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Health

Health

An Interdisciplinary Journal for the Social Study of Health, Illness and Medicine

eISSN: 14617196 | ISSN: 13634593 | Current volume: 28 | Current issue: 1 Frequency: Bi-monthly

Health: is an interdisciplinary journal that engages with and interrogates health and healthcare from the perspectives of the social sciences and the humanities. Focusing on critique of norms and power relationships, the journal provides an international forum for articles reporting on original research, theoretical pieces and review essays from around the world. It offers the breadth of outlook required by sociologists, social psychologists, social and cultural theorists and others who are addressing healthcare issues that cross disciplinary boundaries.

"Health: is at the cutting edge of research into the social and cultural aspects of health, illness and medicine. The journal has established a strong reputation for featuring articles that effectively combine empirical research with theoretical insights. I know of no other health-oriented journal that so consistently publishes these kind of articles from across the spectrum of the social sciences. It's a must to read for anyone interested in the socio-cultural underpinnings of experiences of health, illness and health care." Deborah Lupton, Professor of Sociology and Cultural Studies, Charles Sturt University, Australia.

"Health: publishes some of the most innovative and lively articles in the social sciences of health. The journal makes a unique contribution to the field." Professor Peter Conrad, Brandeis University, USA

Health: is available on SAGE Journals Online.

This journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)

Health: is published six times per year and each number offers a mix of articles that inform or provoke debate.

The readership of the journal is wide and drawn from different social science disciplines and the humanities, particularly sociology, social psychology, social and cultural theory, and critical policy studies. The journal prioritises papers taking an explicit and nuanced theoretical position within the social science and humanities literature.

Widely abstracted, Health: ensures authors an extensive and informed readership for their work. It also seeks to offer authors as short a delay as possible between submission and publication. Most articles are reviewed within 4-6 weeks of submission and those accepted are published within a year of that decision. The journal features an international group of co-editors.

The journal operates a system of blind peer review for all submitted papers, including those invited by the editors, and those appearing in Special Numbers which may be guest edited. The journal only publishes papers where the proposed contents have been selected by a general call for papers.

Book Reviews:
Each issue of Health: includes reviews of the most recently published books in the field to help readers determine which publications will be most useful to them in their teaching and research.

Editor
Michael Traynor Middlesex University, UK
Founding Editor
Alan Radley Loughborough University, UK
Co-Editors
Erdem Dikici University of the West of England, UK
Rochelle Einboden University of Sydney, Australia
Jennie Jacobs Kronenfeld Arizona State University, USA
Rebecca Olson University of Queensland, Australia
Chris Till Leeds Beckett University, UK
Book Review Editor
Natasha Alvarado University of Bradford, UK
Editorial Board
Waqar Ahmad Middlesex University, UK
David Armstrong UMDS, Guy's and St Thomas's Medical and Dental School, London, UK
Susan E. Bell Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME, USA
Nicky Britten Peninsula Medical School, University of Exeter, UK
Kerry Chamberlain Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
Peter Conrad Brandeis University, USA
Robert Crawford University of Washington, Tacoma, USA
Sandeep Rajiv Deshmukh MB/BChir, MA (Cantab), FRCS (Tr & Orth), PGCert (Clin Res), PhD Pulvertaft Hand Centre, Derby, UK
Paul Flowers University of Strathclyde, UK
Lars-Christer Hydén Linköping University, Sweden
Colin Jones Queen Mary University of London, UK
Marit Kirkevold University of Oslo, Norway
Bruce G Link University of California-Riverside
Deborah Lupton University of New South Wales, Australia
Debora A Paterniti University of California, USA
Bernice Pescosolido Indiana University, Bloomington, USA
Christian Ritter Kent State University, USA
Trudy Rudge Flinders University of South Australia, Australia
Beth Rushing Georgia College and State University, USA
Wendy Stainton-Rogers The Open University, UK
Annette Street La Trobe University, Australia
Stefan Timmermans University of California, Los Angeles, USA
Catherine Waldby University of Sydney, Australia
Gareth Williams Cardiff University, UK
Simon Williams University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
  • Academic Search Premier
  • Applied Social Sciences Index & Abstracts (ASSIA)
  • British Nursing Index
  • Business Source Corporate
  • CISDOC Database
  • Combined Health Information Database (CHID)
  • Communication Abstracts
  • Contents Pages in Education
  • Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature CINAHL
  • Current Contents / Social and Behavioral Sciences
  • Current Contents/ Social and Behavioral Sciences
  • DH-Data
  • EBSCO: Human Resources Abstracts
  • EMBASE
  • EMCare
  • Educational Research Abstracts Online - e-Psyche
  • Family Index
  • Family Index Database
  • Health & Social Care Abstracts (former Health Service Abstracts) - Ceased May 2004
  • Health Source
  • ISI Alerting Services
  • ISI Web of Science
  • Index Medicus
  • Index Medicus (Ceased 2004)
  • International Bibliography of the Social Sciences
  • International Nursing Index
  • MEDLINE
  • MasterFILE Premier
  • PsycINFO
  • PsycLIT
  • Psychological Abstracts
  • Research Alert
  • Risk Abstracts
  • Safety and Health at Work - ILO-CIS Bulletin
  • Science Direct Navigator
  • Scopus
  • Social SciSearch
  • Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI)
  • Social Services Abstracts
  • Sociofile
  • Sociological Abstracts
  • Sociology of Education Abstracts
  • Studies on Women & Gender Abstracts
  • Technical Education and Training Abstracts
  • Vocational Search
  • e-Psyche
  • e-Psyche (Ceased)
  • Manuscript Submission Guidelines: Health: An Interdisciplinary Journal

