Journal of Pediatric Health Care

Introduction

EDITORIAL POLICIES

The Journal of Pediatric Health Care (JPHC) invites research studies, the analysis of new and innovative methodologies for pediatric research, quality improvement studies, and clinical articles concerning pediatric clinical practice, including case reports (e.g., primary, acute, specialty, home health, school health, including nurse practitioner managed school-based health center practices, and behavior and mental health), and pediatric/adolescent pharmacology and psychopharmacology. We also invite papers related to health care policy, role/professional issues, global health care, continuing education and educational innovations relevant to the pediatric nurse practicing in an advanced practice role. All Articles and Department features should be submitted via Editorial Manager at https://www.editorialmanager.com/YMPH/default.aspx. All manuscripts are accepted for publication with the understanding that they are contributed solely to the JPHC. Per editorial discretion submissions may be reviewed for plagiarism using iThenticate®.

Statements and opinions expressed in the articles and communications herein are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the Editors, the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP), or publisher. The Editors, publisher, and NAPNAP disclaim any responsibility or liability for such material and do not guarantee, warrant, or endorse any product or services advertised in this publication. Neither do they guarantee any claim made by the manufacturers of such products or services.

Manuscripts are reviewed by selected reviewers in appropriate specialties. Authors will be notified by an e-mail generated by Editorial Manager of receipt of their manuscripts. Notification of acceptance customarily requires 6 to 8 weeks. Acceptance is based on originality of ideas, significance for pediatric advanced practice nurses, validity, and adherence to the submission requirements (See "Manuscript Preparation").

Manuscripts become the permanent property of the JPHC and may not be published elsewhere without written permission from the author and Elsevier. All accepted manuscripts are subject to manuscript editing.

TYPES OF PAPERS

All Research Articles, Department Articles, and Letters to the Editor should be submitted via Editorial Manager at https://www.editorialmanager.com/YMPH/default.aspx. A brief description of each article type is provided below.

Full-length Articles: Mixed Methods, Qualitative, Quantitative, Systematic Reviews, Integrative Reviews, Education, Mental Health/Behavioral Health, Research Methods, Clinical Practice, Quality Improvement, Global Health. Areas of interest include Behavioral and Mental Health Research Studies, Advanced Practice Pediatric Educational Research, and academic curriculum initiatives and innovations.

Department Articles: Primary Care Case Report, Specialty Case Report, Acute Care Case Report, Global Health Case Report, Behavioral and Mental Health Case Report, Continuing Education, Health Policy, Pharmacology Continuing Education, Pharmacology, Practice Guidelines, and Professional Issues.

Language (usage and editing services)

Please write your text in English (American or British usage is accepted, but not a mixture of these). Authors who feel their English language manuscript may require editing to eliminate possible grammatical or spelling errors and to conform to correct scientific English may wish to use the English Language Editing service available from Elsevier's WebShop https://webshop.elsevier.com/language-editing/ or visit our customer support site https://service.elsevier.com for more information.

Before you begin

Ethics in publishing

Please see our information on Ethics in publishing.

Informed consent and patient details

Studies on patients or volunteers (including organ/tissue donors) require informed consent, which should be documented in the paper. Appropriate consents, permissions and releases must be obtained where an author wishes to include case details or other personal information or images of patients and any other individuals in an Elsevier publication. Written consents must be retained by the author, but copies should not be provided to the journal.

Only if specifically requested by the journal in exceptional circumstances (for example if a legal issue arises) the author must provide copies of the consents or evidence that such consents have been obtained. For more information, please review the Elsevier Policy on the Use of Images or Personal Information of Patients or other Individuals.

Unless the author has written permission from the patient (or, where applicable, the next of kin), the personal details of any patient included in any part of the article and in any supplementary materials (including all illustrations and videos) must be removed before submission.

