Author Guidelines

Author Guidelines

General Considerations

Submitted manuscripts to Climate Health must comply with the following criteria:

The content must align with the Aims and Scope of the journal and contribute meaningfully to the field of climate change and health.
The study should present an innovative, original, and creative outcome, contributing new knowledge, methodologies, or interpretations.
The methods used should be clearly described, scientifically sound, technically advanced, and reproducible by other researchers.

Submission

Manuscripts submitted for publication must describe original work that has not been previously published in whole or in part, and must not be under consideration by any other journal simultaneously. Submissions are accepted only in English, and the manuscript must be written using clear grammar and proper scientific terminology.

All submissions should be made exclusively through the official Climate Health online submission system at: [Insert Journal URL]

Every submission must be accompanied by a Cover Letter addressed to the Editor-in-Chief. This letter should include the title of the manuscript, the full names of all authors, and a formal declaration confirming that the work has not been published, accepted, or submitted elsewhere in any form.

Title Page

The title page must contain the following information:

The full title of the manuscript (avoid abbreviations).
The full names of all authors alongside with their institutional affiliations.
Clearly identify the corresponding author, who will serve as the main contact throughout the peer review and publication process.
Complete contact information for the corresponding author, including postal address, telephone number, fax (if applicable), and email address.

Tables

Tables should be included only when necessary and must be limited in number. They should be:

Submitted as separate editable files (all tables in one .docx file), not as images or scanned copies.
Clearly labeled, with captions placed above each table.
Any explanatory notes or definitions should be placed in footnotes, not within the table headings.
The location of each table in the manuscript should be indicated by placing the table caption at the appropriate point in the text.

All tables must be formatted for readability and submitted as an individual file through the submission system.

Figures

Figures should be limited to those essential for the understanding of the manuscript. They must be:

Of high resolution and professional quality.
Submitted as separate image files, not embedded within the manuscript text.
The location of each figure in the manuscript should be indicated by placing the figure caption at the appropriate point in the text.
Redundancy of data should be avoided—do not present the same information in figures, tables, and text simultaneously.

References

References should be limited to the most relevant and up-to-date sources and must be cited using consecutive numbering in the order they appear in the text (in parenthesis). All references must adhere to the Vancouver citation style.

The use of reference management software, such as EndNote, is strongly recommended to ensure consistency and accuracy in formatting. You can use this format to properly prepare your citations in Vancouver style.

Abbreviations and Symbols

Use only standard abbreviations.
Avoid using abbreviations in the title and abstract.
At first mention, write out the full term, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses—except for standard units of measurement (e.g., m, kg, °C), which may be used directly.

Accepted File Formats for Manuscript Submission

Microsoft Word formats: .docx.
Use SI units consistently throughout the manuscript (with the exception of common units like litre and molar, which are permitted).
Manuscript text must be double-spaced and typed using a standard font (Times New Roman, 12-point), with a minimum margin of 2 cm on all sides.

Ethical Notes

Authors submitting to Climate Health are required to uphold the highest standards of publication ethics. The following practices are considered unacceptable and constitute ethical misconduct:

Plagiarism (copying or using content without proper attribution)
Data fabrication or falsification
Simultaneous submission to more than one journal
Duplicate or redundant publication
Improper authorship attribution or omission of contributors
Manipulation of citations to inflate citation metrics artificially

It is assumed that all authors are familiar with and understand the definitions and implications of these violations.

Manuscripts that are determined by the Editor-in-Chief or editorial team to have been conducted outside of an appropriate ethical framework will be rejected outright, and the authors involved may be blacklisted from future submissions.

If a breach of ethics—such as plagiarism, data falsification, or any other violation—is discovered after publication, the article will be formally retracted following international retraction guidelines (e.g., COPE).

The entire responsibility for the accuracy of the content, opinions, and statements expressed in the article lies solely with the author(s).

Please note that resubmission of rejected manuscripts under a revised or disguised format (e.g., title change or author rearrangement) is strictly prohibited and will result in rejection without review.

Copyright Notice

Upon acceptance, all manuscripts become the permanent intellectual property of Climate Health. Reproduction of any part of the published material in other journals, books, or media—whether digital or print—requires prior written permission from the Editor-in-Chief.

