Author Instructions: Journal of Primary Health Care
Please contact [Link]@[Link] with any questions.
Scope .......................................................................................................................................... 1
Open Access............................................................................................................................... 2
Journal Editorial Policy.............................................................................................................. 2
Ethics Approval ......................................................................................................................... 3
Use of inclusive language .......................................................................................................... 3
Sensitivities statements .............................................................................................................. 3
Submission of manuscripts ........................................................................................................ 4
Preparation of manuscripts ........................................................................................................ 4
Types of Articles ........................................................................................................................ 4
Original scientific papers ........................................................................................................... 5
Quality improvement reports ..................................................................................................... 5
Viewpoints ................................................................................................................................. 5
Letters to the Editor ................................................................................................................... 5
Title page ................................................................................................................................... 5
How to Write Original Scientific Papers ................................................................................... 5
How to Write a Quality Improvement Report ........................................................................... 7
Tables ......................................................................................................................................... 9
Illustrations ................................................................................................................................ 9
References .................................................................................................................................. 9
Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................. 10
Data Availability Statement ..................................................................................................... 10
Competing Interests ................................................................................................................. 10
Declaration of Funding ............................................................................................................ 10
Supplementary files ................................................................................................................. 11
Scope
The Journal of Primary Health Care (JPHC) is a peer-reviewed research journal publishing
original research relevant to primary health care in New Zealand, Australia and Pacific
nations. Its scope includes the fields of family/general practice, rural hospital medicine,
primary health care nursing, community pharmacy, physiotherapy, counselling, allied health
care and the kaiāwhina (unregulated) workforce, as well as areas such as health systems and
policy, health care delivery, health promotion, epidemiology and public health of interest to a
primary health care provider audience. We welcome submissions from established and early
career academic researchers and practising clinicians.
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Open Access
The JPHC is a fully open access journal. All articles:
• may be viewed immediately after publication by anyone with an internet connection
anywhere in the world without the need for a subscription
• may be uploaded to any personal, institutional or public repository subject to
acknowledgement of the author and journal in accordance with a CC-BY-NC-ND licence
• may be downloaded, shared, copied, or redistributed in any medium or format provided the
terms of the appropriate Creative Commons licence are followed.
Articles are published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs4.0
(CC-BY-NC-ND) licence: ([Link]
Under this licence, readers can share, redistribute and reuse the article without permission as
long as it is not done for commercial purposes and as long as the article is not changed. Those
wanting to make derivatives or use content commercially can contact us to discuss your
needs. When sharing or reusing any article, attribution must be given to the original source.
Alternative Creative Commons licences are available on request.
There are no article processing charges (APC), nor subscription or submission charges for the
JPHC.
Journal Editorial Policy
Authors should obtain the appropriate clearances from their directors or supervisors before
submission. Manuscripts submitted to the JPHC must be offered exclusively to the Journal
and must conform with the Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical
journals. Submission of an article implies that it has not been previously published, is not
being considered for publication elsewhere, and that the contents are original. If a submitted
article overlaps considerably with previously published articles or articles submitted
elsewhere, copies of these should be included with the submitted manuscript.
The JPHC subscribes to the criteria for authorship as outlined by the International Committee
of Medical Journal Editors. All persons designated as authors should qualify for authorship,
and all those who qualify should be listed. Each author should have participated sufficiently
in the work to take public responsibility for appropriate portions of the content. At least one
author, ‘corresponding author’, should take responsibility for the integrity of the work as a
whole, from inception to published article. Authorship credit should be based only on:
(a) substantial contributions to conception and design or acquisition of data, or analysis and
interpretation of data,
(b) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content, and
(c) final approval of the version to be published.
Distinction must be made between those who have made a substantial contribution as authors
and those who should be named in Acknowledgements. Authors are responsible for obtaining
permission to use figures and tables previously published in other books or journals. It is also
the responsibility of the authors to check reproduced materials against the original for
accuracy. As part of the editorial process, manuscripts will be screened using the iThenticate
system to verify originality.
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Ethics Approval
For studies involving people, medical records, and human tissues, the JPHC requires authors
to document that a formally constituted review board (ethics committee or institutional
review board) has granted approval for the research to be done. If the study is judged exempt
from review, a statement explaining the reason for exemption is required. Informed consent
by participants should be sought when appropriate. If this is not possible, an institutional
review board must decide if this is ethically acceptable. All investigators should follow the
principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki regarding human experimentation, and
make a statement attesting that these principles were followed while conducting the research.
