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Submission of Manuscripts

Health Communication is dedicated to publishing scientific, scholarly articles on the relationship between communication and health. Submissions are welcomed from scholars and practitioners in communication, psychology, sociology, and the other social sciences, as well as those in medicine, nursing, dentistry, physical therapy, dietetics, pharmacy, and the allied health professions. Although most of the published articles are data based, we also welcome pedagogical, methodological, theoretical, and applied submissions, as well as reviews and policy pieces. Both qualitative and quantitative methods are appropriate. Areas to be addressed in the journal include, but are not limited to, provider– patient (or -family) interaction, communication, and cooperation; health information; health promotion; interviewing; health public relations; and gerontological concerns. An important consideration for the judging of articles is the extent to which they focus on actual communicative behavior.

Manuscript Submission: Health Communication is now using an online submission and review system, Editorial Manager, through which authors submit double-spaced manuscripts and track their progress up until acceptance for publication. Authors should enter the requested information into the system and submit the following files: (a) a cover letter file, containing any comments to the editor; (b) a manuscript file (submitted in Word or WordPerfect), containing the entire text of the article, including the title page (authorship omitted), the abstract, all text, references, footnotes, and appendixes; (c) figures and tables, which may either be included at the end of the manuscript file or submitted as separate files. Please refer to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association for format of tables. Log onto Printable PDF Version for information and instructions regarding registration and manuscript submission. Only original manuscripts submitted to Health Communication will be considered for publication. The cover letter should include a statement that the manuscript is not being submitted elsewhere. All manuscripts submitted to this journal undergo editorial screening and blind peer review by three anonymous reviewers. Authors will be notified of the disposition of their manuscripts expeditiously.

Book Reviews: Authors and publishers who would like their books reviewed should send them to Bryan B. Whaley, Department of Communication, University of San Francisco, 2130 Fulton Street, San Francisco, CA 94117-1080. Authors who would like to submit book reviews to the journal should go to http://www.editorialmanager.com/hc and follow the site's instructions, with the file name they submit clearly indicating that it is a book review.

Format and Organization: Manuscripts should be prepared according to the guidelines in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.) and should be no longer than 25 pages. Double-space all text, including references, figure captions, footnotes, and tables. Prepare manuscripts for masked review—authors' names and affiliations should not appear on the title page or elsewhere in the manuscript file (they can be keyed into the system and placed on a separate page in the cover letter file). The manuscript file should also include a shortened version of the title of the manuscript for use as a running head (40 characters or fewer, including spaces).

Permissions: Authors are responsible for all statements made in their work and for obtaining permission from copyright owners to use lengthy quotations (500 words or more) or to reprint or adapt tables or figures published elsewhere. Authors should write to both author(s) and publisher of such material to request nonexclusive world rights in all languages for use in the article and in future editions of it.

Content: Do not use new technical words, psychological jargon or slang, or terminology not consistent with the style guidelines in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Define any abbreviations or acronyms the first time they are used.

References: Double-space. Compile references alphabetically (see the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association for multiple-author citations and references). Spell out names of journals. Provide page numbers of chapters in edited books. Text citations must correspond accurately to the references in the reference list.

Production Procedures: After a manuscript is accepted for publication, authors are asked to submit a final version of the manu-script. Files are copyedited, typeset into page proofs, and e-mailed to authors. Authors are responsible for reading of proofs and for correcting errors and answering editors' queries.

Reprints: Authors may order reprints of their articles when they receive page proofs. Printing considerations do not permit the ordering of reprints after authors have returned proofs.