Aims & Scope
Journal of Public Health International (JPHI) publishes population-level research advancing disease surveillance, epidemiological methods, health systems analysis, and evidence-based public health policy across global settings.
We do NOT consider: Individual patient care, clinical treatment protocols, diagnostic procedures, or therapeutic interventions without population-level implications.
Research Scope
Tier 1: Core Domains
These areas represent our primary focus and receive expedited editorial review. Submissions should demonstrate rigorous epidemiological methods and population-level impact.
Infectious Disease Epidemiology
- Disease surveillance systems and outbreak detection
- Transmission dynamics modeling
- Vaccine effectiveness studies
- Antimicrobial resistance patterns
- Pandemic preparedness and response
- Emerging and re-emerging infections
Typical fit: "Spatiotemporal analysis of COVID-19 transmission patterns using mobile phone data and Bayesian hierarchical models"
Chronic Disease Epidemiology
- Cardiovascular disease risk factors
- Cancer incidence and survival patterns
- Diabetes prevalence and prevention
- Respiratory disease burden
- Multimorbidity patterns
- Life-course epidemiology
Typical fit: "Longitudinal cohort study examining social determinants of type 2 diabetes incidence across 15 European countries"
Statistical Methods & Data Science
- Novel epidemiological methods
- Causal inference approaches
- Machine learning for disease prediction
- Spatial and temporal analysis
- Missing data methods
- Survey methodology and sampling
Typical fit: "Comparison of propensity score methods for estimating vaccine effectiveness in observational studies"
Health Systems & Policy Research
- Health service utilization patterns
- Healthcare access and equity
- Policy evaluation and impact assessment
- Health financing mechanisms
- Primary care delivery models
- Universal health coverage pathways
Typical fit: "Interrupted time-series analysis of national insurance expansion on maternal mortality rates in sub-Saharan Africa"
Tier 2: Secondary Focus
Cross-disciplinary research and methodological innovations that advance population health understanding. Standard editorial review timelines apply.
Environmental & Occupational Health
- Air quality and respiratory outcomes
- Climate change health impacts
- Water quality and waterborne disease
- Occupational exposure assessment
- Built environment and health
Social Epidemiology
- Social determinants of health
- Health inequalities and disparities
- Neighborhood effects on health
- Migration and health
- Socioeconomic gradients in disease
Nutritional Epidemiology
- Dietary patterns and disease risk
- Micronutrient deficiencies
- Obesity prevalence and trends
- Food security and malnutrition
- Nutrition transition studies
Maternal & Child Health
- Maternal mortality determinants
- Child growth and development
- Immunization coverage patterns
- Adolescent health behaviors
- Reproductive health outcomes
Mental Health Epidemiology
- Depression and anxiety prevalence
- Suicide risk factors
- Substance use patterns
- Mental health service utilization
- Population-level interventions
Aging & Geriatric Epidemiology
- Dementia incidence and risk factors
- Healthy aging determinants
- Frailty and functional decline
- Long-term care needs assessment
- Age-friendly community evaluation
Tier 3: Emerging Areas
Novel frontiers in population health research. Submissions undergo additional editorial review to ensure methodological rigor and population-level relevance.
Digital Health & Surveillance
- Real-time disease surveillance platforms
- Digital epidemiology methods
- Social media data for health monitoring
- Wearable device data analysis
- Telemedicine utilization patterns
Note: Must demonstrate population-level applications, not individual clinical monitoring.
One Health Approaches
- Zoonotic disease surveillance
- Antimicrobial resistance across sectors
- Food safety and foodborne illness
- Environmental-human-animal interfaces
- Ecosystem health indicators
Note: Must include human population health outcomes, not solely veterinary or environmental data.
Implementation Science
- Intervention scale-up strategies
- Program effectiveness evaluation
- Dissemination research
- Health system strengthening
- Quality improvement at scale
Note: Must include population-level outcomes, not single-site quality improvement projects.
