»
Introduction
»
General
information concerning all articles
»
Special
guidelines for peer reviewed articles
»
Special
guidelines for articles
submitted for editorial review
»
Submitting
your manuscript
Introduction
Manuscripts
Manuscripts
should be addressed to the Editor and emailed to: himj@himaa.org.au.
Material
will be considered for publication on the understanding that it
is original and unpublished work and has not been submitted for
publication elsewhere. The Journal is published three times a
year, in March, June and October. The submission deadlines for
each issue are published in the Journal. Manuscripts are subject
to review and the Editorial Board reserves the right not to
publish any material. Authors are responsible for all statements
made in the material. Papers that are accepted for publication
become the copyright of the Journal but release for publication
elsewhere can be applied for on the understanding that
acknowledgement is made to the Journal.
The Editorial Board of the Health
Information Management Journal invites peer-reviewed contributions in the
following categories:
1.
Research Articles
Research articles should present original research that
describes research outcomes, or processes, techniques or
applications that enhance the practice of health information
management. A range of methodological approaches, including
qualitative research, time-series designs, experimental studies
and correlational designs are acceptable. Papers should include
an abstract, introduction, methodology, results and discussion
section. Research papers should not exceed 5,000 words in
length.
2.
Professional Practice and Innovation papers
Practice papers are similar to research papers in that both
should be carefully and systematically written in a style and
with a structure that is accessible to readers and builds upon
existing knowledge. They differ in scale and depth. Practice
papers are typically smaller in scale with narrower questions
and a focus on the process and early effects of interventions,
and may also include case studies. The knowledge contained in
practice papers is not as deep or academically rigorous as that
in research articles, but is more immediately relevant to other
practitioners grappling with similar issues. Normally practice
papers will be between 1,500 and 4,000 words, including
abstracts and references.
3.
Forum articles
Forum articles should address important policy, research,
service delivery or practice issues that have wider application
to health information management. They should present new ideas,
proposals and analyses through scholarly argument drawing on the
literature and previous literature as appropriate. Forum papers
should not normally exceed 5,000 words in length.
The
Editorial Board also invites articles for editorial review in
the following categories.
·
Brief
Reports.
The Journal welcomes reports on any topic, activity or concept of interest to health
information management practitioners, or which pertain to health
information management; for example information technology,
health classification, data analysis, management and privacy
issues. Standards and recent policy directions can also be
reported in this section. Reports may present the personal view,
experience or opinion of the author or authors. An acceptable
length for reports is between 1500 and 5000 words.
- Conference
Reports.
The
Journal invites those
who have attended any conference of particular interest to
the Journal’s readership to submit a short overview and
critique of the conference proceedings.
·
Reviews.
Reviews of software, hardware,
books and other media of interest and relevance to health
information managers and related professionals are encouraged.
Articles in these categories are typically between 200 and 500
words in length.
·
Case
Studies.
A case study can be a ‘how to do it’ paper, or a personal view or a
description of an event or experience (such as moving a
department to a new location).
An informal case study can include check lists, tables,
timelines, and other useful information that could be applied to
similar experiences and projects.
Click
here for further information on writing case studies.
- Sounding Board.
Articles
of approximately 1,000 words which initiate or contribute to
the debate on new and evolving issues and ideas appear in
this section.
- Letters to the Editor.
Letters
on any topic of relevance and interest to professionals
interested in health information management and informatics
are welcome. Letters should not
exceed 300 words in length. Professional decorum should be
observed; letters are published at the Editor’s
discretion.
- Professional
profiles.
This
section is intended to demonstrate the depth and breadth of
professional work roles of individual Health Information Managers, including recent
graduates, through personal accounts of workplace
experiences.
Please
note: it is not the policy of the Editorial Board to publish
materials intended
for commercial purposes
General
information concerning all articles
Style
Authors should aim to use simple, direct and correct English,
and spelling should conform with the third edition of the
Macquarie Dictionary. Health
Information Management Journal conforms with the Harvard
(Author-Date) referencing style. For details, please refer to
the Style Manual for Authors, Editors and Printers. Revised
by Snooks & Co. (6th edition), 2002. Milton,
QLD: John Wiley & Sons. The
following website is also a valuable resource: go to http://www.lib.latrobe.edu.au/help/style-guides.php#Harvard
then click on ‘Harvard (Author-Date) System (La Trobe
University).
Headings and subheadings
Clear distinctions should be made between
headings and subheadings.
Tables and figures
Tables,
figures and other graphics are to be submitted on separate pages
at the end of the document, and not embedded in the text. The
body of the text is to include notations about placement of
tables, figures or graphics by leaving four lines of space and
making a note ‘Insert table/figure/graphic x here’. Tables,
figures and graphics should be clearly identified by consecutive
numbering using arabic numerals and by providing concise titles
for all figures used. A legend for each table and figure should
be included.