Authors must make their statement about ethics approval or waiver in the methods section of
all original scientific papers, including date and name of the ethics review board.
Use of inclusive language
These guidelines should be used to assist in identifying appropriate language and ensuring
that there is no implicit racism or discrimination, but are by no means exhaustive or
definitive. Inclusive language comprises carefully chosen words and phrases that are
respectful and promote the acceptance and value of all people. It is language which is free
from words, phrases or tones that demean, insult, exclude, stereotype, or trivialise people on
the basis of their membership of a certain group or because of a particular attribute. As such,
inclusive language should make no assumptions about the beliefs or commitments of any
reader, and contain nothing which might imply that one individual is superior to another on
any grounds including but not limited to: age, gender, race, ethnicity, culture, sexual
orientation, disability or health condition. We encourage the use of plural nouns (e.g., 'they'
as default wherever possible instead of 'he/she'), and recommend avoiding the use of
descriptors that refer to personal attributes, unless there is scientific or clinical relevance. For
further guidance on inclusive language see Inclusive language | Style Manual.
NZ authors need to be cognisant of the principles of Te Tiriti (Treaty of Waitangi). In the
Australian context, if there are questions about language use and/or publishing with regards
to First Nations people, please contact the Journal. We encourage authors to consider and
acknowledge where research has been conducted on traditional lands and pay respects to
traditional owners.
Sensitivities statements
JPHC supports the integration of diverse histories, knowledge and perspectives in our
publications as well as representing traditional practices and voices of First Nations peoples.
We encourage authors to consider working with co-authors from diverse backgrounds or
experiences to provide different perspectives and authentic experience that will enrich their
work. NZ authors need to be sensitive to cultural practices and voices of Indigenous Māori
and Pasifika.
To provide context or assist understanding, authors may occasionally use photographs or
quotes to represent historical context. This content might include language that is now
considered offensive to some readers or photographs and names of deceased First Nations
peoples that require sensitivity warnings, especially in the Australian context.
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Submission of manuscripts
Please submit your paper using our online journal management system ScholarOne
Manuscripts, which can be reached directly through this link or from the link on the JPHC´s
homepage. If you are a first-time user, register via the ´Register here´ link; otherwise use
your existing username and password to log in. Then click on the ´Author Centre´ link and
proceed. Please include a covering letter that offers a justification for publication.
ScholarOne requires authors to list at least two potential referees, which the Editor-in-Chief
may take into consideration if sending the manuscript out for peer review. Do not include any
names of current or recent collaborators, members of your own research institution/group or
other people who could be viewed as not impartial to your research outputs. Potential
reviewers should be expert in some aspect of your research, which should be highlighted in
your submission.
Preparation of manuscripts
Submissions should be double-spaced, left-justified with 2.5 cm margins in either Arial or
Times New Roman black font with one space between words and sentences. Number all
pages consecutively and use consecutive line numbering on all pages of the manuscript. Use
bold for Heading level 1, bold italic for Heading level 2 and italic for Heading level 3. Please
use UK or NZ spelling, not US.
Use abbreviations sparingly and generally only when there are many repetitions. Define
abbreviations upon their first appearance in the text. Abbreviations are appropriate in tables
and graphs, but these should be explained in a footnote.
The JPHC encourages the use of appropriate Māori terms, with the English translation
following in brackets. The spelling should include macrons above the vowels or double
vowels where appropriate. We are comfortable with the use of Aotearoa New Zealand. When
an abbreviation is required, define as Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) and then use NZ in the
text. If you wish to acknowledge your ancestry (ie iwi affiliation, Pacific identity or other)
please add this in brackets after your last name eg (Ngātiwai, Ngāpuhi, Sāmoan).
The JPHC encourages tightly written articles with a clear main message. We recommend that
you write in the active voice and first person, and make every effort to avoid unnecessary
words.
Types of Articles
The Journal of Primary Health Care accepts submissions in the following categories. All
word counts exclude the title page, abstract, tables, references and declaration statements.
Article type Maximum word count
Original scientific paper:
Quantitative research 2500
Qualitative and mixed methods research 3500
Systematic and scoping reviews 3000
Short research report 1500
Quality improvement report 2500
Viewpoint 1000
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Letter to Editor 400
The JPHC does not publish case reports, research protocols, clinical updates, expert reviews,
fiction, poetry, nor book reviews.
