Formatting Public Health Research or Practice Manuscripts

All public health professionals, students, and interested individuals are encouraged to submit manuscripts at any time. You need not be a Texas Public Health Association (TPHA) member to submit. Manuscripts submitted are peer-reviewed externally by experts in the topic area of the manuscript. When submitting a manuscript, please provide the names and email addresses of 5 individuals who might serve as potential reviewers. (The more potential reviewers provided, the more quickly the Texas Public Health Journal will have your manuscript reviewed.) These should be individuals who were not involved in the project or the writing of the manuscript and have not read it yet. They do not need to be TPHA members. The authors should not contact the potential reviewers to ascertain whether they will review the manuscript; the journal’s Editorial Board will do so. The journal Editorial Board reserves the right to invite the authors' suggested reviewers, TPHJ-registered reviewers, or other individuals to review the manuscript. Accepted manuscripts will be published as soon as possible based on space availability.

Initial Review by Editor and Editorial Board includes:

• Review for appropriate formatting of manuscript and references as outlined on these journal pages,
• Proper grammar, correct spelling, sentence structure, and general scholarly quality,
• Content appropriate for our journal audience, public health practitioners in Texas, and in compliance with rules for our 501c3 non-profit status. To be considered appropriate for our journal audience, the content must relate to public health and contain data or information specific to Texas. (If the manuscript does not contain data or information specific to Texas, i.e., it contains regional or United States data, the manuscript should clearly state why the data are useful to public health practice in Texas, such as a high proportion of the Texas population are affected by the topic). If in doubt, contact the Texas Public Health Journal at  tphajournal@gmail.com.

Manuscripts not meeting all these criteria will be returned without peer review.
Authors must correct deficiencies before the manuscript will be considered for the peer-review process.

Peer Reviews are based on the following criteria: 

•     Clearly stated public health significance and relevance,
•     Timeliness and usefulness,
•     Originality,
•     Clarity and efficiency of organization of the manuscript,
•     Accuracy of information,
•     Currency of references,
•     Use of references to support the information presented,
•     Statistical Methods (if applicable)

Send us your manuscript detailing your original scientific research or one describing a state, regional or local public health department project or program of interest, following the guidelines below. 

Format: Manuscripts should be Microsoft Office Word files, double-spaced, have at least 1" margins, and use Times New Roman 12-point font in black (no color) with all pages numbered in the lower right corner of the page as a footer. Please make sure that all tracking has been removed. Overall regular manuscript length is limited to 2,500 words excluding the title page, abstract, references, figures, tables, etc. (Brief report manuscript length is limited to 1,200 words excluding the title page, abstract, references, figures, tables, etc.) Please discuss how your research is different in the context of other published work in the field and how your findings can affect public health practice.

Tables, Graphs, Figures, and Photos
Please include all accompanying materials in a single manuscript document if possible. Please place tables, graphs, figures, appendices, etc. after the references. All accompanying materials must be clear and easy to read.

Tables:
- Tables must be single-spaced Word documents. Please, no images or pdf files.
- Please use Times New Roman 12-point font for content, labels, and legends. (Smaller font size may be permissible for the content if the 12-point font does not leave enough space.)
- Please do not use color on tables.  Minimal light shading will be accepted.
- All abbreviations used in a table must be explained in a footnote at the bottom of the table.
- Tables must fit on one page in portrait format. If a table is too large to fit on a single page, the authors may consider breaking the single table into several separate tables. Consult the journal Editor if there are questions on how to format a large table.
Photos:
Photos may be in color.
Figures:
- Figures and graphs may include color on the item itself.
- Please do not use color in the text, black only.
- Please use Times New Roman 12-point font in text, labels, and legends.
- Graphs, figures, etc. that are blurry, unreadable, or have a font that does not match the body of the paper, are not acceptable.
- All abbreviations used in a figure must be explained in a footnote at the bottom of the figure. 
- Graphs, figures, etc. must fit on one page in portrait format.

All tables, graphs, figures, and photos must have a brief descriptive title included in the legend and be referenced in the text of the manuscript. All tables and figures should be numbered in the order they are referenced in the text. Please note that "print screen" or fuzzy images are not acceptable. For illustration, the images below, from a published issue, show a properly formatted table, figure, and photo used in a figure.

