Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Health Politics Article Types
• Length Limits
• Pre-publication Guidelines
• Ethics in Publishing
• Language (Usage and Editing Services)
• Submission Declaration and Verification
• Manuscript Submission
• Title Page
• Main Manuscript

Introduction

Health Politics is an international and multidisciplinary peer-reviewed journal dedicated to understanding how political processes, institutions, and power structures shape health outcomes worldwide. Health Politics provides a multidisciplinary platform across political science, public health, sociology, economics, and ethics to advance scholarly understanding of how political processes, institutions, ideologies, and power structures shape health outcomes, health systems, and population well-being. All types of articles are subject to double-blind peer-review. The journal publishes the following types of contribution:

Health Politics Article Types:

Health Politics publishes several types of contributions. To keep processes clear and manageable for authors and editors, we group manuscripts into the following main categories:

• 1. Original Research Articles
  Empirical or mixed-methods studies that advance understanding of how political processes, institutions, actors, ideologies, and power structures shape health, health systems, and health equity. This category includes theory-informed empirical work, comparative case studies, evaluation studies, and methodological innovations embedded in substantive research. Manuscripts in this category should be grounded in an explicit conceptual or theoretical framework, but the primary contribution is empirical.
• 2. Theoretical / Conceptual Articles
  Substantive theoretical or conceptual contributions that develop, refine, or critically interrogate theories, concepts, typologies, or frameworks relevant to the politics of health and health policy. These articles may be primarily theoretical, normative, or conceptual (with or without empirical illustration) and should clearly articulate their contribution to debates on political processes, institutions, actors, power, and health equity.
• 3. Review Articles
  Comprehensive and structured reviews of the literature, including (but not limited to) systematic, scoping, realist, or integrative reviews. Review Articles should clearly describe their search strategy, inclusion criteria, and analytic approach, and should identify implications for theory, policy, or future research in Health Politics.
• 4. Short Reports / Research Notes
  Concise reports presenting focused empirical findings, early results from ongoing projects, brief comparative or historical analyses, or pilot studies. This category also covers brief data- or method-focused contributions (e.g., short data & code notes, concise methodology notes) that are too small for a full Original Research Article but make a clear, citable contribution.
• 5. Policy & Practice Articles
  Field-grounded analyses and case-based studies that connect political analysis with implementation, governance, and practice. Examples include case studies of policy reform, analyses of governance arrangements, implementation research, policy briefs, and field/practice perspectives that translate political insights into actionable lessons for policymakers, practitioners, and civil society.
• 6. Perspectives, Debates & Commentaries
  Scholarly essays offering critical perspectives or debates on contested issues in the politics of health and health policy. This category includes viewpoint pieces, invited or open debate contributions, commentaries on recently published work, and short letters to the editor that raise new questions, clarify concepts, or contest existing interpretations.
• 7. Editorials and Book Reviews
  Editorials are typically invited reflections by the Editors or senior scholars on themes relevant to the journal’s scope (e.g., special issues, emerging agendas). Book Reviews offer critical assessments of recent books relevant to the politics of health, health policy, and health equity. Review essays that engage multiple works may, where appropriate, be considered under Perspectives, Debates & Commentaries.

Length Limits

Word counts refer to the main text and do not include abstract, references, tables, or figures unless otherwise specified. These are general guidelines; exceptions may be considered in consultation with the Editors.

Article type	Word count	Notes
Original Research Articles	Up to 10,000	Empirical and mixed-methods research
Theoretical Articles	Up to 10,000	Primarily theoretical, conceptual, or normative work
Review Articles	Up to 10,000	Systematic, scoping, realist, integrative reviews
Short Reports	Up to 4,000	Includes brief data & code notes, methodology notes
Policy & Practice Articles	Up to 4,000	Includes case studies, policy briefs, practice perspectives
Perspectives, Debates & Commentaries	Up to 2,500	Includes debate pieces, letters, short responses
Book Reviews	Up to 2,500	Short, focused critical reviews
Editorials		Typically invited

Pre-publication Guidelines

A. Prior dissemination before submission

If a manuscript has been previously disseminated in any form (for example, as a conference paper, working paper, discussion paper, technical report, or similar document) prior to submission to Health Politics, the submitted manuscript must:

• 1. Represent a substantial and material extension of the prior version.
• 2. Clearly acknowledge and cite the pre-published document in the manuscript.
• 3. Inform the Editorial Office of the prior dissemination at the time of submission.
• 4. Present a new title and abstract that reflect the revised content.
• 5. Include an acknowledgment in the Acknowledgments section stating that the manuscript is based on a previously disseminated document and provides a link to the prior version.

