Information for Authors
Purpose of the Bulletin | Submitting manuscripts | Structure | Length | Language and style | Tables | Graphs | Repetition | Abbreviations | Numbers | References | Bibliography | Manuscript accession processes | Peer review | Questions, problems or more detailed informationPurpose of the Bulletin
The bulletin aims to provide its readers with population health data and information to motivate effective public health action. Readers include public health professionals within the NSW Department of Health, health services throughout NSW, but also inclined readers in Australia and overseas, and general interested readers.
We welcome submitted manuscripts in all areas of public health. Articles are reviewed by at least one specialist reviewer and then edited before publication (and edited proofs are returned to authors for checking).
Submitting manuscripts
Send one copy of your double-spaced manuscript and a disc copy (in a Word for Windows format) to:
The Editor
NSW Public Health Bulletin
Locked Mail Bag 961
North Sydney NSW 2059
Alternatively, send it as an email attachment to:
phbulletin@doh.health.nsw.gov.au
It should be accompanied by a covering letter telling us the names, institutional affiliations, addresses and contact numbers of the authors. Authors should obtain the appropriate clearances from their directors or supervisors before submission.
Structure
While we have no prescribed structure, the first paragraph should briefly describe what the article covers. The standard article format (Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion) can be used as a guide. The article does not need a separate abstract, but you should add a short introductory paragraph summarising key points.
Length
The preferred length for Bulletin articles, including references, is 1000 words. Tables and figures may be additional to that. News and comments should be 500 words at the most.
Language and style
The Bulletin follows the guidelines of the AGPS Style Manual.
The text of the Bulletin should be accessible to its broad readership.Therefore the language should be clear, and jargon avoided.
Tables
Tables should be simple without any distracting elements such as lines and shading. Use lines at top and bottom and below the heading row only. Do not use vertical lines or boxes. The table should have a title which should clearly describe what the table is about. Each column and row should have a heading. Abbreviations should be explained in a footnote.
Graphs
Graphs should be simple. Every line should have a purpose and should be part of the message of the graph. Do not use three-dimensional boxes or unnecessary shading. If you need to distinguish columns in a histogram, use a pattern rather than a colour or shading. Do not enclose graphs in boxes.
Graphs need a figure legend (which should include all explanatory text: that is, avoid displaying stray text on the graph itself), and both axes should be labelled. Make sure that text on the graph is large enough to be legible when the graph is reduced to the size of a column (8 cm wide).
Repetition
If material is presented in a table or graph, there is no need to repeat it in the text.
Abbreviations
Avoid using abbreviations unless there are many repetitions (more than five). Abbreviations are appropriate in tables and graphs, but these should be explained in a footnote.
Numbers
Use words for the numbers one to nine (integers), and use figures for numbers over 10+. Numbers should be used in abstracts and tables, all measurements, and all percentages.
References
The Bulletin uses the Vancouver style for references. If you have not used it before, it is most easily learned from examples. See the New England Journal of Medicine 1997, volume 336, pages 309 to 315 (copies available from the Bulletin office).
The reference list should not include notes, which should be incorporated in the text of the article.
Do not use your word-processor endnote generator (because references can be lost when files are converted), instead mark each citation as a superscript number in the text, and list the references at the end of the document.
Bibliography
The following are useful texts to refer to when preparing papers for publication.
Style manual for authors, editors and printers. 5th edn. Canberra: AGPS Press, 1994.
AMA manual of style. 9th edn. Williams and Wilkins, 1998.
CBE manual of style. 6th edn. Chicago, Council of Biology Editors, 1996.
Day R. How to write and publish a scientific paper. 5th edn. Oryx Press, 1998.
Tufte E. The visual display of quantitative information. Graphics Press, 1992.
Manuscript accession processes
The Bulletin's editor is active in seeking material, especially for special themes and topical subjects. In addition, several unsolicited articles are submitted to the Bulletin each year. About half the submitted articles are found to be unsuitable for publication, mainly because of inadequate scientific quality, lack of novel content or analysis, or because of excessive length.
Accepted, published manuscripts and rejected articles and associated correspondence are kept for a year after the editor's decision before disposal.
Peer review
The Bulletin uses peer review to maintain standards and ensure relevance. Not all material submitted to the Bulletin is accepted. Articles must provide new information and be scientifically valid. Authors of highly clinical papers are referred to other journals.
Submitted and invited papers are reviewed by at least one expert in the subject. Many papers require further review, not because the first reviewer's evaluation or comments are inadequate, but because questions are raised on the first assessment. Most articles require some revision by the authors, and many are then re-reviewed by the specialist peer reviewer.
Each reviewer is provided with standard guidelines to focus his or her evaluation, and each reviewer also receives feedback on the fate of the submitted article.
The time between submission of a manuscript and a decision by the editor regarding publication depends on the nature of the manuscript, and the availability and other commitments of the reviewer. The Bulletin follows a standard protocol for administering the peer review process. This includes sending manuscripts for review within two days of receipt, following up late reviews, and forwarding reviewers' comments to authors (after scrutiny and analysis by the editor) within a few days of receipt.
Questions, problems or more detailed information
Phone Jeane Balcombe on 61 (0)2 9424 5876 or email phbulletin@doh.health.nsw.gov.au