Original scientific papers
The JPHC publishes original research relevant to its primary health care practitioner audience
from diverse perspectives including clinical, community, health service, health care system
and policy. The types of original scientific papers are quantitative research; qualitative and
mixed methods research; systematic and scoping reviews and short research reports. These
research papers all follow the IMRaD (Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion)
structure. See detailed instructions for Original Scientific Papers.
Quality improvement reports
Improving performance papers present evidence to suggest that a clinical performance
problem exists or existed, describe or suggest practical changes, and as far as possible
measure the outcomes of introduced changes. We encourage submissions from general
practice and primary care practices, primary health organisations, district health boards (or
their equivalent), and similar health care delivery organisations. See detailed instructions for
Quality Improvement Report.
Viewpoints
Viewpoints include perspectives, discussions and reflections that may explore areas of
uncertainty, of ethics, of aspects of care for which there is “no one right answer”. These may
include accounts of personal experience. Viewpoints should be concise and have a clear and
focused message. They do not include an abstract. They undergo either internal or external
peer review. Maximum word count 1000.
Letters to the Editor
Letters may respond to published papers published in the journal in the past six months, or
raise matters of interest relevant to primary health care. The best letters are succinct and
stimulating. Letters are not externally peer reviewed. It is at the Editor's discretion whether or
not to publish a letter. The Editors reserve the right to abridge and edit the letter in any way
necessary. Maximum word count 400.
Title page
List all authors’ names, affiliations and addresses, and ORCID iD where available. The order
of authors on the submission form will be the order of authors used in the accepted
manuscript. To avoid confusion, please ensure that the order of authors in the manuscript
matches that on the submission form. Corresponding authors must provide a full postal and e-
mail address and an ORCID iD.
How to Write Original Scientific Papers
Maximum word count: All original scientific papers follow the same structure of
Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion, but the word count varies: maximum word
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count is 2500 for quantitative research, 3500 for qualitative and mixed methods research,
3000 for systematic and scoping reviews, and 1500 for short research reports. All word
counts exclude the title page, abstract, tables, references and declaration statements. A
maximum of 5 tables or figures are allowed. Supplementary files can also be submitted for
additional tables and figures or other items that are not appropriate to be included in the body
of the paper. These do not add to the word count.
Title: Provide a title that is a clear and concise description of the topic of the research and the
methods and setting used for the study. We recommend two clauses separated by a colon,
with the method in the second clause, for example 'Health Care Home implementation in
Otago and Southland: a qualitative evaluation’.
Abstract: Abstracts should be structured sub-headings Introduction, Aim, Methods, Results,
Discussion and be clear and succinct. Do not include abbreviations or references in the
abstract. Maximum 250 words.
Keywords: Eight keywords or phrases should be provided (recommended to use MeSH
terms). Consider including some or all your keywords in the title or abstract.
What gap this fills: Summarise what was already known about the topic and what your work
has added to the body of knowledge, with particular relevance to primary health care. No
more than two short sentences should be included under each of the headings “What is
already known” and “What this research adds”.
Main text: Original Scientific papers should follow the “IMRaD” structure: Introduction,
Methods, Results, and Discussion. Relevant sub-headings may be used in the Method,
Results and Discussion sections.
INTRODUCTION: A clear succinct review of current knowledge on the topic to provide a
context or background for the study – for example the nature and significance of the problem
or gap in knowledge to be addressed. The final paragraph should contain the study aim with
both primary and secondary objectives of the work.
METHODS: Describe the study design, setting, and participants (how they were selected and
how many potential participants declined to be involved in the research). Comprehensively
describe the data used in the study the methods used to obtain the research data and how the
data were analysed. Please state that the project has received ethical approval, the approving
institution and approval identifier; or provide reasons for exemption from ethics committee
review.
RESULTS: This section presents the study findings. If the study design relies on statistical
analyses (including descriptive statistics), include absolute numbers as well as percentages,
and provide indicators or measures of uncertainty or error, such as confident intervals, as well
as P values. Do not duplicate in the text the data in tables or figures but summarise the key
findings. If the analysis relies on direct quotes from participants include sufficient quotes to
support the conclusions, numbered to indicate the respondent, but anonymised to avoid
respondent identification. These can either be inserted in the text (in italics and indented) or
presented in table form with themes and sub-themes illustrated by appropriate quotes.
DISCUSSION: Summarise the main findings and interpret them in the context of previous
relevant studies, stating how this research extends existing knowledge. Acknowledge the
strengths and limitations of the research and discuss the implication of the findings with
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respect to practice, policy or future research. End with one or two sentences that state key
conclusions.
