Submissions

Author Guidelines

Journal Focus and Scope

The Building Healthy Academic Communities (BHAC) Journal is the official journal of the National Consortium for Building Healthy Academic Communities (https://healthyacademics.org/). It is an Open Access journal published by The Ohio State University (OSU) Libraries. No author fees are charged. The journal is published twice a year.

We think broadly that academic communities extend beyond educational institutions and include medical centers, hospitals, departments of public health, community organizations and partners, and policymakers. Building a healthy academic community requires diversity in people, thought, and research. We encourage submissions that cover a variety of wellness topics, including health promotion, wellness programming and management, environmental health and safety, epidemiology, preventive health care, and evidence-based wellness.

Submission Categories:

1. Research Manuscripts
2. Research or Policy Brief Report
3. Case Study
4. Quality Improvement Project
5. Educational Brief

Style & Format

The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th ed. is used for editorial decisions regarding style. Manuscripts must adhere to the following format:

• For article structure by submission category, see table below.
• Microsoft Word, or RTF format.
• One-inch margins on 8.5 x 11 inch paper.
• Text should be left-justified using 12-point type.
• Double spaced throughout, including the title and abstract used 12-point font.
• Include page numbers in the footer.
• Use Standard English with American spelling and punctuation. We recommend performing an American English spell check: in Microsoft Word, go to Tools>Language>English(US).
• Avoid personal pronouns.
• Tables must be typed double spaced, one table to a page, numbered consecutively, and placed in the manuscript at the appropriate place. Since tables must be individually typeset, consolidation of data into the smallest number of tables is encouraged. A horizontal double underline should be made beneath the title of the table, and single underlines should be made the width of the table below the column headings and at the bottom of the table. Do not use vertical lines, and do not place horizontal lines in the interior of the table. Use footnotes, to clarify possible questions within the table, should be noted by asterisks, daggers, or other symbols to avoid confusion with numerical data. Tables should be referred to parenthetically in the text, for example (Table 1).
• Figures may be photographs, computer -generated drawings, or graphs and should uploaded as separate files. Position of figure placement should be clearly marked in the manuscript. All illustrations are referred to as “Figures” and must be numbered consecutively. Illustrations other than those generated by the author(s) must include permission for use and credit to the originator. The size and proportion of each illustration should be suitable for reduction to a single column. Excessive white space should be avoided. Illustrations will be reduced to one column width (3 and 3/8 inches) or two column width (7 inches) at the discretion of the editor. Font size must ensure readability after reduction. Incorporate a graphic scale on maps and other illustrations where original size is a concern. Each figure must have a complete legend that is typed, double-spaced, on a separate sheet which precedes the figures in the manuscript. Figures should be referred to parenthetically in the text, for example (Fig. 1).
• Peer Review: To ensure a blind review, do not include your name on your manuscript or in your file properties. Delete your name(s) from the text, with “Author” and year used in the references and footnotes, instead of the author’s name, article title, etc. To remove identifying information from the file in Microsoft Word, go to File>Properties.
• Single Document: Submit the article, notes, references, and captions in a single document.

Alternative text, also called "alt text" must be included for all images, charts, graphs, and figures. Alt text should be limited to 150 characters, and can be added to Word documents easily. Alt text should:

• Be descriptive and concise: Describe the image clearly but keep it brief. A few words to a short sentence for a simple image or illustration is ideal, and one to two sentences is appropriate for more detailed graphs and charts. See examples below.
• Add context: Include information that conveys the image's purpose and relevance within the article. Avoid simply describing what the image looks like.
• Avoid redundancy: Do not start with phrases like "image of" or "picture of." Avoid repeating any information that is used in the figure caption or text. Screen readers will announce the figure as an image, then read the alt text, and then read the figure caption, and the user will ideally be able to gather the information of the whole image from all three elements.
• Include relevant information: If the image contains relevant text, include it in the alt text.

Examples: We have included two generic cases in which an author would need to provide alt-text.

• Photograph/illustration: Describe what is shown. (Examples: A woman smiling with short brown hair and glasses from the shoulders up. OR A dog sits on the foreground with a sign that reads “No loitering” with a forest in the background.)
• Graph/diagram: Say what kind of graph or diagram is being shown (if applicable) and describe what is being measured/compared. Reminder, if the details of the graph/diagram are already described in the figure caption, it doesn’t necessarily have to be repeated in the alt-text. (Examples: A bar graph titled “Average cats per city” comparing the number of cats per household on the y-axis and the names of different cities on the x-axis. The cities include Columbus, Phoenix, Toronto, and Sacramento.)

Article Formatting by Submission Category

Each submission category has additional formatting requirements that must be followed.

Research Manuscripts

• Research manuscripts report new researching findings or critical reviews of the literature (systematic reviews, meta-analyses, or integrative and scoping reviews).
• Page Limit: 25 pages (including references & tables/figures)
• Structure: A structured abstract ≤ 200 words with: Aim, Background, Methods, Results, Conclusions. Keywords (3-5) should be listed on the abstract page. Article must be structured with clearly defined sections: Background, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions.
• Observational studies must follow STROBE (strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology) reporting guidelines: https://www.strobe-statement.org/checklists/
• Randomized controlled trial studies must follow CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) reporting guidelines: https://www.consort-statement.org/
• Critical literature reviews must follow PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) reporting guidelines: https://doi.org/10.1136%2Fbmj.n71

Research or Policy Brief

• Research brief articles should briefly and concisely summarize research knowledge on a particular health and wellness topic. A research brief can also include a concise summary of a small pilot study.
• Policy brief articles should explore questions currently being discussed in health and wellness policy at institutions of higher education and healthcare.
• Page Limit: 8 pages (including references & tables).
• Structure: A structured abstract ≤ 200 words with the following: Aim, Background, Methods, Results, Conclusions. Keywords (3-5) should be listed on the abstract page. Article must be structured with clearly defined sections: Background, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions.

Case Study

• Case studies should discuss new or rare diseases; evaluate therapeutic effect, adverse event, and cost of an intervention; or improve problem-based education. The report should be applicable to a real-world setting.
• Case studies must follow CARE (CAse Reports) Guidelines: https://www.care-statement.org/
• Page Limit: 8 pages (including references & tables).
• Structure: A descriptive abstract providing a brief overview of the content, detailing major points and findings. Keywords (3-5) should be listed on the abstract page.

Article must be structured with clearly defined sections: Background, Analysis of the Case, Effective Strategies, and Recommendations

Quality Improvement Project

• QI articles should prospectively and proactively examine existing processes and making measurable improvements. Can include an evaluation component that assesses a program and uncovers needs.
• Page Limit: 8 pages (including references & tables).
• Structure: A structured abstract ≤ 200 words with the following: Aim, Background, Methods, Results, Conclusions. Keywords (3-5) should be listed on the abstract page. Article must be structured with clearly defined sections: Background, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions.

Educational Brief

• Educational briefs report on strategies that have enhanced health and wellness competency in students, clinicians, patients, or community members.
• Page Limit: 8 pages (including references & tables).
• Structure: A descriptive abstract providing a brief overview of the content, detailing major points and findings. Keywords (3-5) should be listed on the abstract page. Article must be structure with clearly defined sections: Background, aim(s) or the teaching strategy, implementation, and outcomes.

Revised Submissions

When submitting your revisions, please upload a tracked and clean version of your article documents and a letter to the editor detailing how you responded to each reviewer comment in the form of a table (see table example below). Revisions should be returned within 3 weeks of receiving the notification, unless told otherwise.