Disclosure of financial interests and potential conflicts of interest

Authors are required to provide full disclosure on potential conflicts of interest, including financial or personal relationships, interests, and affiliations relevant to the subject matter of the manuscript that have occurred over the past 2 years, or that are expected in the foreseeable future. This disclosure may include, but not be limited to, grants or funding, employment, affiliations, honoraria, consultancies, royalties, stock options/ownership, expert testimony, or editorial assistance. NAPNAP encourages authors to disclose discussion of investigational or "off-label" use of drugs or medical devices. If the article is accepted for publication, a disclosure statement will appear with the article.

A disclosure statement should be included for each author on Editorial Manager. If an author has no conflicts of interest to declare, this must be stated. Authors should contact the Editorial Office with questions or concerns, but should err on the side of inclusion when in doubt. The following is sample text:

"Jane Smith reports having received lecture fees from XYZ Laboratories. Susan Brown disclosed consulting fees from 123 Inc. Elizabeth Wall reports no financial interests or potential conflicts of interest."

Role of the funding source

You are requested to identify who provided financial support for the conduct of the research and/or preparation of the article and to briefly describe the role of the sponsor(s), if any, in study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the article for publication. If the funding source(s) had no such involvement then this should be stated. Please see https://www.elsevier.com/funding.

Funding body agreements and policies

Elsevier has established agreements and developed policies to allow authors whose articles appear in journals published by Elsevier, to comply with potential manuscript archiving requirements as specified as conditions of their grant awards. To learn more about existing agreements and policies please visit https://www.elsevier.com/fundingbodies.

Declaration of generative AI in scientific writing

The below guidance only refers to the writing process, and not to the use of AI tools to analyse and draw insights from data as part of the research process.

Where authors use generative artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process, authors should only use these technologies to improve readability and language. Applying the technology should be done with human oversight and control, and authors should carefully review and edit the result, as AI can generate authoritative-sounding output that can be incorrect, incomplete or biased. AI and AI-assisted technologies should not be listed as an author or co-author, or be cited as an author. Authorship implies responsibilities and tasks that can only be attributed to and performed by humans, as outlined in Elsevier’s AI policy for authors.

Authors should disclose in their manuscript the use of AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process by following the instructions below. A statement will appear in the published work. Please note that authors are ultimately responsible and accountable for the contents of the work.

Disclosure instructions
Authors must disclose the use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process by adding a statement at the end of their manuscript in the core manuscript file, before the References list. The statement should be placed in a new section entitled ‘Declaration of Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process’.

Statement: During the preparation of this work the author(s) used [NAME TOOL / SERVICE] in order to [REASON]. After using this tool/service, the author(s) reviewed and edited the content as needed and take(s) full responsibility for the content of the publication.

This declaration does not apply to the use of basic tools for checking grammar, spelling, references etc. If there is nothing to disclose, there is no need to add a statement.

Submission declaration

Submission of an article implies that the work described has not been published previously, except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture or academic thesis or as an electronic preprint (an electronic preprint is an online draft of an article before it has been published in a journal; see https://www.elsevier.com/postingpolicy), that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, that its publication is approved by all authors and tacitly or explicitly by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out, and that, if accepted, it will not be published elsewhere including electronically in the same form, in English or in any other language, without the written consent of the copyright-holder.

Use of inclusive language

Inclusive language acknowledges diversity, conveys respect to all people, is sensitive to differences, and promotes equal opportunities. Content should make no assumptions about the beliefs or commitments of any reader; contain nothing which might imply that one individual is superior to another on the grounds of age, gender, race, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, disability or health condition; and use inclusive language throughout. Authors should ensure that writing is free from bias, stereotypes, slang, reference to dominant culture and/or cultural assumptions. We advise to seek gender neutrality by using plural nouns ("clinicians, patients/clients") as default/wherever possible to avoid using "he, she," or "he/she." We recommend avoiding the use of descriptors that refer to personal attributes such as age, gender, race, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, disability or health condition unless they are relevant and valid. When coding terminology is used, we recommend to avoid offensive or exclusionary terms such as "master", "slave", "blacklist" and "whitelist". We suggest using alternatives that are more appropriate and (self-) explanatory such as "primary", "secondary", "blocklist" and "allowlist". These guidelines are meant as a point of reference to help identify appropriate language but are by no means exhaustive or definitive.

