Submission| Scope| Types of Articles

Submission

All manuscripts must be submitted online electronically via ScholarOne.

Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness (DMPHP) will send various author correspondence emails with deadlines pertaining to manuscript review and processing. Please email the journal at [email protected] if you have any questions or concerns as missed deadlines may jeopardize timely processing of your manuscript or result in termination of the review or publication process.

The DMPHP does use plagiarism software to monitor authenticity and originality of submissions.

When you are ready to submit your manuscript, feel free to refer to this manuscript checklist for submitting authors to verify the thoroughness of your submission. We encourage you to carefully read these instructions to adhere to each specific aspect that pertains to your submission as failure to follow will delay the review process and may lead to rejection. 

Before Cambridge can publish your manuscript, we need a signed licence to publish agreement. Under the agreement, certain rights are granted to the journal owner which allow publication of the article. The original ownership of the copyright in the article remains unchanged. For full details see the publishing agreement page.

Scope

Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness (DMPHP) seeks articles relevant to:

• Disaster Medicine: Mitigation, Preparedness, Response and Recovery
• Disaster Risk Reduction
• Mass Gathering Medicine
• Population, Public and Crisis Health
• Search & Rescue

To provide a global representation of the body of knowledge emerging to define this international field, we seek studies from experts, academics and researchers worldwide and from all disciplines and specialties represented:

• Incident Command System, First Responders
• Clinical Medicine Providers, Allied Health Professionals
• Epidemiologists, Medical Ethicists, Health Authorities
• Government Officials, Legislators, Policy Analysts, Think Tanks
• Non-Government Agencies, Disaster Risk Reduction Institutes

Types of Articles

Special Editions*

The Editor may announce a call to solicit manuscripts for consideration for a special edition for a specific topic, in the midst of or just after an incident or public health emergency. This may also include a process for rapid review for on-line publication ahead of release of a formal conventional or electronic journal edition.

Original Research*

Original studies of basic, clinical, quantitative (including epidemiologic and population based), or qualitative investigations in areas relevant to disaster medicine and public health. References and a structured abstract (see Preparation of Manuscript) are required. Maximum length: 4000 words, 8 tables and/or figures, plus the abstract and references. A statement of IRB approval or exemption from full review is required. Additionally, a list defining each author's contribution to the manuscript is required (see Preparation of Manuscript).

Please utilize these formal reporting guidelines that have been developed for:

1. Clinical Guidelines
   Shiffman RN, Shekelle P, Overhage JM, Slutsky J, Grimshaw J, Deshpande AM. Standardized reporting of clinical practice guidelines: a proposal from the Conference on Guideline Standardization. Ann Intern Med. 2003; 139(6):493-498. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-139-6-200309160-00013
2. Diagnostic test studies (STARD)
   STARD 2015 guidelines for reporting diagnostic accuracy studies: explanation and elaboration.
   https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28137831/
3. Meta-analyses of observational studies (MOOSE)
   Stroup DF, Berlin JA, Morton SC et al. Meta-analysis of observational studies in epidemiology: a proposal for reporting. Meta-analysis Of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) group. JAMA 2000;283:2008–12. doi:10.1001/jama.283.15.2008
4. Meta-analysis of RCTs (QUOROM)
   Moher D, Cook DJ, Eastwood S et al. Improving the quality of reports of meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials: the QUOROM statement. Quality of Reporting of Meta-analyses. The Lancet 1999; 354:1896–900. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(99)04149-5.
5. Observational studies (STROBE)
   STROBE Statement: Strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology.
   http://www.strobe-statement.org/Checkliste.html
6. Ghaferi AA, Schwartz TA, Pawlik TM. STROBE Reporting Guidelines for Observational Studies [published online ahead of print, 2021 Apr 7]. JAMA Surg. 2021;10.1001/jamasurg.2021.0528. doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2021.0528
7. Qualitative research (COREQ)
   Allison Tong, Peter Sainsbury, Jonathan Craig, Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ): a 32-item checklist for interviews and focus groups, International Journal for Quality in Health Care, Volume 19, Issue 6, December 2007, Pages 349–357, https://doi.org/10.1093/intqhc/mzm042
8. Randomized controlled trials (CONSORT)
   Moher D, Schulz KF, Altman D. The CONSORT statement: revised recommendations for improving the quality of reports of parallel-group randomized trials. JAMA 2001;285:1987–91. http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.285.15.1987
   OR
   Moher D, Jones A, Lepage L. Use of the CONSORT Statement and quality of reports of randomized trials. A comparative before-and-after evaluation. JAMA 2001;285:1992–5. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.285.15.1992
9. Survey Research
   Kelley K, Clark B, Brown V, Sitzia J. Good practice in the conduct and reporting of survey research. Int J Qual Health Care. 2003 Jun;15(3):261-6. PMID: 12803354.
   https://doi.org/10.1093/intqhc/mzg031
   AND
   Stratton SJ. Assessing the accuracy of survey research. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2015 Jun;30(3):225-6. Epub 2015 May 8. PMID: 25997500.
   https://doi.org/10.1017/S1049023X15004719

Brief Report*

Original reports of pilot study data, analysis of drills and exercises, or data and information from studies with small numbers that demonstrate the need for further investigation. References and a structured abstract should be included. Maximum length: 2000 words, 10 references, 2 tables and/or figures. A statement of IRB approval or exemption from full review is required. Additionally, a list defining each author's contribution to the manuscript is required (see Preparation of Manuscript).