    This Journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics

    This Journal recommends that authors follow the Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals formulated by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

    Please read the guidelines below then visit the Journal’s submission site http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/health  to upload your manuscript. Please note that manuscripts not conforming to these guidelines may be returned.

    Only manuscripts of sufficient quality that meet the aims and scope of Health: An Interdisciplinary Journal will be reviewed.

    There are no fees payable to submit or publish in this Journal. Open Access options are available - see section 3.3 below.

    As part of the submission process you will be required to warrant that you are submitting your original work, that you have the rights in the work, that you are submitting the work for first publication in the Journal and that it is not being considered for publication elsewhere and has not already been published elsewhere, and that you have obtained and can supply all necessary permissions for the reproduction of any copyright works not owned by you.

    If you have any questions about publishing with SAGE, please visit the SAGE Journal Solutions Portal

    1. What do we publish?
      1.1 Aims & Scope
      1.2 Article types
      1.3 Writing your paper
    2. Editorial policies
      2.1 Peer review policy
      2.2 Authorship
      2.3 Acknowledgements
      2.4 Funding
      2.5 Declaration of conflicting interests
      2.6 Data
    3. Publishing policies
      3.1 Publication ethics
      3.2 Contributor's publishing agreement
      3.3 Open access and author archiving
    4. Preparing your manuscript
      4.1 Formatting
      4.2 Artwork, figures and other graphics
      4.3 Supplementary material
      4.4 Reference style
      4.5 English language editing services
    5. Submitting your manuscript
      5.1 ORCID
      5.2 Information required for completing your submission
      5.3 Permissions
    6. On acceptance and publication
      6.1 SAGE Production
      6.2 Online First publication
      6.3 Access to your published article
      6.4 Promoting your article
    7. Further information

     

    1. What do we publish?

    1.1 Aims & Scope

    Before submitting your manuscript to Health: An Interdisciplinary Journal, please ensure you have read the Aims & Scope.

    1.2 Article Types

    Health: is published six times per year and attempts in each number to offer a mix of articles that inform or that provoke debate. The readership of the journal is wide and drawn from different disciplines and from workers both inside and outside the health care professions.

    Articles should be as short as is consistent with clear presentation of subject matter. There is a limit on length of 8000 words, including abstract, footnotes and references. The title should indicate exactly, but as briefly as possible, the subject of the article. An abstract of 150-250 words should precede the main text, accompanied by up to five keywords. The full text version should be fronted by a separate page containing the article's title, word count, along with each authors' name, affiliation, mailing address, telephone number, fax number and email address. A biographical note of 50-100 words for each author should be provided, in the journal style, following the front page in the full text version.

    Reviews of books and suggestions for reviews should be sent to:

    Natasha Alvarado

    University of Bradford

    n.alvarado@bradford.ac.uk

    1.3 Writing your paper

    The SAGE Author Gateway has some general advice and on how to get published, plus links to further resources.

    1.3.1 Make your article discoverable

    When writing up your paper, think about how you can make it discoverable. The title, keywords and abstract are key to ensuring readers find your article through search engines such as Google. For information and guidance on how best to title your article, write your abstract and select your keywords, have a look at this page on the Gateway: How to Help Readers Find Your Article Online

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    2. Editorial policies

    2.1 Peer review policy

    Health: adheres to a rigorous double-anonymize reviewing policy in which the identity of both the reviewer and author are always concealed from both parties.

    2.2 Authorship

    All parties who have made a substantive contribution to the article should be listed as authors. Principal authorship, authorship order, and other publication credits should be based on the relative scientific or professional contributions of the individuals involved, regardless of their status. A student is usually listed as principal author on any multiple-authored publication that substantially derives from the student’s dissertation or thesis.

    Please note that AI chatbots, for example ChatGPT, should not be listed as authors. For more information see the policy on Use of ChatGPT and generative AI tools.