Reporting sex- and gender-based analyses

Reporting guidance
For research involving or pertaining to humans, animals or eukaryotic cells, investigators should integrate sex and gender-based analyses (SGBA) into their research design according to funder/sponsor requirements and best practices within a field. Authors should address the sex and/or gender dimensions of their research in their article. In cases where they cannot, they should discuss this as a limitation to their research's generalizability. Importantly, authors should explicitly state what definitions of sex and/or gender they are applying to enhance the precision, rigor and reproducibility of their research and to avoid ambiguity or conflation of terms and the constructs to which they refer (see Definitions section below). Authors can refer to the Sex and Gender Equity in Research (SAGER) guidelines and the SAGER guidelines checklist. These offer systematic approaches to the use and editorial review of sex and gender information in study design, data analysis, outcome reporting and research interpretation - however, please note there is no single, universally agreed-upon set of guidelines for defining sex and gender.

Definitions
Sex generally refers to a set of biological attributes that are associated with physical and physiological features (e.g., chromosomal genotype, hormonal levels, internal and external anatomy). A binary sex categorization (male/female) is usually designated at birth (""sex assigned at birth""), most often based solely on the visible external anatomy of a newborn. Gender generally refers to socially constructed roles, behaviors, and identities of women, men and gender-diverse people that occur in a historical and cultural context and may vary across societies and over time. Gender influences how people view themselves and each other, how they behave and interact and how power is distributed in society. Sex and gender are often incorrectly portrayed as binary (female/male or woman/man) and unchanging whereas these constructs actually exist along a spectrum and include additional sex categorizations and gender identities such as people who are intersex/have differences of sex development (DSD) or identify as non-binary. Moreover, the terms ""sex"" and ""gender"" can be ambiguous—thus it is important for authors to define the manner in which they are used. In addition to this definition guidance and the SAGER guidelines, the resources on this page offer further insight around sex and gender in research studies.

AUTHORSHIP

The JPHC follows the ICMJE guidelines for definition of authorship: "Authorship credit should be based on 1) substantial contributions to conception and design, acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data; 2) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content; 3) final approval of the version to be published; and 4) agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved" (retrieved from https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html).

Changes to authorship

This policy concerns the addition, deletion, or rearrangement of author names in the authorship of accepted manuscripts:
Before the accepted manuscript is published as an article in press: Requests to add or remove an author, rearrange the author names, or change author credentials must be sent to the Journal Manager from the corresponding author of the accepted manuscript and must include: (a) the reason the name should be added or removed, or the author names rearranged and (b) written confirmation (e-mail, fax, letter) from all authors that they agree with the addition, removal or rearrangement. In the case of addition or removal of authors, this includes confirmation from the author being added or removed. Requests that are not sent by the corresponding author will be forwarded by the Journal Manager to the corresponding author, who must follow the procedure as described above. Note that: (1) Journal Managers will inform the Journal Editors of any such requests and (2) publication of the accepted manuscript in production is suspended until authorship has been agreed.

Article Transfer Service

This journal is part of our Article Transfer Service. This means that if the Editor feels your article is more suitable in one of our other participating journals, then you may be asked to consider transferring the article to one of those. If you agree, your article will be transferred automatically on your behalf with no need to reformat. Please note that your article will be reviewed again by the new journal. More information.

Copyright statement

Upon submission of an article, authors will be asked to transfer copyright (for more information on copyright and permissions, see https://www.elsevier.com/copyright). This transfer will ensure the widest possible dissemination of information.

Copyright

Upon acceptance of an article, authors will be asked to complete a 'Journal Publishing Agreement' (see more information on this). An e-mail will be sent to the corresponding author confirming receipt of the manuscript together with a 'Journal Publishing Agreement' form or a link to the online version of this agreement.