References
Titles of journals must be written in
full; e.g., Medical Journal of Australia, not MJA. References
should be listed in alphabetical order at the end of the paper,
using the Harvard format for sequence of details and for
punctuation.
Acknowledgments.
Acknowledgments
may include significant contributions made in the support of the
study or in writing the manuscript. Permission should be
obtained from any individuals named in the acknowledgments. (Be
aware that people being identified may need to give their
permission, since inclusion of names may infer potentially
unwarranted endorsement of the paper’s conclusions). Copies of
permission statements should be submitted with the manuscript.
Copyright
Manuscripts
submitted to Health
Information Management should not have been published
elsewhere, nor to have been offered, or be under consideration
by any other journal or publisher in any medium. Inclusion in
conference proceedings (apart from abstracts) is considered as
prior publication.
Upon
acceptance for publication, authors are requested to assign
copyright to the Health Information Management Association of
Australia Limited (HIMAA) at the Editor’s discretion. It
should be noted that acceptance for publication does not imply
endorsement of authors' opinions by the HIMAA or the Editorial
Board. Contributing authors are protected by the Copyright
Act 1968 (Commonwealth of Australia).
To
view the Copyright Agreement, click here.
Click here to download
Copyright Agreement as PDF file.
Timelines and publication
For most manuscripts allow a minimum of
three months from initial submission to acceptance and
publication. Successful authors are notified in writing when
their manuscript has been accepted for publication. Where
possible, a date for publication is specified at that time. In
some cases, the editors reserve the right to hold manuscripts
over to future issues of the Journal for publication.
Articles
submitted for publication in this category are reviewed by two
independent and impartial reviewers who are unaware of the
author’s identity. Similarly, authors are not informed of the
identity of the reviewers. All communication with reviewers is
conducted via the editors. No direct contact is made between
reviewers and authors.
Text
Research
Articles
The Editorial Board of Health
Information Management Journal
suggests the usual academic model of abstract, introduction,
method, results, discussion and conclusion for most original
articles. Other articles of substance that are submitted for
editorial review may also follow this model, or variations of
it.
- Abstract
and Keywords.
Abstracts should be approximately 100 words in length, and summarise the purpose, method,
results, summary of key findings and conclusions of the
paper. The Abstract should be followed by a list of at least
four Keywords.
- Introduction.
This
should state the purpose of the paper. Normally,
introductions include a short, relevant literature review,
including pertinent background information.
- Method.
Includes selection of subjects (population and sample sizes,
for example), mode of observation, apparatus and statistical
procedures. The aim of the method section is to provide
enough information to allow replication of the procedures
used in the original research. Reasons for selection of
methods should also be included in this section.
- Results
should be presented logically, and can include text, tables,
figures or other graphics. Do not duplicate data presented
in tables within the text.
- Discussion.
Major, new and significant observations and findings should
be highlighted and discussed. The significance of results
compared with similar previous studies is to be included. If
a hypothesis was being tested, it is necessary to report
whether the hypothesis was supported or rejected. The
implications and limitations of the findings, along with
their practical implementations, should be reported here.
The significance of the study’s results should be compared
and contrasted with similar, previously published
information in this section. It may be helpful to readers to
accurately sub-head the section to make clear
differentiations between the ‘discussion’ and the ‘literature
review’.
- Conclusion.
The conclusion contains a brief summary of the major
findings of the study, but is not a reiteration of the
abstract. Statements which cannot be supported by the
information are not to be presented in the manuscript. Do
not include new information, nor summarise the manuscript.
- Footnotes.
Footnotes may be used to elaborate a point, and in some
cases to cite information not normally included in the
references at the end of the manuscript. Footnotes may, for
example, provide further technical information about
computer hardware or software used in a project, which, if
included in the body of the text, is confusing to the
reader. It is also useful for adding an aside, or valid
comment apart from the text. Footnotes should be numerically
identified by using superscript roman numerals in the text,
with links at the bottom of the page on which the footnote
indicator appears.
Professional
Practice and Innovation Papers
The
Editorial Board of Health Information Management Journal
suggests the following format as an example of how a
Professional Practice and Innovation Paper might be structured:
- Abstract
/ Summary
The summary should be approximately 100 words in length,
and summarises the aims, the context (e.g. policy or service
context), the case study or practice innovation, what can be
learnt from this case, and a brief conclusion.
- Introduction
This should state the purpose
of the paper. Normally introductions include a short,
relevant literature review, including pertinent background
information. For example:
- Context: (e.g. the
policy or service context).
- Review
of literature on similar cases
- Discussion
of the evidence base
- Discussion
of the relevant links between research and practice
- The
case study or innovation
Discussion of the case study or the initiative.
