Florida Public Health Review

Guidelines for Contributors

Florida Public Health Review is a joint electronic publication of the University of South Florida College of Public Health (USF COPH) and the Florida Public Health Association (FPHA). The Review is managed and operated from a server located at the USF COPH in Tampa, Florida. The USF COPH assumes financial responsibility for preparation and posting of electronic contributions to the Review, and provides editorial office space.
The primary purpose of the Review is to offer an electronic on-line journal of practice and scholarship of interest and relevance to Florida's public health practitioner and academic communities. Because the Review is presented as an electronic medium, communication can be rapid and immediate upon completion of editorial and refereed approval.
Aside from serving as an important forum for public health information and communication, the Review has two other goals. First, the Review is designed to be an effective educational and dissemination tool for practitioners, scholars, other public health leaders, and students of public health. Second, the Review is intended to provide opportunities for editors and other contributors to develop their own editing and writing skills that facilitate communication about public health issues. Articles are solicited specifically from Florida's public health and academic communities. Contributions from outside of Florida, or about communities or practice outside of Florida, are considered providing the relevance for Florida clearly is made apparent to reviewers and editors.
The Review publishes articles by academicians, practitioners, and students, and solicits reviews of important recent books and other media from recognized experts. The Review attempts to promote linkages between the academic and the practice communities of Florida. Articles undergo a rigorous editorial process designed to sharpen and strengthen substance and tone. Contributors should use the bibliographic reference style of the publication manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), 5th edition. However, editorial assistance is available from editorial assistants and others affiliated with the Review. Tables, figures, charts, diagrams, schematic representations and photographs can be presented in a style initiated by the author, but may be altered by editors prior to publication to fit the style of the Review.
The Review is particularly interested in publishing work that improves translation of research-to-practice. Most contributions should take the form of State-of-the-Art Review Articles, Practice Notes, Case Studies, Legislative Analyses, Interviews, and Book Reviews and Other Media Reviews. Recurring features will include Presidential Notes (from the FPHA President) and Executive Annotations (from the FPHA Executive Director). Guest editorials will be invited. Whereas manuscripts about any public health issue will be considered for publication by the Review, papers of special interest include ones concerning social injustice, improving health care, public health policy, public health aspects of the genetics revolution and the gene-environment relationship, domestic and community violence, environmental and workplace hazards, epidemiological aspects of infectious and chronic diseases, including the implications of the emergence of new pathogens, obesity, mental and behavioral health, aging of the population, population-specific health problems, issues associated with tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use, and preparedness against natural and human-made disasters and other public health problems. Manuscripts representing Original Research will be considered for publication providing there is an obvious link from the research conclusions to their practice implications in Florida. Other types of contributions are welcomed providing they, too, are relevant to the health of Floridians or to the translation of research to public health practice.
Articles have no specific minimum or maximum length requirements, but can vary typically from 1000 to 4500 words. However, some announcements or commentaries may be less than 1000 words. Manuscript submission and notification concerning reviews, as well as most correspondence involving contributors, editors, and reviewers, typically occurs electronically. Contributors should address correspondence and manuscripts to the Editor-in-Chief, Robert J. McDermott, Ph.D. (Email: rmcdermo@hsc.usf.edu). Content of contributions to the Review is the responsibility of the author(s), and does not necessarily reflect the views of the USF COPH, FPHA, or the organizational affiliations of the author(s).
A manuscript is submitted to Florida Public Health Review with the understanding that neither it nor its essential content has been published previously and is not currently under review by any other journal or publication medium. Exceptions include official State of Florida vital statistics data and the like that may represent portions of official governmental or agency reports. All other contributions to Florida Public Health Review, if published by the Review, become the property of the Review. Contributors whose manuscripts are accepted for publication will have an opportunity to examine and approve editorial and formatting changes prior to publication by receiving electronic page proofs from the managing editor or deputy managing editor.
The Florida Public Health Review may publish a hard copy journal annually in collaboration with the Florida Public Health Association. Acceptance of a manuscript for electronic publication does not guarantee publication in the annual journal.
Florida Public Health Review does not accept advertising, but upon request, and on a case-by-case basis, will consider posting announcements of meetings, conferences and other events of broad interest to Florida's public health community.