Reporting guidelines and checklists: For many kinds of research, there are widely accepted
reporting guidelines which can improve the consistency, quality, and rigor of the published
work. JPHC recommends that authors review the guideline list at [Link]/
and decide whether you choose to use an appropriate reporting guideline to frame your work.
For example, you may wish to use CONSORT for randomised trials, COREQ for qualitative
studies and PRISMA for systematic reviews. A recent consensus statement, CRISP, provides
a checklist for reporting clinical studies in primary care. If you choose to complete a
reporting guideline/checklist, please include it as a separate supplementary (appendix) file.
Tables and Figures: Information should not be duplicated in both text and tables or figures.
Tables and figures should be separately uploaded to the Journal website along with the main
manuscript. See Tables and Illustrations sections for further details.
References: Authors are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of references. Add a list of
references used in the manuscript, using the BMJ Vancouver style. References are labelled
numerically with superscript consecutive numbers in the main text and listed in the same
order in the reference list. The superscript reference number should be placed immediately
after the punctuation with no space. See Reference section for further details.
How to Write a Quality Improvement Report
These articles may cover any aspect of performance improvement in primary health care.
These evaluations or audits may present evidence to indicate that a problem of quality of
practice may exist, suggest indications for changes in practice, or contribute towards defining
standards or developing measures of outcome. Maximum word count 2500 words excluding
the title page, abstract, tables, references and declaration statements.
We welcome submissions from primary care practices and organisations of audits,
programmes, and other initiatives contributing to new knowledge. We welcome both
activities that have been successful and those that have not. Sharing your experiences allows
us to learn from each other. Improving Performance papers will be peer-reviewed but under
different criteria from original scientific papers.
Please follow instructions for original scientific papers with respect to Title, Keywords, What
gap this fills?, Tables and Figures and References.
Structured abstract: Background and context, Assessment of problem, Results, Strategies for
improvement, Lessons Learnt (maximum 250 words).
Main text:
BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT
1. Outline of problem, e.g.
What was the problem that was identified for study (problem definition)?
How was it identified?
Why was it a priority?
What were the stated objectives of audit?
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2. Outline of context (local and wider), e.g.
Relevant details of local hospital or practice, etc.
Local internal organisation and structures relevant to the problem
Wider context of the problem
Staffing arrangements such as how staff work together
ASSESSMENT OF THE PROBLEM
1. Detail of the approach taken with justification, e.g.
Criteria-based audit, critical incident, routine monitoring, TQM tools and techniques
2. Criteria, standards or guidelines developed, e.g.
Who set them and how they were developed?
Were they considered ideal or realistic?
3. Measurement of problem, e.g.
How was this done?
Who did the assessment?
How was it analysed?
RESULTS OF ASSESSMENT OR MEASUREMENT
How results were used to understand the problem, e.g.
How results were put into local context
Implications for improving the quality of care
Implications for change
STRATEGIES FOR QUALITY IMPROVEMENT OR CHANGE
1. Feeding back information to relevant staff, e.g.
How this was done?
Why was this approach chosen?
Who was included?
What was their response?
2. Mechanism for change, e.g.
What course of action was taken and why?
Was this justified by the results and context?
Discussion of ease of change versus likely effectiveness
Who was or would be affected by change
LESSONS LEARNT
What changes occurred? If changes did not occur – why not?
What were the benefits for patients?
Lessons and messages – for your organisation
Lessons and messages – for other organisations
Were benefits sustained?
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Tables
Set out tables using your word processor’s table tool – do not use a string of spaces or tabs as
a formatting device.
Tables should not duplicate information in the text but be sure to cite each in the text.
Number tables consecutively in the order of their first citation in the text. A table should have
a title that clearly describes its content placed above the table. Each column and row should
have a heading. Abbreviations should be explained in a footnote. Identify statistical measures
of variations, such as standard deviations and standard errors of the mean.
Illustrations
Illustrations (charts, graphs, figures, drawings) are encouraged. These should be clear and
accurate, and not contain excessive data. Each illustration must be cited in the text.