- What
can be learnt from this case?
What was learnt or what resulted from this initiative.
Observations and outcomes should be highlighted and
discussed. It is useful to examine the significance of
outcomes compared with similar initiatives, cases or
examples.
- Conclusion
The conclusion contains a brief summary of the major
outcomes of the case study or practice innovation, but is
not a reiteration of the abstract. Do not include new
information, nor summarise the manuscript.
- References
References should be provided for any other case studies
or practice innovations referred to in the
introduction/review of the literature on similar cases.
Typically, the reference list of a Professional Practice and
Innovation paper will be relatively short.
- Footnotes
Footnotes may be used to elaborate a point, and in some
cases to cite information not normally included in the
references at the end of the manuscript. Footnotes may, for
example, provide further technical information about
computer hardware or software used in a project, which, if
included in the body of the text, is confusing to the
reader. It is also useful for adding an aside, or valid
comment apart from the text. Footnotes should be numerically
identified by using superscript roman numerals in the text,
with links at the bottom of the page on which the footnote
indicator appears.
Forum
Papers
The Editorial Board of Health Information Management
Journal suggests the following format as an example of how a
Forum paper might be structured:
- Abstract
/ Summary
The summary should be approximately 100 words in length,
and summarises the purpose of the paper, the context (e.g.
policy or service context), relevant argument (s),
discuss potential outcomes, and concluding thoughts.
- Introduction
This should state the purpose
of the paper. Normally introductions include a short,
relevant literature review, including pertinent background
information. For example:
- Context: (e.g. situate
the issue in the broader context).
- Review
of literature on similar issues /policies
- Discussion
of the relevant arguments / evidence base
- The
Issue
Discussion of the issue or the initiative.
- What
can be learnt from this case?
For
example, what resulted (or might result) from this
initiative; what can be learnt? Provide evidence for
arguments. Observations and outcomes should be highlighted
and discussed. It is useful to examine the significance of
outcomes compared with similar initiatives, cases or
examples.
- Conclusion
The conclusion contains a brief summary of the major
outcomes of the case study or practice innovation, but is
not a reiteration of the abstract. Do not include new
information, nor summarise the manuscript.
- References
Discussion of ideas / policies should be carefully
referenced. Typically a Forum paper will have a relatively
long list of references.
- Footnotes
Footnotes may be used to elaborate a point, and in some
cases to cite information not normally included in the
references at the end of the manuscript. Footnotes may, for
example, provide further technical information about
computer hardware or software used in a project, which, if
included in the body of the text, is confusing to the
reader. It is also useful for adding an aside, or valid
comment apart from the text. Footnotes should be numerically
identified by using superscript roman numerals in the text,
with links at the bottom of the page on which the footnote
indicator appears.
Qualitative research
Contributors who use qualitative research methods are encouraged
to refer to the Critical Appraisal Tools devised by the British
NHS Public Health Resource Unit by the Critical Appraisal Skills
Programme (CASP). This resource is used by referees to assist
the review of such papers. It is available for personal use at http://www.phru.nhs.uk/casp/critical_appraisal_tools.htm
In
addition, the following articles provide useful information
regarding academic rigour in qualitative research:
Submitting a manuscript for peer
review
Authors
should ensure that they adhere to the following guidelines:
· If
possible, research articles and forum papers should contain no
more than 5,000 words (this does not include footnotes,
endnotes, endnotes or references).
· Except in exceptional
circumstances, no article (whether submitted for peer review or
editorial review) should exceed 5,000 words (excluding
footnotes, endnotes and references). The Editor may allow
greater flexibility in word length for qualitative research
papers (see above).
- All pages of main text
should be numbered.
- All manuscripts should
be submitted in electronic format (email to the Editor: himj@himaa.org.au.
- Formatting of the document should be kept to a minimum. Do not try to achieve a ‘typeset’
look as your formatting commands will be discarded during
final typesetting and may interfere with this process.
- A formal covering letter
should be included with the manuscript.
- Ensure that the
manuscript includes the following on
separate pages:
o
Title
page.
The title should indicate concisely the purpose of the paper.
o
Abstract,
followed by four key words or key terms. Abstracts
should be approximately 100
words in length, and cover the purpose, method, results, summary
of key findings and conclusions. Key words and terms should be
selected from the Index
Medicus Medical Subject Headings list
(MeSH): http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/MBrowser.html
o
Author
identification page.
Details on this page should include:
§ Author(s)
given names and family name (in bold print), followed by
appropriately abbreviated academic qualifications and awards,
institutional affiliations and positions and other relevant
information. In addition to supplying your relevant abbreviated
academic qualifications after you name, please also provide the
full title(s) of these qualifications and the institution(s)
where they were obtained.