B. Dissemination during peer review

If authors intend to disseminate a research document (for example, as a conference paper, working paper, discussion paper, or technical report) while the manuscript is under review at Health Politics, they must:

• 1. Inform the Editorial Office in advance and clearly explain the purpose of the dissemination.
• 2. Provide the link to the dissemination platform and a copy of the document to the Editorial Office.
• 3. Ensure that the disseminated version differs materially from the manuscript under review.
• 4. Cite the disseminated document in the final version of the manuscript, if the paper is accepted for publication.

Ethics in Publishing

Health Politics adheres to COPE best practices. Submissions must comply with standards on authorship, data integrity, conflicts of interest, and research involving human participants. A Data and Code Availability Statement is required for Original Research, Data & Methods Articles, Methodology Notes, and Short Reports; authors should deposit replication materials in a trusted repository (e.g., OSF, Zenodo) and provide a DOI/URL, subject to ethical and legal constraints. Preprints are welcome and do not constitute prior publication; upon acceptance, authors should link the version-of-record DOI to the preprint record.

Please visit our full ethics guidelines in the Publication Ethics page.

Language (Usage and Editing Services)

All articles published in Health Politics are written in English. Authors whose first language is not English are expected to ensure that their manuscripts are written in clear, accurate, and idiomatic English prior to submission. Either American or British spelling and usage may be used consistently throughout the manuscript. The journal does not provide language editing or copy-editing services. Authors who believe their manuscript may benefit from professional language editing are encouraged to seek such assistance before submission. Any costs associated with these services are the responsibility of the authors.

Submission Declaration and Verification

By submitting a manuscript to Health Politics, authors confirm that the work is original and has not been published previously, except in the form of a conference abstract or as part of an academic thesis or lecture (see the Pre-publication Guidelines). Submission of a manuscript also confirms that the work is not under consideration by any other journal and that all authors and relevant institutional authorities have approved the submission. Authors further agree that, if the manuscript is accepted for publication, it will not be published elsewhere in the same or substantially similar form, in any language or medium, without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Simultaneous submission of the same manuscript, in the same or different languages, to more than one journal is not permitted.

Manuscript Submission

All manuscripts must be submitted electronically through the journal’s online submission system. Submissions sent by email will not be considered. Authors are asked to read these instructions carefully and to follow them closely in order to facilitate an efficient and timely review process. Only materials submitted through the online submission platform will be considered. The Editorial Office reserves the right to return manuscripts that do not comply with the journal’s Instructions for Authors. Once your manuscript has been prepared in accordance with the guidelines below, it may be submitted through the online submission system.

During the online submission process, authors are asked to provide:

• 1) Manuscript Type
• 2) Manuscript Title
• 3) Abstract
• 4) Keywords
• 5) Attach Files: authors MUST upload the following three mandatory files:
  • a) Cover letter
  • b) Title Page: please find details below
  • c) Main Manuscript: please find details below
    Note: uploading the supplementary files (eg, excel sheets) are optional.
• 6) Finish Submission: authors need to review the submission before clicking the submit button.
  All manuscripts submitted to the Health Politics are checked by the editorial office for conformance to the instructions. Non-conforming manuscripts are returned to authors.
  Note: All incomplete submissions will be automatically deleted after 90 days.
  Note: All correspondence, including editor's decisions, revision requests, etc., is sent to the lead corresponding author.

Title Page

The title page should include:

• 1. Article Title: please use initial upper case
• 2. Authors’ Information:
  • - Author names: Please provide the given name(s) and family name(s) of each author. The order of authors listed on the title page should match the order entered in the submission system.
  • - Affiliations: Please list the institutional affiliations of all authors, indicating the institution(s) where the work was conducted, immediately below the author names.
  • - Corresponding author: Please clearly identify the corresponding author who will be responsible for all correspondence related to the manuscript during the peer-review and publication process, as well as after publication. This responsibility includes responding to editorial inquiries and to any post-publication questions regarding the study, data, methodology, or materials. The corresponding author’s email address and contact details must be kept current throughout the submission and publication process.
• 3. Disclaimers (if applicable)
• 4. Funding Source(s): Authors are required to clearly identify all sources of financial support for the conduct of the research and/or the preparation of the manuscript. Authors must also briefly describe the role of the funder(s) or sponsor(s), if any, in the design and conduct of the study; data collection, management, analysis, and interpretation; and the preparation, review, and approval of the manuscript. If the funders had no role in any aspect of the work, this should be explicitly stated.
• 5. Word Count
• 6. Declaration of Competing Interests: All authors must disclose any financial or personal relationships, activities, or affiliations that could be perceived as influencing or biasing the work. Potential competing interests include, but are not limited to:
  • ● Employment or leadership positions
  • ● Consultancies or advisory roles
  • ● Stock ownership or equity interests
  • ● Honoraria or speaker fees
  • ● Paid expert testimony
  • ● Patent applications or registrations
  • ● Grants or other sources of funding
  • ● Affiliation with the journal, including service as an Editor or Advisory Board Member
• 7. Statements of ethical approval: Please identify the ethics committee/board that has approved the research. If the manuscript is Original Article or Short Communication this field should be filled.
• 8. Acknowledgements
• 9. Data Statement To promote transparency and research integrity, authors are required to include a data availability statement at the time of manuscript submission. Data availability requirements may be determined by authors’ funding agencies or institutional policies. Where data cannot be made publicly available—such as in cases involving sensitive, confidential, or protected information (e.g., patient-level data)—authors should clearly state the reason for restricted access during the submission process.
• 10. Author Contributions (CRediT) The corresponding author is required to describe the contribution of each author using the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) author statement. Contributions should be assigned using the following roles, as applicable:
  • ● Conceptualization
  • ● Data curation
  • ● Formal analysis
  • ● Funding acquisition
  • ● Investigation
  • ● Methodology
  • ● Project administration
  • ● Resources
  • ● Software
  • ● Supervision
  • ● Validation
  • ● Visualization
  • ● Writing – original draft
  • ● Writing – review and editing
    Not all roles will apply to every manuscript, and individual authors may be associated with more than one role.