Privacy Statement

All personal data collected during the submission and publication process—such as author names and email addresses—will be used exclusively for communication related to Climate Health. This information will not be shared with third parties or used for any other purposes.

Editorial Review Process

All submitted manuscripts undergo initial screening by the editorial office to ensure scientific quality, relevance to the journal’s aims and scope, and adherence to ethical standards. Only those manuscripts that meet these criteria will proceed to external peer review.

Original Research Articles – Specific Considerations

Title Page (Mandatory)

The title page must include:

The full title of the manuscript (avoid abbreviations).
The full names of all authors alongside with their institutional affiliations.
Clearly identify the corresponding author, who will serve as the main contact throughout the peer review and publication process.
Complete contact information for the corresponding author, including postal address, telephone number, fax (if applicable), and email address.

Abstract (Mandatory)

The abstract must be structured and not exceed 250 words. It should include the following four labeled sections:

Introduction: Background and objective of the study.
Methods: Study design, materials used, and analytical approach.
Results: Key findings of the research.
Conclusion: Summary of results and implications for climate and health.

Avoid abbreviations and do not cite references in the abstract.

Keywords (Mandatory)

Provide three to five keywords that reflect the core themes and content of the article. These should facilitate indexing and help readers find your paper in search databases.

Introduction (Mandatory)

The Introduction should clearly present the context and rationale of the study. It must highlight the scientific background, existing gaps in knowledge, and the relevance of the research to the field of climate change and health. Authors should emphasize the novelty and significance of the work and state the main objectives or research questions explicitly.

Methods (Mandatory)

The Methods section must provide a comprehensive and reproducible description of how the study was conducted. It should include:

The study design and setting (e.g., observational, experimental, modeling, or qualitative).
Description of data sources, materials, or participants involved.
Details of interventions, measurements, or exposures, if applicable.
A clear explanation of the comparisons made and the analytical methods used, including statistical tests or computational approaches.
Sufficient information to enable other researchers to replicate the study.

Authors are encouraged to refer to reporting guidelines relevant to their study type (e.g., STROBE, CONSORT, PRISMA).

Results and Discussion (Mandatory)

The Results and Discussion sections may be combined or presented separately, depending on the structure of the article.

The Results should present the key findings clearly and logically, using text, tables, and figures without redundancy. Statistical significance and measures of uncertainty (e.g., confidence intervals) should be reported where relevant.
The Discussion should interpret the results in the context of existing literature, highlight the implications for policy or practice, discuss potential limitations, and suggest directions for future research.

Both sections may be divided into subsections with informative subheadings to improve readability.

Conclusion (Mandatory)

The Conclusion must provide a concise summary of the main findings and their significance. Authors should state the key takeaway messages and their relevance to climate health research, policy, or practice. Avoid repeating information already presented in the Discussion.

List of Abbreviations (Optional)

If abbreviations are used, they must be defined at first mention in the main text. Optionally, a list of all abbreviations used can be provided after the Conclusion or as a separate section before the references.

Financial Support (Mandatory)

Authors must disclose all sources of funding received to support the work presented in the manuscript. This includes grant numbers, funding institutions, and the role of the funders in the design, conduct, or reporting of the study.

If no funding was received, please state: “This research received no external funding.”

Competing Interests (Mandatory)

All authors are required to declare any potential conflicts of interest, whether financial or non-financial, that could influence the work. If there are no conflicts to declare, please include the statement: “The authors declare no competing interests.”

Authors’ Contributions (Mandatory)

In this section, authors must specify their individual contributions to the manuscript. This is in line with standard authorship criteria, ensuring transparency in the research process and providing credit for specific tasks. Each author's role should be clearly described, based on their involvement in different stages of the research and manuscript preparation.

Common contributions include, but are not limited to:

Conceptualization: Developing the research idea, hypothesis, or study design.
Data Collection: Gathering data through experiments, surveys, or fieldwork.
Data Analysis: Analyzing and interpreting the collected data using appropriate statistical or computational methods.
Writing – Original Draft: Writing the first version of the manuscript, including drafting the introduction, methods, results, and discussion.
Writing – Review & Editing: Revising the manuscript for clarity, accuracy, and coherence.
Supervision: Overseeing the research project, providing guidance, and ensuring the integrity of the study.
Funding Acquisition: Securing financial support for the research.