Subscribers may reproduce tables of contents or prepare lists of articles including abstracts for internal circulation within their institutions. Permission of the Publisher is required for resale or distribution outside the institution and for all other derivative works, including compilations and translations. If excerpts from other copyrighted works are included, the author(s) must obtain written permission from the copyright owners and credit the source(s) in the article. Elsevier has preprinted forms for use by authors in these cases.

Author rights
As an author you (or your employer or institution) have certain rights to reuse your work. More information.

Elsevier supports responsible sharing
Find out how you can share your research published in Elsevier journals.

Open access

Please visit our Open Access page for more information about open access publishing in this journal.

SUBMISSION OF MANUSCRIPTS

All manuscripts must be submitted through Editorial Manager(https://www.editorialmanager.com/YMPH/default.aspx). Authors are requested to submit the text, tables, and artwork in electronic form (not as a PDF). In an accompanying letter authors should state that the manuscript, or parts of it, have not and will not be submitted elsewhere for publication.

Submission of items includes 1) a cover letter, 2) title page with author information, disclosure statement, and key words, (3) the manuscript and references, and (4) table(s)/figure(s) with legends. Note figures and tables are to be submitted as separate files (see below). Revised manuscripts should also be accompanied by a unique file (separate from the cover letter) with anonymous responses to reviewers' comments. Please note that the response to reviewers should not contain any identifying information. The preferred order of files is as follows: cover letter, title page, response to reviews (revised manuscripts only), manuscript file(s), table(s), figure(s).

Papers must be prepared using American Psychological Association (APA) style. You are referred to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition, copies of which may be ordered from http://books.apa.org/books.cfm?id=4200067 or APA Order Dept., P.O.B. 2710, Hyattsville, MD 20784, USA or APA, 3 Henrietta Street, London, WC3E 8LU, UK.

Manuscripts may be submitted with the goal of offering CE credit (see Continuing Education below).

All correspondence once the manuscript is submitted, including the Editor's decision and request for revision, will be by e-mail.

Preparation

MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION

Manuscripts (text, excluding references and tables) should not exceed 5000 words. Department submissions have varied word counts (see Department Manuscript Preparation below). If abbreviations cannot be avoided, use the expanded form when first mentioned and abbreviate thereafter. Use generic drug and equipment names (trade names may be listed in parentheses at the point of first mention). If it is necessary to mention a trade name for equipment, the name must be followed immediately by the manufacturer's name and city/state. Pagination should begin with the title page as page 1 and continue through the entire manuscript.

To each page, add Line Numbers, a function of Microsoft Word, prior to submitting. Line numbering is required. Submissions without line numbers will be returned to the corresponding author for correction prior to sending the manuscript to reviewer for comments.

Title Page. Articles require a title page. It should include the title of the manuscript, author names with earned credentials (as per the American Academy of Nursing, http://www.aannet.org), job title, and corresponding author's address, email, and phone number. It should also include any disclosures, acknowledgments, and key words. Note for retired authors: please list your previous position title and institution. If you are also the corresponding author, please use your previous institution's work address unless you would prefer your home address be listed.

Key Words. On the title page, provide 3 to 5 key words, using American spelling and avoiding general and plural terms and multiple concepts (avoid, for example, 'and', 'of'). Please think carefully about the Keywords for your manuscript. Keywords should be MeSH terms. When your article is published, using the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms as keywords, which are established by the National Library of Medicine, makes it more likely that your article will appear in a search by anyone using medical databases (PubMed, CINAHL, etc) for biomedical or health-related information.

APA format as listed above under manuscript submissions

Research Articles

We welcome all styles of rigorous research investigations addressing the health, disorders, diseases, primary, acute, and specialty care for all ages pediatric, adolescent, and young adults: as well as aspects of practice for pediatric nurse practitioners, and family nurse practitioners advanced practice nurse practitioners focusing on all pediatric populations.