Please arrange your manuscript in the order shown.
1. Cover Page with:
Title: This must reflect the main point of the article, and should be brief.

Authors & Affiliations: Names, degree/credentials, and affiliations of all authors as shown below. Please also provide the name, degree/credentials, agency, mailing, and email address of the corresponding author.  The corresponding author information is for journal team use if needed.  Only the corresponding author's email address will be included in the published article.      

    Example: 
    Science of Making Movies

    John Smith, MPH;¹ Jane Doe, MBA;² John Wayne, PhD<sup>3

    1</sup>Department, Agency, City, State 
    ²Department of xxx, University of xxx, Lexington, Kentucky 
    ³Universal Studios, Hollywood, California

    Address correspondence to:
    John Smith, MPH 
    Title 
    Agency 
    Mailing Address with city state and zip code 
    Telephone: xxx-xxx-xxxx 
    E-mail

2. Abstract: Please include an abstract of no more than 300 words that summarizes the key points of your project or program. The abstract should include the following headings: Background (a short background statement and the purpose/objective of the manuscript), Methods (key methods and data sources used), Results (key results), and Conclusions (a summary statement of the public health significance of your findings). If abbreviations or acronyms are used, all must be defined when first used and used consistently throughout the rest of the abstract.
3. Body of Paper: Text should be narrative with complete sentences. If abbreviations or acronyms are used, all must be defined when first used and used consistently throughout the rest of the text. The body of the manuscript should generally be arranged in the following order:

Introduction or Background: (recommend including a statement of public health relevance and significance).

Methods: (please include a statement regarding Internal Review Board (IRB) approval, or if none was required, please state). 

Results: Present the findings of your research or program. If data or information are provided in a table or figure, this section includes only additional explanations of the results that are in the table or figure. Simply restating data that is in a table or figure is redundant. 

Discussion: Discuss your results as compared to other published work in your topic area. There should be one or more paragraphs describing the limitations of the study. A conclusions section should include justification for the public health significance of your findings and suggestions for incorporating your findings into public health practice.

4. References:

- Accuracy and completeness of references are the sole responsibility of the author(s).
- References must be numbered in the order each appears in the text with superscript reference numbers in the body of the manuscript, generally placed after the punctuation. Please consult recent journal issues for proper reference formatting.
- Each reference cited in the text needs to substantiate the text it is related to and must be included in the references section at the end of the manuscript. Conversely, all references listed in the references section should be cited in the text.
- Each reference must reflect the original work of the authors of the referenced material, not a news release or restated interpretation of the work.
- Please double-space references and use the same font as the body of the paper
- References in the reference list provided at the end of the manuscript at a minimum must contain, in this order: (1) Author's last name, first name/initials; (2) Title of article/book; (3) Name of journal; (4) Year the article was published; (5) Volume number an issue (if applicable), and inclusive page numbers. For books, the title should be followed by the name of the publisher and the year published.

Example: REFERENCES

1. American Cancer Society (ACS). Breast Cancer Facts & Figures 2011-2012. Atlanta: American Cancer Society, Inc.; 2011.
2. Jemal A, Siegel RS, Xu J, Ward E. Cancer Statistics, 2010. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians 2010;60(5):277–300.
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Vital signs: Breast cancer screening among women aged 50-74 years - the United States, 2008. Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2010;59(26):813-816.
4. Ryerson AB, Miller JW, Eheman CR, Leadbetter S, White MC. Recent trends in U.S. mammography use from 2000-2006: A population-based analysis. Prev Med 2008;47(5):477-482.
   Internet article or website reference
5. Example: (author)
   Rainie L. The rise of the e-patient. Pew Research Center Internet and the American Life Project website. October 7, 2009. Accessed January 11, 2012. http://www.pewinternet.org/Presentations/2009/40-The-rise-of-the-e-patient.aspx
6. Example: (no author)Air Pollution and Respiratory Health. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Updated January 9, 2012. Accessed March 2, 2012. http://www.cdc.gov/Environmental/