Health Economics & Modeling
- Cost-effectiveness of interventions
- Health technology assessment
- Economic burden of disease
- Budget impact analysis
- Mathematical disease modeling
Note: Must address population-level resource allocation, not individual patient cost analysis.
Out of Scope
The following topics do not align with our population health focus and will be desk-rejected without peer review:
Explicitly Excluded Topics
- Clinical case reports or case series: Individual patient outcomes without population-level analysis or generalizable epidemiological insights.
- Therapeutic intervention trials: Drug efficacy, surgical techniques, or treatment protocols focused on individual patient care rather than population health impact.
- Diagnostic accuracy studies: Sensitivity/specificity of diagnostic tests without population screening or surveillance applications.
- Basic laboratory research: Molecular mechanisms, cellular pathways, or animal models without clear population health implications.
- Single-institution quality improvement: Hospital-specific process improvements without multi-site validation or population-level outcomes.
- Purely descriptive surveys: Cross-sectional surveys without analytical epidemiology, risk factor analysis, or policy implications.
- Opinion pieces without data: Commentaries lacking empirical evidence, systematic review, or rigorous policy analysis.
Boundary guidance: If your research focuses on individual patients, clinical diagnosis, or therapeutic outcomes, consider submitting to a clinical journal. JPHI prioritizes population patterns, disease distribution, risk factors, and health system performance.
Article Types & Editorial Priorities
We accept diverse manuscript formats, with varying review timelines based on research priority and methodological rigor.
Original Research Articles
- Novel epidemiological findings
- Large cohort or surveillance studies
- 3,000-6,000 words
- Target decision: 21 days
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
- PRISMA-compliant
- Pre-registered protocol
- 4,000-8,000 words
- Target decision: 28 days
Methods Papers
- Novel statistical approaches
- Validation studies
- 2,500-5,000 words
- Target decision: 21 days
Short Communications
- Preliminary findings
- Outbreak reports
- 1,500-2,500 words
- Target decision: 28 days
Data Notes
- Novel datasets
- Surveillance system descriptions
- 1,000-2,000 words
- Target decision: 28 days
Policy Perspectives
- Evidence-based policy analysis
- Health system evaluations
- 2,000-3,500 words
- Target decision: 35 days
Limited Acceptance
- Narrative reviews (only if commissioned)
- Commentaries (by invitation)
- Letters to editor (response only)
- Case reports (desk reject)
Editorial Standards & Requirements
All submissions must adhere to established reporting guidelines and ethical standards:
Reporting Guidelines (Mandatory)
- STROBE: Observational studies (cohort, case-control, cross-sectional)
- CONSORT: Randomized controlled trials
- PRISMA: Systematic reviews and meta-analyses
- RECORD: Routinely collected health data studies
- CHEERS: Health economic evaluations
- STARD: Diagnostic accuracy studies (if population screening context)
Data & Ethics Policy
- Data availability: Authors must provide data access statements. De-identified data should be deposited in recognized repositories.
- Ethics approval: Research involving human participants requires IRB/ethics committee approval. Approval numbers must be stated.
- Informed consent: Documentation required for primary data collection.
- Conflicts of interest: All authors must declare financial and non-financial competing interests.
- Funding transparency: All funding sources must be disclosed with grant numbers.
Preprint Policy
- Preprint posting is encouraged and does not affect consideration
- Authors must disclose preprint DOI at submission
- Preprints must not be presented as peer-reviewed publications
Publication Metrics
Transparency in editorial performance helps authors make informed submission decisions:
28 days
Median Time to First Decision
35%
Acceptance Rate (2023)
45 days
Median Time to Publication
Open
Article Processing Charges
Desk rejection rate: Approximately 40% of submissions are desk-rejected for scope mismatch. Please carefully review our tiered scope structure before submitting.
Ready to Submit?
Ensure your research aligns with our population health focus and methodological standards.
Questions about scope or suitability? Contact the editorial office at [email protected] with a 200-word abstract and brief rationale. We provide pre-submission guidance within 5 business days.
