports.

Copyright Notice

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms: authors retain copyright of their work and grant the journal right of first publication, with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) License that allows others to share the work with acknowledgment of its authorship and initial publication in this journal. Authors may enter into separate, additional arrangements for non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., posting it to an institutional repository), with acknowledgment of its initial publication here. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online prior to and during the submission process.

Privacy Statement

This journal collects only the personal information necessary to operate its peer review and publishing process: names, email addresses, institutional affiliations, and ORCID identifiers submitted at registration or with a manuscript, along with any content submitted for review or publication.

This information will be used solely for the purposes stated by this journal and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party, except: (1) as needed to operate double-blind peer review, where author and reviewer identities are not shared with each other; (2) to register article metadata and DOIs with Crossref, if the journal is a Crossref member; and (3) to preserve published content through the PKP Preservation Network.

Reader registration data is used only to send notification of new issues and journal announcements.