SUBMIT A NEW (UNSOLICITED) MANUSCRIPT
Use these instructions if you are submitting a new manuscript that was not solicited by the editors. If you are submitting a revised paper, an interview, an invited Perspective, a paper invited for a theme issue of the journal, or a letter to the editor, you must follow different instructions; return to the Help for Authors main page and click on the appropriate link.
All manuscripts must be submitted via Health Affairs’ online manuscript processing system.
Log In
You must have a user account before you can submit a paper. If you have a user account, log in using your user ID and password at the login screen. If you have an account but have forgotten your user ID or password, go to the login screen, enter your e-mail address in the “Password Help” field, then click on “Go.” You will receive e-mail with instructions on how to obtain a user ID and password. If you do not have a user account, you can establish one by going to the login screen and clicking on “Create Account” in the upper right-hand corner of the page. To create an account, you will need to supply your first and last name, e-mail address, job title and institution, mailing address, phone number, a password, and a list of your areas of expertise.
Submitting A Paper
Once you have logged in, you will be at your main menu. Click on “Author Center,” then click on the link to submit a new manuscript. If you are returning to complete a submission that you started previously, scroll down to “Unsubmitted Manuscripts,” find the appropriate manuscript title, then click on “Continue Submission.” Please follow all instructions.
Required Information
To complete the submission process, you will need the following information and documents:
1. Manuscript type: There are several manuscript types to choose from; select the one that most accurately describes your paper. If you are unsure of the manuscript type, select “other.” If you are submitting a Narrative Matters paper, it is very important that you select “Narrative Matters” in the “manuscript type” field, in order for the paper to be routed properly.
2. Title, keywords, and abstract of 100 words or fewer (abstract not required for Narrative Matters submissions).
3. Keywords: You must enter at least one keyword for the paper, but you may enter more. You must select from the dropdown list provided. We would encourage you to enter as many keywords as needed to accurately characterize the paper, because this aids in assigning appropriate reviewers.
4. Coauthors: If you have coauthors, you must enter their names and contact information. You can find out if your coauthors already have user accounts by entering their e-mail addresses in the indicated field. If user accounts exist, the appropriate information will be entered automatically. The submitting author will be selected as the corresponding author by default, but you may change this by checking the “corresponding author” box for the appropriate author. Authors will be listed in the order entered, but the order can be changed by using the “order” dropdown boxes.
5. Reviewers: You may request that we consider particular individuals to review your paper, and also may request that we avoid particular individuals (make sure to use the correct checkbox—“preferred” or “nonpreferred”). Preferred reviewers should be knowledgeable in your field but should have no knowledge of your current submission. If you offer any nonpreferred reviewers, you should explain your reasons in your cover letter. Any individuals whom you have asked to review your paper prior to submission should be listed as "nonpreferred" reviewers. Editors will consider these requests but cannot guarantee that they will be honored.
6. Cover letter: You may submit a cover letter by entering it into the “cover letter” field or attaching an already composed document.
7. Information pertaining to your manuscript: You will need to indicate the following
a. The number of exhibits (figures, graphs, charts, tables).
b. The number of words in the manuscript. The count must include the abstract, main text, and endnotes, but not exhibits or supplemental materials.
c. Whether the submission includes any supplemental material.
d. Whether the manuscript has been previously submitted to the journal.
e. Whether the paper is being submitted for consideration for a theme issue of the journal.
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f. Whether the paper has been presented at a meeting (this information will be included with the paper if it is published, so please word it just as you would like it to appear).
g. The sources of funding for the paper (this information will be included with the paper if it is published, so please word it just as you would like it to appear).
h. Whether any authors have conflicts of interest related to the submission (this information may be included with the paper if it is published, so please word it just as you would like it to appear).
i. Whether there are acknowledgments, disclaimers, or disclosures (this information will be included with the paper if it is published, so please word it just as you would like it to appear).
j. You will also be asked to confirm that the paper has been submitted exclusively to Health Affairs, that it has not been previously published, that the work behind the paper meets applicable ethical standards, and that all authors are willing to take public responsibility for the work and satisfy the requirements of authorship.
8. Manuscript files: The initial submission of your manuscript may include several kinds of files to be uploaded, all of which will be converted by the system into documents in PDF and HTML format for ease of use throughout the review process. The different kinds of files and requirements for each are described below.
a. Manuscript text, abstract, and endnotes: Submit one document in a standard word-processing format (such as MS Word) that includes your 100-word abstract (not required for Narrative Matters submissions), the main text of the manuscript, and the endnotes; all text should be double-spaced and prepared in 12-point Courier New font or its equivalent. All pages should be numbered. This file MUST NOT include a cover page or any other pages that identify the authors of the manuscript. It must also not include any running headers or footers that identify the authors. All of the material in this file will be counted in your document word count. Do not include exhibits or supplemental material as part of this file.
b. Exhibits: You may submit exhibits--tables, graphs, or charts--as part of the manuscript. Files for exhibits should be submitted in their original format (such as MS Excel, PowerPoint, etc.), which must be editable; that is, they must not be simply graphic renditions of your exhibits, and editors must be able to recover plotting points for any charts or graphs. You may submit several separate files for exhibits, or you may combine several exhibits into one file. If you combine them, please make sure that each exhibit is on a separate page. Exhibits should have clear and simple titles and labels, and the source(s) for the information presented should always be mentioned in a footnote to each exhibit, along with any explanatory notes. Plotting points will be required if your paper is accepted for publication but are not necessary at this submission stage.
Exhibits must be numbered consecutively (not separately as “table” and “figure”) in the order in which they are mentioned, and they must be referred to in the text by their appropriate number (with approximate location indicated by a “callout” in the text). There is no strict limit on how many exhibits can be included in a published paper, but we discourage authors from submitting more than six exhibits with one paper. The exhibit files must not include any information that identifies the authors of the paper. The material in these files does not count in the document word count.
c. Supplemental materials: You may include supplemental materials with the manuscript. These could include detailed discussion of data/methods or technical discussion of results, large tables or graphics too complicated to include in the published version of a paper, survey instruments, extended bibliographies, etc. You may submit these materials in any format that is suitable to the material (for example, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, etc.). They will be supplied to reviewers but typically will not be published with the manuscript (although they could be made available in the form of an online supplement to a published paper).
The files for supplementary material should not include any information that identifies the authors of the paper. The contents of these files do not count in the document word count; nonetheless, if you do include supplemental materials, we encourage you to present them in a concise, clear, and well-organized fashion. You should make explicit references to these items in appropriate locations in the text of the manuscript.
Additional Information
For additional information on manuscript preparation and the review process, Health Affairs’ editorial policies and philosophy, or other matters, go to the Help for Authors main page and select the appropriate link.
If you have any questions about the submission process, please contact Health Affairs’ executive editor, Don Metz, at dmetz@projecthope.org or 301-347-3907.
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