Research Letters*

Research Letters should be a brief but comprehensive report of original research. No more than 1,000 words of text and 10 references, along with a maximum of up to 2 tables or figures.

 Supplementary material should be included only where absolutely necessary and should not contain any additional data or results.

 Research Letters may have no more than 7 authors. The text should include the full name, academic degrees, and a single institutional affiliation for each author and the email address for the corresponding author. Other persons who have contributed to the study may be indicated in an Acknowledgment, with their permission, including their academic degrees, affiliation, contribution to the study.

Research Letters must not duplicate other published content or manuscripts already submitted.

Research Letters should contain the following sections: Title Page to include author contributions and word count,  Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion. It is not necessary to include an abstract but all the guidelines for style as outlined in our Instructions to Authors should be followed. All submitted Research Letters will be subject to peer-review.

Concepts*

Original research that describes clinical and non-clinical problems and solutions: novel approaches to any aspect of the disaster cycle; ''how-to'' articles. A 150 word narrative abstract, introduction, discussion, limitation, and conclusion is required. Maximum length: 4000 words, 8 tables and/or figures, plus the abstract and references. A statement of IRB approval or exemption from full review is required. Additionally, a list defining each author's contribution to the manuscript is required (see Preparation of Manuscript).

Systematic Literature and Scoping Reviews*

To answer a question through original extensive reviews of the literature on a narrow topic: Please be familiar with the difference between a systematic literature review and a scoping review.

• https://training.cochrane.org/essentials
• https://bmcmedresmethodol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12874-018-0611-x

Articles should comply with PRISMA checklist for a formal systematic literature review.

https://www.bmj.com/content/37...

Articles should comply with PRISMA-ScR checklist for a formal systematic literature review.

http://www.prisma-statement.org/Extensions/ScopingReviews

References must include, but need not be limited to, the past 3 years of the literature. References and a 200 word structured abstract (see Preparation of Manuscript) are required. Maximum length: 4000 words, 8 tables and/or figures. Additionally, a list defining each author's contribution to the manuscript is required (see Preparation of Manuscript).  

Reports from the Field*

Original descriptions of actual disaster events: drills and exercises will not be accepted. Entities that have been reported in the past in peer-review literature will not be considered, and those reported in government or non-government organization literature or in a foreign language literature must be extremely important or pertinent to be considered. Reports should contain an abstract, introduction, narrative, and a discussion focusing on the implications of the event reported. Sufficient data and description should be provided to support the analysis, implications with recommendation for future study. They should not contain a full review of the literature and the introduction should be brief with the narrative and discussion occupying the majority of the manuscript. A 150 word narrative abstract is required. Maximum length: 1500 words, no more than 15 references, and 1 table or figure. Additionally, a list defining each author's contribution to the manuscript is required (see Preparation of Manuscript).

Policy Analysis*

This is an opportunity for scholarly comments or opinions on major current problems of Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness to include controversial matters with significant implications for Disaster Medicine or Public Health Preparedness. A 150 word narrative abstract is required. Maximum length: 1500 words plus references and 1 table or figure. Additionally, a list defining each author's contribution to the manuscript is required (see Preparation of Manuscript).

Letter to Editors

We encourage discussion observations, opinions, corrections, and comments on topics appearing in Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness. An abstract is not required. Maximum length: 500 words, plus no more than 5 references. If responding to a specific article, manuscripts should be received within 6 weeks of the article's publication. Additionally, a list defining each author's contribution to the manuscript is required (see Preparation of Manuscript).

Responder Tools*

Practical learning tools, factsheets, guidelines, or case study recommendations intended for first responders, first receivers, and other personnel involved in disasters and public health emergencies: A ''tear out'' sheet that may be used for just-in-time learning or as an educational supplement. In a cover letter, identify the target learning audience and disclose any efforts to evaluate or validate the tool. Maximum length: 2 pages with tables and figures. Proprietary or copyrighted items that cannot be used freely by readers and their agencies/organizations will not be accepted in this section. A statement of IRB approval or exemption from full review is required. Additionally, a list defining each author's contribution to the manuscript is required (see Preparation of Manuscript). 

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