Texas Public Health Journal Manuscript Checklist
If a manuscript does not meet the criteria in the following checklist, it will be returned to the authors for updating to meet all of our criteria before it is considered.  Please see the “Formatting” webpage https://www.texaspha.org/page/Formatting for specific instructions on overall word limits, and for each of the criteria items mentioned below.
Please check your manuscript to ensure all of the following:

1. Your manuscript contains data or information specific to public health in Texas. (If the manuscript does not contain data or information specific to Texas, i.e., it contains regional or United States data, the manuscript should clearly state why the data are useful to public health practice in Texas, such as a high proportion of the Texas population are affected by the topic.) If in doubt, contact the Texas Public Health Journal at tphajournal@gmail.com.
2. Your manuscript is of scholarly quality and has been completely checked for proper grammar, punctuation, spelling, and appropriate word usage.
3. Your manuscript is not a PDF file. We accept Microsoft Office Word files.
4. Page numbers are included in the lower right corner of the page as a footer.
5. All abbreviations and acronyms are defined the first time each is used. This must be done both in the abstract and in the body of the paper.
6. References in the body of the paper are cited as superscript numbers usually placed after the punctuation. The numbers should be in ascending order (1,2,3…).
7. Your manuscript has all components included as a single file in this order:

1. A title page should be page 1.
2. An abstract on page 2. Please do not include references in the abstract.
3. The body of the manuscript should include an introduction or background, methods, results, and a discussion with appropriate references as superscript numbers.
4. Reference list in the order each appears in the body of the manuscript.
5. Tables, figures, photos, etc.

8. The title page provides the manuscript title, list of authors with credentials and their affiliations (not job titles) with the designated corresponding author named, and contact information provided (address, telephone number, and email address). Please see the example above. During the review process, identifiers will be removed to allow for a double-blind review.
9. An abstract of no more than 300 words is on the second page. The abstract should summarize the study and its significance to public health.
10. The Methods section includes a separate and detailed statement about the institutional review board (IRB) approval of the study. If the study did not require IRB approval, this should be clearly stated with the reason why.
11. The Results section includes only additional explanations of the results that are in a table or figure. Simply restating data that is in a table or figure is redundant.
12. The Discussion contains a limitations section and a conclusions section that includes a statement summarizing the public health significance of the findings.
13. All references in the reference list follow the body of the text. The references should be numbered in ascending order based on the order of the first citation in the manuscript (1,2,3…). The format of the references should be consistent with one another. Consult https://www.texaspha.org/page/Formatting for detailed instructions on formatting.
14. The tables and figures are placed at the end of the manuscript after the references, must be legible, and must comply with all detailed instructions for acceptable formatting as stated above. One table or figure per page in portrait format, please. Contact us at tphajournal@gmail.com if you need to send separate files.
15. Ensure that all line numbers, tracking, headers, footnotes, and footers (except page numbers) have been removed.
16. Provide the names and email addresses of 5 individuals who might serve as potential reviewers. (The more potential reviewers provided, the more quickly the Texas Public Health Journal will have your manuscript reviewed.) These should be individuals who were not involved in the project or the writing of the manuscript and have not read it yet. They do not need to be Texas Public Health Association (TPHA) members.
17.  All items must be submitted electronically.
18.  If revisions are needed, all resubmitted manuscripts and required documents must be received within 90 days.  More details are on the Submissions page.
19.  Remember that plagiarism is a serious offense. Authors are totally and completely responsible for ensuring their submission is original work.

Download the Printable Submission Checklist here

Find submission instructions here

The Proofing Process

Once the final version, including all revisions, has been accepted for publication, a member of the journal Editorial Board will notify you. Once the journal issue that your paper will be included in has been typeset, you will receive a "proof" copy of your paper as it will appear in the published journal issue. This is your opportunity to tell us about any copy errors (such as reference numbers that are not superscripted, misplaced hyphens, etc.). Very minor edits (punctuation, typos in the original text, etc.) may also be requested at this time. Major edits and revisions will not be allowed!  If the edits requested are deemed to exceed what is allowed, the manuscript will be returned to the corresponding author for the authors to revise. Publication of your paper will be delayed until space is available.  

Other Essential Information and Links to More Journal information:

Be sure to review the information provided on our other journal pages at the links below. These pages include detailed information about our journal, our copyright, and our sharing policies.

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