Not all roles will apply to every manuscript, and individual authors may be associated with more than one role.

Authorship

All listed authors must meet the criteria for authorship. Authorship credit should be based on substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data, and participation in drafting the manuscript or revising it critically for important intellectual content. All authors must have read and approved the final version of the manuscript and agreed to its submission to Health Politics.

The order of authorship should be determined jointly by the co-authors. All authors are expected to take public responsibility for appropriate portions of the content. Any change in authorship after initial submission, including the addition, removal, or rearrangement of authors, must be approved by all authors.

Changes to authorship

Requests to add, remove, or rearrange author names after submission must be submitted in writing by the corresponding author to the Editorial Office and must include a clear explanation for the proposed change. Written confirmation of agreement from all authors, including any author being added or removed, is required. Changes to authorship will not be permitted after a manuscript has been accepted for publication.

Multiple First and Corresponding Authors

The journal permits the designation of up to two first authors or up to two corresponding authors when authors have made equal contributions. In such cases, the corresponding author must provide a brief justification at the time of submission.

Co–First Authors

If two authors contributed equally to the work, this may be indicated on the Title Page with a statement such as “These authors contributed equally to this work.” No more than two co–first authors may be designated. The order of the two first authors should be determined by the authors.

Co–Corresponding Authors

If two authors share equal responsibility for correspondence, they may be designated as co–corresponding authors on the Title Page, and full contact details must be provided for both. No more than two corresponding authors may be designated. One corresponding author must be identified as the lead corresponding author and will assume primary responsibility for communication with the journal and for submitting the required disclosure forms on behalf of all authors.

Main Manuscript

File Format

Authors are required to submit editable source files for the entire manuscript, including the main text, figures, tables, and any text-based graphics. Submissions must be provided in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) or WordPerfect (.wpd) format. PDF files and other file formats are not accepted as source files.

Main Manuscript Sections

The manuscript should be organized into the following sections: Abstract, Keywords, Background, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, and References. In some articles, it may be appropriate to combine the Discussion and Conclusion sections. Tables and figures should be placed next to the relevant text or on separate pages at the end of the manuscript. Tables and figures should not be uploaded as separate files. Please include page numbers throughout the manuscript.

Abstract

An abstract is required for most manuscript types and should concisely summarize the purpose, methods, key findings, and contribution of the article. The required length and format vary by manuscript category, as outlined below.

Required abstracts (up to 300 words) apply to the following article types:

• ● Original Research Articles
• ● Theoretical / Conceptual Articles
• ● Review Articles
• ● Short Reports / Research Notes
• ● Policy & Practice Articles

For these manuscripts, authors must provide a structured abstract of no more than 300 words, organized under the headings Background, Methods, Results, and Conclusion. The abstract should clearly state the research purpose and setting, summarize the principal findings and major conclusions, and highlight the article’s contribution to knowledge.

Optional abstracts (up to 150 words) may be included for Perspectives, Debates, and Commentaries, at the authors’ discretion.

Abstracts are not required for Editorials and Book Reviews.

Keywords

Authors must provide up to six keywords in the main manuscript. Keywords should accurately reflect the content of the article and will be used for indexing purposes. Abbreviations or acronyms may be used, provided that the full terms are also included.

Please prepare the keywords according to the following guidelines:

• ● Provide 3–6 keywords (single words or phrases of no more than three words each).
• ● Use terms and phrases that clearly indicate the main topics of the article.
• ● Include variant terms or phrases that readers are likely to use when searching for the topic.
• ● If the article focuses on a specific region (geographic, climatic, or otherwise), include the region as a keyword.
• ● Use specific phenomena or issues as keywords (e.g., climate change, air pollution).

