Guide to Authors - Betta Health Equity Journal

 

Guide to Authors

Submission Requirements to be noted by authors

 

Aims and Scope

Betta Open Journal (BOJ) is an international, peer-reviewed, open-access journal dedicated to advancing health equity, public health, health systems, and interdisciplinary research that addresses the social, environmental, and policy determinants of health. The journal particularly welcomes contributions from underrepresented regions, including Africa and other low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Manuscripts should provide evidence, insights, and solutions that contribute to reducing health disparities and promoting equity in health outcomes globally.

Article Types

BOJ publishes a range of article types, including:

  • Original Articles: Original research articles should present empirical studies that address issues related to health equity. Manuscripts may be up to 5,000 words in length, excluding the abstract, tables, figure legends, and references. Articles must follow a structured format, consisting of the following sections: Abstract (not exceeding 250 words), Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, References, Tables, Figure Legends, and Figures. Acknowledgements should appear on a separate title page and not within the main text. All submissions will be peer-reviewed by a minimum of two experts in the relevant field.
  • Review Articles: Review articles should provide a comprehensive and critical synthesis of existing literature, with a particular focus on recent advances in health, healthcare, and health technologies across professional disciplines. Manuscripts may be up to 6,000 words in length, excluding the abstract, tables, figure legends, and references. Reviews must be concise, balanced, and well referenced, offering a thorough overview of the chosen topic. Articles directly funded by, or authored by individuals with direct involvement in, pharmaceutical industry projects will not be considered. All review submissions will undergo rigorous peer review prior to a final publication decision. Abstracts should be structured and must not exceed 250 words.
  • Short Research Communications: Short Research Communications are intended for the presentation of preliminary findings or innovative methods that may not warrant a full-length article. Manuscripts may be up to 2,500 words in length, excluding the abstract, tables, figure legends, and references. These reports should be structured into the following sections: Abstract (maximum 250 words), Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, References, Tables, Legends to Figures, and Figures.
  • Commentaries and Perspectives: Commentaries and Perspectives provide expert opinions on current issues in health equity. Submissions may not exceed 1,500 words, excluding references, tables, and figures. They may include commentary on articles previously published in Betta Open Journal, brief reports of new findings, or the presentation of interesting cases. Manuscripts should begin with “Dear Editor.” An abstract is not required.
  • Case Studies Case Studies offer in-depth analyses of specific health equity interventions or programs. These submissions may be up to 3,000 words, excluding the abstract, tables, figure legends, and references. Abstracts must be structured and limited to 150 words.
  • Editorials Editorials provide concise commentary on significant articles published in the current issue or on emerging topics of importance in health, care, or health technology. They are by invitation only from the Editor-in-Chief. Manuscripts may be up to 1,000 words. Tables and figures are typically not included, and an abstract is not required.
Article Type Word Limit Figures/Tables References
Original Article/ Research 5,000 words Up to 8 Up to 50
Review Articles 6,000 words Up to 10 Up to 100
Short Research Communication 2,500 words Up to 2 Up to 20
Commentaries and Perspectives 1,500 words Up to 4 Up to 20
Case Studies 3,000 words Up to 5 Up to 30
Editorials 1,000 words Not Applicable Not Applicable

Peer Review Process

Initial Screening: Submissions are screened for completeness and adherence to guidelines.

Double-Blind Review: Manuscripts undergo a double-blind peer review by at least two experts in the field.

Revision: Authors may be asked to revise their manuscript based on reviewer feedback.

Final Decision: The editorial board makes the final decision based on reviewer recommendations.

Article Processing Charges (APC)

Article Processing Charge (APC): Betta Open Journal (BOJ) charges an APC of $990 for accepted articles. Full and partial waivers are available for authors from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Formatting Requirements

  • File Format: Submit manuscripts as Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) files.
  • Font and Spacing: Use 12-point Times New Roman font, double-spaced text, and 1-inch margins on all sides.
  • Headings: Use clear, descriptive headings to organize the manuscript.
  • Page Numbers: Include page numbers in the bottom right corner of each page.
  • Supplementary Material: Submit any supplementary material (e.g., datasets, multimedia files) as separate files.
  • Figure Requirements: Submitted figures should have a minimum resolution of 300 dpi with a width of 8.5 or 17.5cm. File size should be under 10MB per figure
  • Table Formatting: Use clear, simple layouts. Avoid vertical lines; use horizontal lines sparingly. Define all abbreviations in a footnote.

Submission Process

Submitting a manuscript to the Betta Open Journal indicates that the work is original, has not been previously published, and is not under review by any other journal. It also confirms that all co-authors, where applicable, and the relevant institutional authorities have given their explicit or implicit approval for submission. The publisher assumes no legal responsibility for any claims arising from the content or publication of the manuscript. Manuscripts must be submitted via the online submission portal. Please follow the hyperlink “Submit an article”.

Required Documents

  • Title Page in Word document.
  • Blinded Manuscript file in Word document containing data availability statement and conflict of interest.
  • Cover letter in Word document addressed to the Editor-in-Chief.
  • Ethics approval documentation (if applicable)
  • Figures/tables as supplementary files if available.