Research Studies include, but are not limited to:

1. Quantitative studies: Experimental; Quasi experimental; Descriptive; Correlational
a. Exemplars:
b. Randomized control trials (RCTs) reporting using the CONSORT criteria: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6398298/ OR https://legacyfileshare.elsevier.com/promis_misc/apmr_repguide.pdf
c. Systematic and Meta-analyses reporting using the PRISMA criteria https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33782057/
d. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/26665719/publish/guide-for-authors
e. Integrative reviews: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/22134220/publish/guide-for-authors
f. Concept analysis: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27450481/

2. Qualitative Research: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8106287/#
a. Phenomenological
b. Grounded theory
c. Ethnographic
d. Narrative
e. Historical

3. Mixed Methods Research
a. Reporting guidelines: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9223457/

4. Implementation Science:
a. The Standards for Reporting Implementation Science (StaRI) style
b. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28264797/

-Please refer to the information below for Tables, Figures, and Video data, and Supplementary materials for all research studies.

-Authors for research studies must be able to provide data, if requested by readers who wish to duplicate the study.

-Before authors final submission, please see Elseviers checklist at the end of this author's guide.

Quality Improvement Articles

1. Quality improvement studies in advanced practice pediatric nursing and their families, pediatric health care systems, and organizations are welcomed.

2. Reporting style using the Squire 2.0 guidelines. They may be modified based on the particular project completed.

3. Squire 2.0

4. Quality Improvement Project articles should include a structured abstract with the following headings:
Background
Local Problem or Aim Statement
Methods
Interventions
Results
Conclusions

Abstract. Abstracts should be limited to 150 words and appear on the first page after the title page. The abstract should be factual, and present the key points in the manuscript, with a summary of clinical implications. Abstracts are published for all full-length articles and some Departments.

Introduction: State the purpose or objective of the study, including the major hypothesis tested, if any.

Method: Describe the study design, the setting, sample, and measures used to collect data.

Results: Describe the major outcomes and statistical significance, if appropriate.

Discussion: State the significance of the results.

Letters to the Editor. Letters to the Editor raising some point of current interest or commenting on an article that appeared in the JPHC will be considered for publication. The Editor reserves the right to accept, reject, or excerpt letters without changing the views expressed by the writer. The author will have an opportunity to reply to the comments.

DEPARTMENT MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION

Department features are published in varying frequency. Queries regarding department submissions can be sent to the corresponding or department editor listed. Suggested words counts for manuscript length are listed in the department descriptions. Authors should follow the instructions for full length articles. 

Primary Care Case Report. This section features case presentations reflecting either common or unusual clinical situations seen in primary care. The anonymity of patients presented should be maintained and permission obtained from the patient and or family if the patient is not de-identified. IRB approval for the presentation of case reports may be required and is the author's responsibility. Any author interested in sending a query should direct their cases to the Corresponding Editor at [email protected]. See the suggested template for case report preparation. The suggested word count is 3000.

Reporting guidelines using CARE Guidelines: https://www.care-statement.org

Authors are encouraged to use the CARE Checklist prior to submission: https://www.care-statement.org/checklist

Acute & Specialty Care Case Report. This Department features case presentations reflecting either acute or specialty care. The anonymity of patients presented should be maintained and permission obtained from the patient and or family if the patient is not de-identified. IRB approval for the presentation of case reports may be required and is the author's responsibility. Any author interested in sending a query should contact the corresponding editor at [email protected]. See the suggested template for case report preparation. The suggested word count is 3000.

Reporting guidelines using CARE Guidelines: https://www.care-statement.org

Authors are encouraged to use the CARE Checklist prior to submission: https://www.care-statement.org/checklist

Health Policy & Professional Issues. Health PolicyCurrent and compelling state, national health and international policy issues impacting children and their families are published. The suggested word count for this department is 1500 words.
Professional IssuesThis Department features articles about professional practice, role issues, and leadership topics of interest to pediatric advanced practice nurses.The suggested word count is 2500 words. The corresponding editor for Health Policy and Professional Issues is [email protected].