    2.3 Acknowledgements

    All contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in an Acknowledgements section. Examples of those who might be acknowledged include a person who provided purely technical help, or a department chair who provided only general support.

    Any acknowledgements should appear first at the end of your article prior to your Declaration of Conflicting Interests (if applicable), any notes and your References.

    2.4 Funding

    Health: An Interdisciplinary Journal requires all authors to acknowledge their funding in a consistent fashion under a separate heading.  Please visit the Funding Acknowledgements page on the SAGE Journal Author Gateway to confirm the format of the acknowledgment text in the event of funding, or state that: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. 

    2.5 Declaration of conflicting interests

    Health: An Interdisciplinary Journal encourages authors to include a declaration of any conflicting interests and recommends you review the good practice guidelines on the SAGE Journal Author Gateway.2.6 Research ethics and patient consent

    Medical research involving human subjects must be conducted according to the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki

    Submitted manuscripts should conform to the ICMJE Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals, and all papers reporting animal and/or human studies must state in the methods section that the relevant Ethics Committee or Institutional Review Board provided (or waived) approval. Please ensure that you have provided the full name and institution of the review committee, in addition to the approval number.

    For research articles, authors are also required to state in the methods section whether participants provided informed consent and whether the consent was written or verbal.

    Information on informed consent to report individual cases or case series should be included in the manuscript text. A statement is required regarding whether written informed consent for patient information and images to be published was provided by the patient(s) or a legally authorized representative.

    Please also refer to the ICMJE Recommendations for the Protection of Research Participants 

    2.6 Data

    SAGE acknowledges the importance of research data availability as an integral part of the research and verification process for academic journal articles.

    Health: requests all authors submitting any primary data used in their research articles alongside their article submissions to be published in the online version of the journal, or provide detailed information in their articles on how the data can be obtained. This information should include links to third-party data repositories or detailed contact information for third-party data sources. Data available only on an author-maintained website will need to be loaded onto either the journal’s platform or a third-party platform to ensure continuing accessibility. Examples of data types include but are not limited to statistical data files, replication code, text files, audio files, images, videos, appendices, and additional charts and graphs necessary to understand the original research. The editor(s) can also grant exceptions for data that cannot legally or ethically be released. All data submitted should comply with Institutional or Ethical Review Board requirements and applicable government regulations. For further information, please contact the editorial office at  m.traynor@mdx.ac.uk.

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    3. Publishing Policies

    3.1 Publication ethics

    SAGE is committed to upholding the integrity of the academic record. We encourage authors to refer to the Committee on Publication Ethics’ International Standards for Authors and view the Publication Ethics page on the SAGE Author Gateway

    3.1.1 Plagiarism

    Health:  and SAGE take issues of copyright infringement, plagiarism or other breaches of best practice in publication very seriously. We seek to protect the rights of our authors and we always investigate claims of plagiarism or misuse of published articles. Equally, we seek to protect the reputation of the journal against malpractice. Submitted articles may be checked with duplication-checking software. Where an article, for example, is found to have plagiarised other work or included third-party copyright material without permission or with insufficient acknowledgement, or where the authorship of the article is contested, we reserve the right to take action including, but not limited to: publishing an erratum or corrigendum (correction); retracting the article; taking up the matter with the head of department or dean of the author's institution and/or relevant academic bodies or societies; or taking appropriate legal action.

    3.1.2 Prior publication

    If material has been previously published it is not generally acceptable for publication in a SAGE journal. However, there are certain circumstances where previously published material can be considered for publication. Please refer to the guidance on the SAGE Author Gateway or if in doubt, contact the Editor at the address given below.

    3.2 Contributor's publishing agreement

    Before publication, SAGE requires the author as the rights holder to sign a Journal Contributor’s Publishing Agreement. SAGE’s Journal Contributor’s Publishing Agreement is an exclusive licence agreement which means that the author retains copyright in the work but grants SAGE the sole and exclusive right and licence to publish for the full legal term of copyright. Exceptions may exist where an assignment of copyright is required or preferred by a proprietor other than SAGE. In this case copyright in the work will be assigned from the author to the society. For more information please visit the SAGE Author Gateway

    3.3 Open access and author archiving

    Health: offers optional open access publishing via the Sage Choice programme and Open Access agreements, where authors can publish open access either discounted or free of charge depending on the agreement with Sage. Find out if your institution is participating by visiting Open Access Agreements at Sage. For more information on Open Access publishing options at Sage please visit Sage Open Access. For information on funding body compliance, and depositing your article in repositories, please visit Sage’s Author Archiving and Re-Use Guidelines and Publishing Policies.

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    4. Preparing your manuscript for submission

    4.1 Formatting

    The preferred format for your manuscript is Word. LaTeX files are also accepted. Word and (La)Tex templates are available on the Manuscript Submission Guidelines page of our Author Gateway.