1. Title Page

Please make sure your title page contains the following information:

  1. Title:Concise and informative, reflecting the study’s content.
  2. Authors:Each listed author must provide a valid affiliation. An affiliation should include the department, institution or organization, and its location (city, state/province if applicable, and country). Full names, affiliations, and ORCID IDs (compulsory for all corresponding authors).
  3. Corresponding Author: The submitting author is automatically assigned as the corresponding author within the submission system. The corresponding author serves as the primary contact for the journal office and is the only author with access to view or make changes to the manuscript while it is under editorial consideration. Contact information (email, phone, and mailing address).
  4. Word Count: Total word count (excluding abstract and references).
  5. Conflicts of Interest: Declare any conflicts of interest.
  6. Funding Statement: List funding sources, if applicable.

2. Abstract

  • Research Articles:Structured abstract (Background, Methods, Results, Conclusion) with a maximum of 250 words.
  • Reviews:Structured abstract with a maximum of 250 words.
  • Keywords: 3-5 keywords that represent the main topics of the manuscript.

3. Main Text

  • Introduction: Briefly introduce the topic, state the research question or hypothesis, and explain the study’s significance.
  • Materials and Methods: Describe the study design, participants, procedures, and analysis methods in sufficient detail to allow replication.
  • Results: Present findings clearly and concisely, using tables and figures as needed.
  • Discussion: Interpret results, discuss implications, acknowledge limitations, and suggest future research directions.
  • References:The reference list must contain complete and up-to-date bibliographic details for all cited works at the time of submission (and, if accepted, at the time of publication). If a cited work is later corrected, retracted, or issued with an expression of concern before your article is published, and you consider it still appropriate to reference, you must cite both the original work and the related notice in your manuscript. For clarification, contact the journal office. The required referencing style for the Betta Open Journal is the Vancouver Reference style which should appear at the end of the manuscript and be numbered sequentially in the order they are cited in the text. Within the text, reference numbers should be placed in square brackets e.g., [1]. Citations must not appear in the abstract. Ensure the manuscript sections are correctly ordered before arranging citations. List up to 6 authors in full; for 7 or more, list the first 6 followed by "et al." Example: Journal Article: Smith J, Jones M, Brown R. Health equity in urban settings: A systematic review. Health Equity Journal. 2023;15(3):123-130. doi:10.1234/heq.2023.015. Book: Johnson L. Public Health and Social Justice. 2nd ed. New York: Springer; 2021. Website: World Health Organization. Health equity. Available from: https://www.who.int/health-topics/health-equity [Accessed 10 Oct 2023].
  • Acknowledgements: Acknowledge contributions from non-authors and disclose any funding sources or conflicts of interest.

Manuscript Preparation

General Formatting:

  • Manuscripts must be written in English.
  • Use Times New Roman, font size 12, double spacing.
  • Margins: 2.5 cm on all sides.
  • Line numbers should be included to facilitate review.
  • Pages should be numbered consecutively.

Reporting Guidelines:

Authors should adhere to the following reporting guidelines:

  • Randomized trials: CONSORT.
  • Observational studies: STROBE.
  • Systematic reviews and meta-analyses: PRISMA.
  • Qualitative research: COREQ.
  • Health economic evaluations: CHEERS.

Preparing Illustrations and Figures:

Authors should adhere to the following guidelines when preparing illustrations and figures:

  • Figures should be of high quality (300 dpi or higher) and in a suitable format (e.g., TIFF, EPS, PDF).
  • All figures must be cited in the text and numbered consecutively.
  • Figure legends should be concise and descriptive, providing sufficient detail to understand the figure without reference to the text.

Preparing Tables:

General Guidelines:

  • Submit tables in editable format (Word or Excel).
  • All tables must be cited in the text and numbered consecutively.
  • Table titles should be concise and descriptive, providing sufficient detail to understand the table without reference to the text.

Table Formatting:

  • Use clear, simple layouts.
  • Avoid vertical lines; use horizontal lines to separate header rows from data rows.
  • Define all abbreviations and acronyms in the table footnotes.

Preparing Additional Files:

Supplementary Material:

  • Submit additional data, appendices, or multimedia files as supplementary material.
  • Label files clearly (e.g., Supplementary File 1, Supplementary File 2).
  • Include a brief description of each file in the manuscript.

Data Sharing and Availability:

BHEJ requires a Data Availability Statement. Authors should indicate whether underlying data are publicly available (with DOI or repository link e.g Figshare, Zenodo, Dryad). Also, if data are restricted, provide justification (e.g., ethical, legal).

Ethical Considerations:

Research involving human participants must state ethics approval and informed consent. The ethical approval number should be added to the ethical section in the manuscript. For secondary data analyses, authors must provide a statement on data use permissions. Clinical trials must be prospectively registered (e.g., ClinicalTrials.gov, Pan African Clinical Trials Registry). Animal research must comply with international ethical standards. Plagiarism, duplicate submission, or data fabrication are strictly prohibited.

Conflict of Interest and Funding:

At the time of submission, the corresponding author must declare on behalf of all co-authors whether any financial, personal, or professional relationships exist that could be perceived as influencing the research. All relevant competing interests must be disclosed to the editors and reviewers during the peer-review process and will be made publicly available in the published article. Funding sources and the role of funders in study design, analysis, and writing must be disclosed.

Open Access Policy and Licensing:

All articles are published open access under Creative Commons (CC BY) license, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction, provided the original work is cited. Authors retain copyright.

Post Publication

Authors may request corrections for minor errors post-publication. In cases of serious ethical or scientific misconduct, articles may be retracted. Published articles are promoted through social media, newsletters, and academic networks. Authors will receive galley proofs for final review prior to publication.

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