Aims & Scope
Research Scope: Tiered Framework
IJHS employs a three-tier scope structure to guide authors. Core domains receive priority review, while emerging areas undergo additional editorial assessment for population health relevance.
Tier 1: Core Research Domains
Epidemiological Methods & Disease Surveillance
- Disease incidence and prevalence estimation methods
- Surveillance system design and evaluation
- Outbreak detection algorithms and spatial epidemiology
- Risk factor identification through cohort and case-control studies
- Infectious disease transmission modeling
- Chronic disease burden assessment at population level
Biostatistics & Statistical Methodology
- Survival analysis and time-to-event methods
- Longitudinal data analysis for health outcomes
- Missing data imputation techniques in health surveys
- Causal inference methods for observational health data
- Meta-analysis and systematic review methodologies
- Sample size and power calculations for population studies
Public Health Policy & Health Systems
- Health policy impact evaluation using quasi-experimental designs
- Health economics and cost-effectiveness analysis
- Healthcare access and utilization patterns
- Health systems performance measurement
- Screening program effectiveness and optimization
- Vaccination coverage and immunization strategies
Global Health & Health Disparities
- Social determinants of health and health equity
- Cross-national comparative health statistics
- Health disparities by race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status
- Environmental health risk assessment
- Occupational health epidemiology
- Climate change impacts on population health
Tier 2: Secondary Focus Areas
Cross-disciplinary research that applies statistical methods to population health questions. These areas complement our core domains and receive standard review timelines.
Health Information Systems
Electronic health record data quality assessment, health information exchange evaluation, and digital health surveillance platforms for population monitoring.
Nutritional Epidemiology
Dietary pattern analysis, nutritional surveillance methods, and population-level associations between nutrition and health outcomes (obesity, metabolic syndrome).
Mental Health Statistics
Population prevalence of mental disorders, mental health service utilization patterns, and suicide surveillance systems. Focus on epidemiological methods, not clinical psychiatry.
Aging & Geriatric Epidemiology
Population aging trends, dementia prevalence estimation, healthy aging indicators, and age-specific disease burden. Statistical methods for aging populations, not geriatric clinical care.
Physical Activity & Lifestyle
Population-level physical activity surveillance, sedentary behavior measurement, and associations with chronic disease outcomes at community or national scales.
Bioinformatics for Population Health
Genomic epidemiology, population genetics, and bioinformatic methods applied to disease surveillance or public health genomics. Not basic molecular biology.
Article Types & Editorial Priorities
IJHS publishes diverse article formats, with priority given to methodologically rigorous original research and systematic reviews that advance population health statistics.
Fast-Track
Original Research Articles & Systematic Reviews
Full-length studies (4,000-8,000 words) presenting novel statistical methods, large-scale epidemiological analyses, or policy evaluations. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses with quantitative synthesis. Target decision: 21 days.
Fast-Track
Methods & Statistical Innovations
Papers introducing new statistical techniques, software tools, or methodological frameworks for health data analysis. Must include simulation studies or real-world application. Target decision: 21 days.
Standard
Short Communications & Data Notes
Brief reports (1,500-3,000 words) on preliminary findings, replication studies, or novel datasets. Data notes describe publicly available health datasets with statistical summaries. Target decision: 35 days.
Standard
Perspectives & Commentaries
Invited or submitted opinion pieces (1,000-2,000 words) on emerging issues in health statistics, policy implications of recent research, or methodological debates. Must be data-informed. Target decision: 35 days.
Case Reports & Opinion Pieces
Individual case reports and purely opinion-based essays are generally outside our scope. Exceptions may be made for case reports with significant methodological innovation or population health implications, subject to editorial discretion.
Editorial Standards & Requirements
IJHS adheres to international standards for transparent and reproducible health research. All submissions must comply with relevant reporting guidelines and ethical requirements.
Reporting Guidelines
- CONSORT for randomized trials
- STROBE for observational studies
- PRISMA for systematic reviews
- STARD for diagnostic accuracy
- ARRIVE for animal studies
- RECORD for routinely collected data
Data & Code Sharing
- Data availability statement required
- Public data deposition encouraged
- Statistical code sharing recommended
- Synthetic data for privacy-sensitive studies
- Compliance with FAIR principles
Ethics & Integrity
- IRB/Ethics committee approval required
- Informed consent documentation
- Conflict of interest disclosure
- Adherence to Helsinki Declaration
- ICMJE authorship criteria
Preprint & Prior Publication
- Preprints welcomed and encouraged
- Conference abstracts permitted
- No prior full-text publication
- Preprint DOI must be disclosed
- Compliance with Sherpa Romeo policies
Publication Metrics & Author Information
Key Performance Indicators
Questions about scope? If you are uncertain whether your manuscript fits within IJHS scope, we encourage pre-submission inquiries. Contact the editorial office at [email protected] with a 200-word abstract and brief rationale for fit. We aim to respond within 5 business days.