For example, J.D. conceptualized the study, designed the methodology, conducted the formal analysis, and drafted the original manuscript. J.S. was responsible for data collection, reviewing and editing the manuscript, and supervising the project. E.W. performed data analysis, created visualizations, and secured funding for the study.

Acknowledgements (Mandatory)

Authors should acknowledge individuals, institutions, or organizations that contributed significantly to the study but do not meet the criteria for authorship. This includes support with study design, data analysis, technical assistance, or language editing.

Ethical Considerations (Mandatory)

A clear statement of compliance with ethical standards must be included. The following standardized text should be added to the manuscript:

“Ethical issues (including plagiarism, informed consent, misconduct, data fabrication and/or falsification, double publication and/or submission, and redundancy) have been completely observed by the authors.”

If the study involved human participants or animals, relevant institutional ethics committee approval and informed consent must be stated, along with approval reference numbers where applicable.

References (Mandatory)

All references must be cited in the text using consecutive numbering in parenthesis, in the order of appearance. They must also be listed at the end of the manuscript in accordance with the Vancouver style.

The use of reference management software (e.g., EndNote, Zotero) is recommended, and the Climate Health EndNote style file is also available.

Ensure that URLs for online sources are active and complete, and all citations are relevant, recent, and appropriate for a scientific audience.

Review Articles – Specific Considerations

Length of Article

Review articles should be no longer than 7,500 words, excluding the abstract, references, tables, and figures. Authors are encouraged to maintain clarity and focus by organizing content into logical sections and using concise scientific language.

Title Page (Mandatory)

The title page must include:

The full title of the manuscript (avoid abbreviations).
The full names of all authors alongside with their institutional affiliations.
Clearly identify the corresponding author, who will serve as the main contact throughout the peer review and publication process.
Complete contact information for the corresponding author, including postal address, telephone number, fax (if applicable), and email address.

Abstract (Mandatory)

A concise, unstructured abstract of no more than 250 words must be provided. The abstract should summarize the main themes of the article, the scope of the review, and key findings or arguments. It should be intelligible without reference to the main text.

Avoid using abbreviations or citations in the abstract.
Emphasize the article’s contribution to the field of climate change and health.

Keywords (Mandatory)

Include three to five keywords that best describe the content and thematic focus of the article. These keywords should aid in indexing the article in databases and improving discoverability.

Article’s body (Mandatory)

The body of article should present the core content of the article, including synthesis and critical analysis of relevant literature. Authors should:

Provide a comprehensive overview of the existing evidence, highlighting trends, controversies, and knowledge gaps.
Ensure that the review is systematic, structured, and up to date.
Use subheadings to organize the content into coherent sections for improved readability.

Authors may choose to perform a narrative, systematic, or scoping review, but the methodology should be clearly described or referenced.

Conclusion (Mandatory)

The Conclusion should summarize the major insights derived from the review and explain their implications for research, practice, and policy in climate health. Authors are encouraged to propose future research directions and highlight the societal or scientific relevance of their findings.

List of Abbreviations (Optional)

If abbreviations are used throughout the article, they must be defined at first use in the text. Optionally, authors may include a list of all abbreviations used, placed after the conclusion or before the references.

Financial Support (Mandatory)

All sources of funding that supported the work must be disclosed. Authors should include grant numbers, funding institutions, and describe any roles the funders had in study design, analysis, or publication.

If the review did not receive any specific funding, please state: “This work received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.”

Competing Interests (Mandatory)

Authors must clearly disclose any conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise, that may have influenced the review. If none exist, the following statement should be included: “The authors declare no competing interests.”

Authors’ Contributions (Mandatory)

Common contributions include, but are not limited to:

Conceptualization: Developing the research idea, hypothesis, or study design.
Data Collection: Gathering data through experiments, surveys, or fieldwork.
Data Analysis: Analyzing and interpreting the collected data using appropriate statistical or computational methods.
Writing – Original Draft: Writing the first version of the manuscript, including drafting the introduction, methods, results, and discussion.
Writing – Review & Editing: Revising the manuscript for clarity, accuracy, and coherence.
Supervision: Overseeing the research project, providing guidance, and ensuring the integrity of the study.
Funding Acquisition: Securing financial support for the research.