    4.2 Artwork, figures and other graphics

    For guidance on the preparation of illustrations, pictures and graphs in electronic format, please visit SAGE’s Manuscript Submission Guidelines  

    Figures supplied in colour will appear in colour online regardless of whether or not these illustrations are reproduced in colour in the printed version. For specifically requested colour reproduction in print, you will receive information regarding the costs from SAGE after receipt of your accepted article.

    4.3 Supplementary material

    This journal is able to host additional materials online (e.g. datasets, podcasts, videos, images etc) alongside the full-text of the article. For more information please refer to our guidelines on submitting supplementary files

    4.4 Reference style

    Health: An Interdisciplinary Journal adheres to the SAGE Harvard reference style. View the SAGE Harvard guidelines to ensure your manuscript conforms to this reference style.

    If you use EndNote to manage references, you can download the SAGE Harvard EndNote output file.

    4.5 English language editing services

    Authors seeking assistance with English language editing, translation, or figure and manuscript formatting to fit the journal’s specifications should consider using SAGE Language Services. Visit SAGE Language Services on our Journal Author Gateway for further information.

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    5. Submitting your manuscript

    Health: An Interdisciplinary Journal is hosted on SAGE Track, a web based online submission and peer review system powered by ScholarOne™ Manuscripts. Visit http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/health to login and submit your article online.

    IMPORTANT: Please check whether you already have an account in the system before trying to create a new one. If you have reviewed or authored for the journal in the past year it is likely that you will have had an account created.  For further guidance on submitting your manuscript online please visit ScholarOne Online Help.

    5.1 ORCID

    As part of our commitment to ensuring an ethical, transparent and fair peer review process SAGE is a supporting member of ORCID, the Open Researcher and Contributor ID. ORCID provides a unique and persistent digital identifier that distinguishes researchers from every other researcher, even those who share the same name, and, through integration in key research workflows such as manuscript and grant submission, supports automated linkages between researchers and their professional activities, ensuring that their work is recognized.

    The collection of ORCID iDs from corresponding authors is now part of the submission process of this journal. If you already have an ORCID iD you will be asked to associate that to your submission during the online submission process. We also strongly encourage all co-authors to link their ORCID ID to their accounts in our online peer review platforms. It takes seconds to do: click the link when prompted, sign into your ORCID account and our systems are automatically updated. Your ORCID iD will become part of your accepted publication’s metadata, making your work attributable to you and only you. Your ORCID iD is published with your article so that fellow researchers reading your work can link to your ORCID profile and from there link to your other publications.

    If you do not already have an ORCID iD please follow this link to create one or visit our ORCID homepage to learn more.

     

    5.2 Information required for completing your submission

    You will be asked to provide contact details and academic affiliations for all co-authors via the submission system and identify who is to be the corresponding author. These details must match what appears on your manuscript. At this stage please ensure you have included all the required statements and declarations and uploaded any additional supplementary files (including reporting guidelines where relevant).

    5.3 Permissions

    Please also ensure that you have obtained any necessary permission from copyright holders for reproducing any illustrations, tables, figures or lengthy quotations previously published elsewhere. For further information including guidance on fair dealing for criticism and review, please see the Copyright and Permissions page on the SAGE Author Gateway

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    6. On acceptance and publication

    6.1 SAGE Production

    Your SAGE Production Editor will keep you informed as to your article’s progress throughout the production process. Proofs will be sent by PDF to the corresponding author and should be returned promptly.  Authors are reminded to check their proofs carefully to confirm that all author information, including names, affiliations, sequence and contact details are correct, and that Funding and Conflict of Interest statements, if any, are accurate.

    6.2 Online First publication

    Online First allows final articles (completed and approved articles awaiting assignment to a future issue) to be published online prior to their inclusion in a journal issue, which significantly reduces the lead time between submission and publication. Visit the SAGE Journals help page for more details, including how to cite Online First articles.

    6.3 Access to your published article

    SAGE provides authors with online access to their final article.

    6.4 Promoting your article

    Publication is not the end of the process! You can help disseminate your paper and ensure it is as widely read and cited as possible. The SAGE Author Gateway has numerous resources to help you promote your work. Visit the Promote Your Article page on the Gateway for tips and advice.

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    7. Further information

    Any correspondence, queries or additional requests for information on the manuscript submission process should be sent to the Health: An Interdisciplinary Journal editorial office as follows:

    Michael Traynor
    School of Health and Education
    Middlesex University
    London
    NW4 4BT
    United Kingdom

    Tel: +44 (0)20 8411 2536
    Fax: +44 (0)20 8411 6942
    Email: m.traynor@mdx.ac.uk

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