Photographs and line drawings should be of the highest quality. Computer-generated graphs
and diagrams must be editable vector graphic files, saved in the following formats: Excel;
encapsulated postscript (.eps) or Adobe Illustrator (.ai); illustrations created in PowerPoint
should be saved in PowerPoint and as Windows Metafiles (.wmf); CorelDraw files should be
saved as .eps or .ai files. Photographs should be at least 300 dpi and saved as .jpg or
Photoshop files. If not created digitally, line drawings should be scanned at high resolution: at
least 600 dpi, saved as .tif or Photoshop files.
Every line in a graph should have a purpose. Avoid three-dimensional boxes and unnecessary
shading. All illustrations need a legend (which should include all explanatory text) placed
below the illustration. Number consecutively in the order of their first citation in the text.
Authors are responsible for obtaining prior permission from the copyright holder for the use
of figures/images from other publications.
References
The JPHC uses BMJ Vancouver style. References are labelled numerically with superscript
consecutive numbers in the main text and listed in the same order in the reference list. The
superscript reference number should be placed immediately after the punctuation with no
space. In the reference list, abbreviate journal names according to the style used for
MEDLINE. The correct abbreviation for the Journal of Primary Health Care is J Prim
Health Care.
Authors’ last names and initials should be listed, separated by commas, followed by title of
the document, the abbreviated journal name in italics, year, volume (issue): page numbers.
Add ‘et al.’ after 3 authors for references with more than 4 authors.
Examples:
Cooke T, McCready F, Doherty G, Cundy T. Morbidity and mortality after recognition of
macroalbuminuria in Pasifika people with type 2 diabetes in a primary health-care practice. J
Prim Health Care 2021; 13(2): 132-138.
Chowdhury N, Naidu J, Chowdhury MZI, et al. Knowledge translation in health and wellness
research focusing on immigrants in Canada. J Prim Health Care 2021; 13(2): 139-156.
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The Institute of Environmental Science and Research Ltd. New Zealand Sexually
Transmitted Infection (STI) Surveillance Dashboard 2021; 2021. Available at
[Link] [Accessed 21 April 2021]
Acknowledgements
The contribution of colleagues who do not meet all criteria for authorship should be
acknowledged. Anyone included in the Acknowledgements section should have granted
permission to be listed. Sources of financial support should be acknowledged in a separate
‘Declaration of Funding’ rather than here.
Data Availability Statement
CSIRO Publishing encourages authors of original scientific papers to share the research data
underlying their papers to support transparency and reproducibility of research. A Data
Availability Statement must be included at the end of the manuscript indicating whether the
data used to generate the results in the paper are available and, if so, where to access them.
For more information on CSIRO Publishing’s data sharing policy and for examples of what
to include in the data availability statement please see
[Link]
Authors can get credit for their work by citing their research data in the reference list of their
article. Citations should include at a minimum: all authors, year of publication, title of
dataset, record ID, publisher. DOI or URL if available. Examples of how to cite research
data:
Wang L, Edwards D, Bailey A, Carr L, Boreham C, Grosjean E, Anderson J, Jarrett A,
MacFarlane S, Southby C, Carson C, Khider K, Palu T, Henson P. Well log data analysis and
interpretation on the pre-Carboniferous succession in Waukarlycarly 1, Canning Basin,
Western Australia. Record 2021/003 [Dataset]. Canberra: Geoscience Australia; 2021.
Available at [Link]
Fiddes S, Pepler A, Saunders K, Hope P. Southern Australia’s climate regions (Version 1.0.0)
[Dataset]. Zenodo; 2020. doi:10.5281/zenodo.4265471
Digital Earth Australia. Wetlands Insight Tool Queensland Wetlands Polygons. Version 1.0.0
[Dataset]. Canberra: Geoscience Australia; 2021. Available at
[Link]
Competing Interests
Under a subheading ´Competing Interests´ at the end of the text all authors must disclose any
financial and personal relationships with organisations or people that could inappropriately
influence their work. If there are no conflicts of interest, authors should state that none exist.
Declaration of Funding
Under a subheading 'Declaration of Funding' at the end of the text authors are required to
declare all sources of funding for the research and/or preparation of the article, and the
inclusion of grant numbers is recommended. Authors should declare sponsor names along
with explanations of the role of those sources if any in the preparation of the data or
manuscript or the decision to submit for publication; or a statement declaring that the
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supporting source had no such involvement. If no funding has been provided for the research,
please include the following sentence: "This research did not receive any specific funding".
Supplementary files
Additional tables, figures and checklists may be uploaded as supplementary files. These files
are not sub-edited, so please ensure that they are clearly and succinctly presented, labelled
and that the style conforms with the rest of the paper.
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