Submission Checklist

To get started: The submitting and corresponding author(s) will be required to register in order to be able to follow the review process.

Ensure that your manuscript fits the Scope of the Journal and that you have chosen the correct article type. Out of scope submissions or submissions of the wrong article type will result in delays and potentially rejection. Visiting the Articles page of the journal may help to better understand the scope of the journal.

When preparing a manuscript for submission, authors should closely follow the author guidelines.

Authors are encouraged to refer to the specific "manuscript checks" section of this page.

During submission, the submitting author will be required to answer questions regarding the manuscript and research, as well as provide information and consent for all authors. Below is a checklist detailing the information that will be required.

The following is mandatory when submitting to PHR:

1. Author information

a) Author information should not be included in any submitted files (all files must be author blinded), but only in the online data to be completed during the submission process. Please have ready the names, emails, and affiliations of all the authors, and ensure the authors all qualify for authorship, and that all persons qualifying for authorship are included as authors (follow the ICMJE guidelines for authorship).

b) During submission, you will be requested to provide an author(s) contribution statement briefly describing the tasks of all individual authors. Please only use author initials not full names.

2. File requirements

a) A manuscript PDF file generated from the submitted manuscript, and the source file. For LaTeX only: The BIB file if the references were not included in the TEX.

b) All figures in TIFF or JPEG formats, RGB color mode, with a resolution of 300 dpi, and complying with CC-BY licence.

Permissions need to be obtained for re-published/adapted/modified/partial figures, and it is the responsibility of the authors to acquire the licenses, to follow any citation instructions requested by third-party rights holders, and cover any supplementary charges. Uploaded figures will be embedded at the end of the submitted manuscript.

c) Please do not insert figures and tables in the main text of the manuscript, only use place holders. Tables must be added at the end of the manuscript file, after the list of table and figure captions. Figures must be uploaded as separate files. Tables should not be submitted as figures. You should prepare the files accordingly.

3. Statements

a) Please ensure that the relevant ethical approval and consent details were received and are available on request by the editor or editorial office. You will be requested to declare involvement of any human or animal subjects, and inclusion of identifiable human data for the research during the submission process; declaration statements will be generated and automatically added to your manuscript. You do not need to include these statements in your source file.

4. Contribution to the field

Ahead of submission, you should prepare a statement summarizing in 200 words your manuscript's contribution to, and position in, the existing literature of your field. This should be written avoiding any technical language or non-standard acronyms. The aim should be to convey the meaning and importance of this research to a non-expert.

Note that you will NOT be able to provide a traditional cover letter. Please use the Contribution to the Field section to convey any relevant information to the editors, e.g. if your submission was invited, if it is referring to a previously published article etc.

5. Funding and payment

a) Details of all funding sources will be requested during submission and must be provided in a funding section of the manuscript, including grant numbers, if applicable. You should also mention funds received for open access publication fees, from your institution, library, or other grants.

b) Prepare details ahead of submission on whom the invoice needs to be addressed to.

c) When submitting a manuscript to PHR, authors acknowledge that they are fully aware of and agree with the payment of the listed article processing charge (APC) should the manuscript be accepted for publication.

d) Authors who require APC support should submit an application before or immediately after submission. You can find more information on the APC page.

6. Manuscript checks

a) Please indicate the number of words (main text without reference list) and the number of figures and tables included in your manuscript on the first page. Please refer to the article types page for table and figure limits. Anything additional should be submitted as supplementary material.

b) Abstract length

• not exceeding 180 words for Reviews, 120 words for Mini Reviews and structured as follows: Objectives, Methods, Results, Conclusions.

• not exceeding 180 words for Policy Briefs and structured as follows: Background, Policy Options and Recommendations, Conclusions.

c) Manuscript length is adhered to according to article type, please refer to the article types and author guidelines page for more information.

d) Figure and Table captions:

• placed after the References section in the manuscript text;

• at the end of each caption should appear the study name (if any; in full, not abbreviated), the country or region, and year(s) of the study; eg. Maternal Health Project, 6 West-African countries, 2018-2021

• no abbreviations in captions, even if they have already been explained in the manuscript text body or elsewhere.