Research Methods. This feature seeks to provide new and innovative research methodologies for pediatric investigations to inform the design, implementation, dissemination, and evaluation of research-based care by PNPs. Analysis of methodologies to advance the science and evidence-base for pediatric and family centered research studies are encouraged. Send queries to the corresponding editor at [email protected]. The suggested word count is 2000 words.

CONTINUING EDUCATION MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION

Continuing education. Manuscripts on non-pharmacologic clinical topics that highlight changes in clinical practice based on the latest available research studies supporting or refuting current practices. This column is a CE offering (see CE instructions below). Queries for this Department can be sent to the associate editor at [email protected].

Pharmacology CE. Manuscripts on pharmacologic and psychopharmacology management of pediatric, adolescent, and young adult illnesses are published. Analysis of the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and pharmacogenomics related to specific medical diagnoses, prescribing practices, drug safety, drug monitoring, and side effects are published. This column is a CE offering (see CE instructions below). Queries for this Department can be sent to the corresponding editor at [email protected].

Continuing Education Article Author Information

Manuscripts submitted may offer varying amounts of CE credit. To be considered for CE, a manuscript must include:

1. Demonstration of the prospective author's expertise in the subject matter through experience, education, or both.

2. List 3-5 objectives, using action verbs that require readers to demonstrate their understanding of the topic (e.g., Explain the pathophysiology of...Recommend an appropriate approach...Discuss important considerations...). Use of Bloom's Revised taxonomy is recommended to develop each of the objectives and relevant questions.

3. A researched, referenced manuscript of approximately 6000 words (including objectives, tables, and posttest questions/answers). The text must provide current, advanced, testable information on clinical or professional topics.

4. Ten multiple-choice questions with 4 responses each or true/false items with the correct answers indicated. (See "Tips for Writing Test Questions.") Multiple choice questions with the correct answer of "all of the above" are not acceptable.

5. A curriculum vitae for each author should be sent to [email protected] upon acceptance.

6. A faculty declaration form for NAPNAP must be completed by all authors. This form can be accessed at http://www.jpedhc.org. Completed forms should be returned to [email protected].

Tips for Writing Test Questions

Questions should measure mastery of objectives and article content. Ideally, the majority of questions should be designed for the reader to apply knowledge learned from reading the article as opposed to simple recall of information.

1. Be sure the order of questions matches the sequence of information in the article. For example, question #1 should correspond to the information that appears in the article first.

2. After you have finished writing the test, be certain that the test includes questions that relate to each objective.

3. Make questions multiple choice with possible options labeled "a," "b," "c," "d."

4. Be certain that the 3 incorrect options are not plausible.

5. Use the same terminology in the test as in the narrative. (For example, if the narrative refers only to "hypertension," use "hypertension," not "high blood pressure," in the test.)

6. Make sure the correct option is derived directly from the narrative and clearly defensible as the best answer.

7. Avoid using words in the correct option that are also found in the stem (the first part of the question). Doing so provides "clues" to the correct answer.

8. Make sure that the options are not mutually exclusive. For example, if option "a" reads, "Slows the heart rate," and option "b" reads, "Increases the heart rate," these 2 options are mutually exclusive. The test taker can be reasonably certain that "c" and "d" are extraneous, and that either "a" or "b" is the correct answer.

9. Be sure that 1 or more of the options are not included in another option. For example, if option "a" reads, "Affects the heart rate," and option "b" reads, "Slows the heart rate," option "b" is actually included in option "a." Thus, if "b" is a correct response, "a" is also.

10. Include an answer key. The editor reserves the right to edit questions submitted for purposes of clarity and accuracy. The editors acknowledge the challenge of constructing a posttest that is accurate and clear.