Acknowledgements (Mandatory)

Authors must acknowledge any individuals, organizations, or institutions that contributed significantly to the review but do not meet authorship criteria. This may include assistance with literature searches, editing, or providing expert input.

Ethical Considerations (Mandatory)

A statement confirming ethical compliance must be included. The following standardized sentence should be inserted in all review articles:

“Ethical issues (including plagiarism, informed consent, misconduct, data fabrication and/or falsification, double publication and/or submission, redundancy, etc.) have been completely observed by the authors.”

References

Mandatory

The use of reference management software (e.g., EndNote, Zotero) is recommended, and the Climate Health EndNote style file is also available.

Ensure that URLs for online sources are active and complete, and all citations are relevant, recent, and appropriate for a scientific audience.

Letter to the Editor – Specific Considerations

A Letter to the Editor in Climate Health may fall into one of the following categories:

A critical re-analysis, comment, or clarification of a previously published article in Climate Health.
A short communication addressing emerging concerns, recent developments, conceptual debates, or practical insights in the fields of climate change and health that may not follow traditional research structures but hold relevance to the journal’s readership.

Letters may be edited for clarity, brevity, and relevance, and may be subject to peer review at the discretion of the Editors. The maximum length of letter to editors should be 1500 words.

Title Page (Mandatory)

The title page must include:

The full title of the manuscript (avoid abbreviations).
The full names of all authors alongside with their institutional affiliations.
Clearly identify the corresponding author, who will serve as the main contact throughout the peer review and publication process.
Complete contact information for the corresponding author, including postal address, telephone number, fax (if applicable), and email address.

Abstract (Optional)

A short, unstructured abstract (maximum 100 words) could be provided. This section, if applicable, should briefly summarize the central issue, key argument, or purpose of the letter. Do not include abbreviations or references in the abstract.

Keywords (Mandatory)

Include three to five keywords that capture the main themes or focus areas of the letter.

Letter’s body (Mandatory)

The letter's body may include up to four short, descriptive headings to organize the content. The first paragraph should provide context or rationale for the letter and introduce the issue or article being addressed.

List of Abbreviations (Optional)

If abbreviations are used in the letter, they must be defined at first mention. Optionally, a list of abbreviations may be added at the end of the letter.

Competing Interests (Mandatory)

Authors must declare any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest. If there are no conflicts to report, include the statement: “The authors declare no competing interests.”

Authors’ Contributions (Mandatory)

In this section, each author must specify their individual contributions to the development of the letter. This ensures clarity and transparency regarding each author's role in the work. Contributions should be described based on the tasks carried out during the preparation of the letter.

For example: J.D. conceptualized the letter, developed the main arguments, and drafted the initial version. J.S. was responsible for gathering relevant data, reviewing and editing the manuscript, and overseeing the project. E.W. contributed to the analysis of the data, created visualizations, and ensured that proper funding was acquired for the research.

Acknowledgements (Mandatory)

Please acknowledge individuals or entities who assisted in the formulation or review of the letter, but who do not meet authorship criteria.

Ethical Considerations (Mandatory)

All submitted letters must include the following ethical compliance statement:

References (Mandatory)

The use of reference management software (e.g., EndNote, Zotero) is recommended, and the Climate Health EndNote style file is also available.

Ensure that URLs for online sources are active and complete, and all citations are relevant, recent, and appropriate for a scientific audience.

Submission Preparation Checklist

Before submission, authors must confirm that their manuscript complies with the following criteria:

The submission has not been previously published nor is it under review elsewhere.
The manuscript file is in Microsoft Word (.docx).
The cover letter is provided.
Where applicable, URLs for references have been provided.
The text is double-spaced, uses a 12-point Times New Roman font, employs italics instead of underlining (except in URLs).
Figures and tables should be submitted separately and not embedded within the text.
The submission follows the stylistic and bibliographic requirements outlined in the Climate Health Author Guidelines.
If submitting to a peer-reviewed section, the manuscript has been prepared in accordance with the Ensuring a Blind Review guidelines.

Privacy Statement

The names, affiliations, and email addresses provided by authors will be used exclusively for communication related to Climate Health and will not be shared with third parties or used for any other purpose.