Tables

• ● Tables must be cited in numerical order at their first mention in the text.
• ● Tables should be created using the Word Table tool (cell-based, left-to-right format).
• ● The table number and caption must appear above the table.
• ● Tables must be editable and displayed upright on the page (not sideways).
• ● Tables should be plain, with no colors, shading, or graphics.
• ● Do not insert text boxes, nest tables, or cells within cells.
• ● All symbols and abbreviations must be defined immediately below the table, followed by a brief explanatory note if necessary.
• ● Tables should be placed adjacent to the relevant text or on separate pages at the end of the manuscript. Authors should not upload tables as separate files.

Figures and Illustrations

• ● All figures and images must be cited in numerical order at their first mention in the text.
• ● All figures and images must be centered on the page. The figure number and legend must appear below the figure.
• ● Histograms should be presented in a simple, two-dimensional format, without background grids.
• ● Any patient- or hospital-identifying information must be removed or blacked out (e.g., on X-rays or MRI scans).
• ● Photographs of patients must not allow identification. Black bars should not be used to obscure identity.
• ● Lettering in figures (e.g., axis labels) should be in lower-case type with the first letter capitalized and without a full stop.
• ● Avoid the use of image manipulation tools (e.g., cloning or healing tools in Photoshop) or any features that deliberately obscure image modifications.
• ● Graphics downloaded from web pages must not be used.
• ● Figures and images should be placed adjacent to the relevant text or on separate pages at the end of the manuscript. Authors should not upload figures as separate files.

Note: Each table, figure, and box must have a brief, specific, and descriptive title, usually written as a phrase rather than a complete sentence. The capitalization style used for article titles should also be applied to the titles of tables, boxes, and figures.

References

• ● Arrange all references as a single list at the end of the manuscript, formatted according to the American Psychological Association (APA) Publication Manual, 7th edition.
• ● Authors are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of all cited references and must verify them before submission.
• ● Cite references in the text using the author–date citation format (e.g., Smith, 2022; Smith & Lee, 2023).
• ● Include only works that are cited in the text in the reference list, and ensure that every in-text citation appears in the reference list and vice versa.
• ● References must be listed in alphabetical order by the surname of the first author.
• ● References cited as “in press” must have been formally accepted for publication.
• ● Published conference abstracts, numbered patents, and preprints posted on recognized servers may be included in the reference list. Grant details and acknowledgements must not be cited as references.
• ● Personal communications and unpublished data must not be included in the reference list. Such material may be cited parenthetically in the text with the name(s) of the source(s) and the year. Authors must obtain permission from the source before citing unpublished data.
• ● Do not use footnotes or endnotes as a substitute for the reference list.
• ● In the reference list, list the surnames and initials of all authors if there are 20 or fewer authors. For works with more than 20 authors, list the first 19 authors, insert an ellipsis, and add the final author name, in accordance with APA 7th edition guidelines.

NOTE: Health Politics follows APA style (American Psychological Association (APA) publication manual of style, 7th edition). Please see the detailed information here.

Supplementary Material Guidelines

Authors may submit Supplementary Information (SI) files together with the main manuscript. Supplementary files are published online exactly as submitted, without copy-editing or reformatting. Authors are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of all information provided in the supplementary material. The journal does not assume responsibility for the content of supplementary files. Once a manuscript has been accepted, no changes to supplementary files will be permitted.

Please prepare supplementary files according to the following instructions.

Content

Each supplementary file should include:

• 1. The article title.
• 2. The names and affiliations of all authors and the email address of the corresponding author.
• 3. The main supplementary content (e.g., additional tables, figures, methodological details, appendices).
• 4. Page numbers on all pages.

References in supplementary files should be avoided whenever possible. If references are necessary, they should follow the same reference style as the main manuscript and be numbered consecutively following the reference list of the main text.

Numbering and Citation

• ● Use a separate numbering system for supplementary materials (e.g., Table S1, Table S2; Figure S1, Figure S2).
• ● All supplementary tables, figures, and appendices must be cited in the main manuscript in numerical order.

Captions

• ● Provide a concise and descriptive caption for each supplementary table, figure, or appendix.

Format

• ● Assign a clear and informative title to each file (e.g., Supplementary File 1. Search Strategy).
• ● Accepted file formats include PDF, DOC/DOCX, XLS/XLSX, and PPT/PPTX.

File Size

• ● Minimize file size as much as possible to ensure efficient downloading and accessibility.

Health Politics aims to serve as a leading forum for rigorous, evidence-based, and policy-relevant scholarship illuminating how politics—through power, institutions, and governance—shapes the health of populations across the world.