§ For
manuscripts with multiple authors, the author to whom
correspondence is to be directed should be identified.
§ Contact
details: telephone numbers and email and postal addresses are to
be included, and if the manuscript is submitted by more than one
author the lead author should be identified.
o
Acknowledgements.
Acknowledgments of sources of funding for research projects
should be included here. Please note that this information will
be published. As acknowledgements could identify the authorship
of the paper, they should be written on a separate page
Contributor’s checklist for refereed papers
Please
ensure that you have:
|
Included
a covering letter with the manuscript
|
|
|
Removed
all headers and footers
|
|
|
Saved
the document in Word format
|
|
|
Nominated
an author to receive correspondence
|
|
|
Provided
title, author details and abstract on separate pages
|
|
|
Numbered
all pages of main text
|
|
|
Checked
all pages have been included
|
|
|
Asked
someone not involved in writing the manuscript to proof
read it
|
|
|
Checked
all referencing and ensured that it complies with the
Author-Date system
|
|
|
Included
all necessary acknowledgements on a separate page
|
|
|
Included
all necessary permission statements
|
|
|
Included
a 100-word Abstract
|
|
|
Included
at least four key words or terms (selected from MeSH)
|
|
|
Provided
captions for photographs, tables, figures and graphs
|
|
|
Provided
tables, figures and graphics on separate pages
|
|
|
Removed
all jargon from text
|
|
|
Expressed
all acronyms and abbreviations in full at their first
iteration
|
|
| Checked
all diagrams and tables are clearly labelled |
|
Special
guidelines for articles submitted for editorial review
Contributions
such as reports, letters and other short communications which do
not present original research are not usually subject to blind
peer review; they are, however, subject to editorial review by
at least three members of the HIMJ Editorial Board. Such
articles may be edited to improve the quality of expression and
to comply with the Journal’s established style. Minor changes,
including correcting spelling, grammar and typographical errors,
will be made without consultation with authors.
Submitting a manuscript
for editorial review
Authors
should ensure that they adhere to the following guidelines:
· Manuscripts are to be submitted electronically,
saved in Word format, and with any headers and footers. Do not submit papers in PDF format.
· Reviews,
reports etc. should have a maximum length 5,000 words; letters,
300 words.
· All pages of main text should be numbered.
· Conventional
photographs are discouraged because of download time; digital
photographs are preferred. Photographs should be clearly
identified and captioned. In addition, the subject’s
permission to publish may be required.
· Formatting
of the document should be kept to a minimum. Do not try to achieve a ‘typeset’
look as your formatting commands will be discarded during final
typesetting and may interfere with this process.
Authors
should ensure that the manuscript includes the following
details:
·
Title
·
If
appropriate, an abstract, followed by four key words or key
terms. Abstracts
should be approximately 100
words in length, and summarise the context, key outcomes,
recommendations and conclusions drawn from the report. Key words
and terms should be selected from the Index
Medicus Medical Subject Headings
list (MeSH): http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/MBrowser.html
·
Author(s)
given names and family name(s)
(in bold print), followed by appropriately abbreviated academic
qualifications and awards, institutional affiliations and
positions and other relevant information. In addition to
supplying your relevant abbreviated academic qualifications
after you name, please also provide the full title(s) of these
qualifications and the institution(s) where they were obtained.
·
Corresponding
author in
the case of manuscripts with multiple authors.
·
Contact
details:
telephone numbers and email and postal addresses are to be
included, and if the manuscript is submitted by more than one
author the lead author should be identified.
·
Acknowledgements.
Acknowledgments of sources of funding for research projects
should be included here. Please note that this information will
be published.
Contributor’s checklist for papers
submitted for editorial review
Please
ensure that you have:
|
Saved
the document in Word format
|
|
|
Nominated
an author to receive correspondence
|
|
|
Started
each section of the manuscript on a new page
|
|
|
Included
biographical details for each
contributor
|
|
|
Asked
someone not involved in writing the manuscript to proof
read it
|
|
|
Checked
all referencing and ensured that it complies with the
Author-Date system
|
|
|
Included
all necessary acknowledgements
|
|
|
Included
all necessary permission statements
|
|
|
If
appropriate, included a 100-word abstract
|
|
|
If
appropriate, included at least four key words or terms
(selected from MeSH)
|
|
|
Provided
captions for photographs, tables, figures and graphs
|
|
|
All
tables, figures and graphics are on separate pages
|
|
|
Removed
all jargon from text
|
|
|
Expressed
all acronyms and abbreviations in full at their first
iteration
|
|
|
Checked
all diagrams and tables are clearly labelled
|
|
Submitting
your manuscript
Please forward manuscripts to
The
Editor, Health Information
Management Journal
Email: himj@himaa.org.au
©
2008 Health Information Management Association of Australia Limited