Continuing Education Approval Procedure

1. The number of contact hours is assigned by the Education department of NAPNAP.

2. One member of the CE Committee not associated with the JPHC, who matches the profile of the average JPHC reader, is asked to review the article. An average of the time it takes them to read the article and complete the posttest will determine the number of contact hour(s) assigned. One contact hour equals 60 minutes.

3. CE Articles are approved for 1 year. At the discretion of the Education department, the approval time may be shortened depending on the stability of the article content.

For more information regarding development of learning objectives and posttest questions, please contact Laura Nelsen at [email protected].

Peer review

This journal operates a double anonymized review process. All contributions will be initially assessed by the editor for suitability for the journal. Papers deemed suitable are then typically sent to a minimum of two independent expert reviewers to assess the scientific quality of the paper. The Editor is responsible for the final decision regarding acceptance or rejection of articles. The Editor's decision is final. Editors are not involved in decisions about papers which they have written themselves or have been written by family members or colleagues or which relate to products or services in which the editor has an interest. Any such submission is subject to all of the journal's usual procedures, with peer review handled independently of the relevant editor and their research groups. More information on types of peer review.

Double anonymized review

This journal uses double anonymized review, which means the identities of the authors are concealed from the reviewers, and vice versa. More information is available on our website. To facilitate this, please include the following separately:
Title page (with author details): This should include the title, authors' names, affiliations, acknowledgements and any Declaration of Interest statement, and a complete address for the corresponding author including an e-mail address.
Anonymized manuscript (no author details): The main body of the paper (including the references, figures, tables and any acknowledgements) should not include any identifying information, such as the authors' names or affiliations.

Use of word processing software
It is important that the file be saved in the native format of the word processor used. The text should be in single-column format. Keep the layout of the text as simple as possible. Most formatting codes will be removed and replaced on processing the article. In particular, do not use the word processor's options to justify text or to hyphenate words. However, do use bold face, italics, subscripts, superscripts etc. When preparing tables, if you are using a table grid, use only one grid for each individual table and not a grid for each row. If no grid is used, use tabs, not spaces, to align columns. The electronic text should be prepared in a way very similar to that of conventional manuscripts (see also the Guide to Publishing with Elsevier). Note that source files of figures, tables and text graphics will be required whether or not you embed your figures in the text. See also the section on Electronic artwork.
To avoid unnecessary errors you are strongly advised to use the 'spell-check' and 'grammar-check' functions of your word processor.

Highlights

Highlights are optional yet highly encouraged for this journal, as they increase the discoverability of your article via search engines. They consist of a short collection of bullet points that capture the novel results of your research as well as new methods that were used during the study (if any). Please have a look at the example Highlights.

Highlights should be submitted in a separate editable file in the online submission system. Please use 'Highlights' in the file name and include 3 to 5 bullet points (maximum 85 characters, including spaces, per bullet point).

Units
Follow internationally accepted rules and conventions: use the international system of units (SI). If other units are mentioned, please give their equivalent in SI.

ILLUSTRATION SUBMISSION

Figures must be submitted in electronic format. Images should be provided in EPS or TIFF format per the instructions for online submission at https://www.editorialmanager.com/ymph. Illustrations should be numbered in the order of their mention in the text. Please refer to the Author Artwork Instructions link at the Journal's online submission system (https://www.editorialmanager.com/ymph) for additional information about artwork.

The legends should be typed double-spaced on a separate document and numbered to correspond with the figures. If a figure has been previously published, the legend must give full credit to the original source and permission obtained. Please send the permission and direct any questions to [email protected].

Color artwork
Please make sure that artwork files are in an acceptable format (TIFF, JPEG, EPS, or MS Office files) and with the correct resolution. If, together with your accepted article, you submit usable color figures then Elsevier will ensure, at no additional charge, that these figures will appear in color on the Web (e.g., ScienceDirect and other sites) regardless of whether or not these illustrations are reproduced in color in the printed version. For color reproduction in print, you will receive information regarding the costs from Elsevier after receipt of your accepted article. Please indicate your preference for color: in print or on the Web only. For further information on the preparation of electronic artwork, please see https://www.elsevier.com/about/policies-and-standards/author/artwork-and-media-instructions.
Please note: Because of technical complications which can arise by converting color figures to 'gray scale' (for the printed version should you not opt for color in print) please submit in addition usable black and white versions of all the color illustrations.

