Public Affairs in Health (PAH)

GENERAL INFORMATION FOR AUTHORS

Public Affairs in Health (PAH) is a peer-reviewed electronic journal established to provide a forum for public affairs professionals working in public health to share study results and practical experience. The journal is published by Office of Enterprise Communication within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. PAH is published biannually in April and October. Articles published in PAH include editorials, essays, original research reports, best practices, milestones in public health (MPH), and announcements.

Copyrights and Disclaimers

The author hereby grants, transfers, and assigns to the United States Government the rights to publish the report, article, or other paper (the “work”) published by Public Affairs in Health and the material and contributions contained therein, any Revised Editions thereof and all derivative works based thereon, and all other proprietary rights thereto, in all languages and forms, and in all media of expression now known or later developed, throughout the world. The United States Government will commit the work to the public domain and allow it to be used and reproduced by anyone without permission. An author that includes materials that are copyrighted by a third-party agrees to obtain written permission to ensure that the United States Government may place the work, including said material, in the public domain.

The opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the opinions of CDC or the institutions with which the authors are affiliated.

Public Affairs in Health is published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a U.S. Government agency. Therefore, all materials published in Public Affairs and Health are in the public domain and can be used without permission. Proper citation, however, is required.

Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by the Public Health Service or by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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GUIDELINES FOR AUTHORS

MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION

For word processing, use MS Word. List the following information in this order: title page, abstract, keywords (optional), text, acknowledgements, biographical sketch, references, tables, figure legends and appendixes.

Please use APA style for references: http://www.apastyle.org/

Title Page

Titles should be concise, specific, and informative. The title should contain the key points of the work. Information for each author should be included on the title page (i.e., full name, graduate degree(s), affiliation, and the name of the institution in which the work was done). The author’s contact information should be included (i.e., phone number, fax number and e-mail address). Separate word counts should be included for the abstract and the body of the text.

Keywords and Abstract

Keywords are optional (if provided, minimum 10). Do not cite references in the abstract. Abstracts for “Best Practices”, “Original Research”, and “Milestones in Public Health” (M.P.H) should not exceed 150 words. Abstracts should accurately summarize the article. “Essays” and “Announcements” do not require an abstract.

Text

Double space everything including the title page, abstract, references, tables and figure legends. Indent paragraphs; leave no extra spaces between paragraphs. After a period, leave only one space before beginning the next sentence. Use 12-point Times New Roman font and format with ragged right margins (left align). Italicize (rather than underline) scientific names when needed.

Biographical Sketch

Include a short biographical sketch of the first author (both authors if only two). Include affiliations and the author’s primary research interests, if applicable.

References

Follow APA style guide for Electronic Media and URL. All information on the internet is subject to being removed, restructured, or moved. Many scholarly journals are implementing the use of DOI (Digital Object Identifier) to journal articles and other documents. When applicable, include the DOI instead of the URL in the reference. Do not use endnotes for references. Place reference numbers in parentheses, not superscripts. Number the citations in order of appearance (including in text, figures, and tables). Cite personal communications, unpublished data, and manuscripts in preparation or submitted for publication in parentheses in text. Spell out the name of any journal title in full. List the first six authors followed by “et al”.

Editorial Review Process

Peer reviews are conducted in strict confidentiality. If revisions are required, we will return a copy of the article so you can revise. We ask peer reviewers to disclose any conflicts of interest or personal or professional biases that may render them unable to provide a fair and objective assessment of the manuscript under review.

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TYPES OF ARTICLES (Peer-reviewed unless otherwise noted)

Best Practices

This section includes documented health communications strategies and tactics that have been developed and implemented in the field and have been shown to produce positive outcomes. Authors may include figures, tables, slides, or other multimedia support.
Maximum: 2500 words

Original Research

Articles for this section include important research results of significance to public health communications professionals. Authors should explain the value of the research to public health and the meaning of the findings to health communications. Authors may include figures, tables, slides, photos, or other multimedia support.
Maximum: 3500 words

M.P.H. (Milestones in Public Health)

This section includes special topics from original material that varies widely in topic and format. Topics can include milestones in public health at the state/local/county level or from public health organizations. These articles must focus on the role communications played in reaching a particular public health goal.
Maximum: 2500 words

Essays

Priority will be given to first-person narratives about public health activities from the perspective of health communicators (e.g., public information officer/specialist, health educator, first responders, etc.) Contributors to this section may also submit second-hand narratives that include direct or implied references that confirm the content of the report. Narratives that advocate a political bias related to a particular public health policy or initiative are prohibited. Essays are not subject to peer review.
Maximum: 2000 words

Announcements

This section features brief announcements of events of interest to our readers and also includes information about upcoming public health conferences. Announcements may refer readers to a web site for additional information. Announcements are not subject to peer review.
Maximum: 100 words

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