Figure captions
Ensure that each illustration has a caption. Supply captions separately, not attached to the figure. A caption should comprise a brief title (not on the figure itself) and a description of the illustration. Keep text in the illustrations themselves to a minimum but explain all symbols and abbreviations used.

TABLES

Each table should be submitted as a separate file. Please ensure each table file is an editable Word document. They should be numbered according to their mention in the text. A concise title describing the table's content should be supplied for each table. All footnotes should appear immediately below the table, and all abbreviations not used in the text should be defined in a footnote. If a table or any data therein have been previously published, a footnote must give full credit to the original source with permission obtained. Please send the permission and direct any questions to [email protected].

REFERENCES

Use the reference style of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed., 2020). The reference list should appear on a separate page at the end of the text. Only references cited in the text should appear in this list.

Please know that Google Scholar does not vet articles that are included in searches. Thus, a predatory journal article may be included in your Google Scholar search, and you may have a predatory article in your submitted work. It is your responsibility to check all references to be certain they are valid and have a DOI number prior to submission.

Citation in text
Please ensure that every reference cited in the text is also present in the reference list (and vice versa). Any references cited in the abstract must be given in full. If these references are included in the reference list they should follow the standard reference style of the journal and should include a substitution of the publication date with either 'Unpublished results' or 'Personal communication'. Citation of a reference as 'in press' implies that the item has been accepted for publication.

Reference links
Increased discoverability of research and high-quality peer review are ensured by online links to the sources cited. In order to allow us to create links to abstracting and indexing services, such as CrossRef and PubMed, please ensure that data provided in the references are correct. Please note that incorrect surnames, journal/book titles, publication year and pagination may prevent link creation. When copying references, please be careful as they may already contain errors. DOI numbers are required for all references that have an assigned DOI number.

Web references
As a minimum, the full URL should be given. Any further information, if known (DOI, author names, dates, reference to a source publication, etc.), should also be given. Web references can be listed separately (e.g., after the reference list) under a different heading if desired, or can be included in the reference list.

Data references
This journal encourages you to cite underlying or relevant datasets in your manuscript by citing them in your text and including a data reference in your Reference List. Data references should include the following elements: author name(s), year, dataset title, data repository, version (where available), and global persistent identifier. Add [dataset] immediately before the reference so we can properly identify it as a data reference. This identifier will not appear in your published article.

Preprint references
Where a preprint has subsequently become available as a peer-reviewed publication, the formal publication should be used as the reference. If there are preprints that are central to your work or that cover crucial developments in the topic, but are not yet formally published, these may be referenced. Preprints should be clearly marked as such, for example by including the word preprint, or the name of the preprint server, as part of the reference. The preprint DOI should also be provided.

Reference management software
Most Elsevier journals have their reference template available in many of the most popular reference management software products. These include all products that support Citation Style Language styles, such as Mendeley. Using citation plug-ins from these products, authors only need to select the appropriate journal template when preparing their article, after which citations and bibliographies will be automatically formatted in the journal's style. If no template is yet available for this journal, please follow the format of the sample references and citations as shown in this Guide. If you use reference management software, please ensure that you remove all field codes before submitting the electronic manuscript. More information on how to remove field codes from different reference management software.

Reference style
Text: Citations in the text should follow the referencing style used by the American Psychological Association. You are referred to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition, ISBN 978-1-4338-3215-4, copies of which may be ordered from https://www.apa.org/pubs/books/publication-manual-7th-edition-hardcover or APA Publications Department, 750 First Street, NE Washington, DC 20002, USA or APA, 3 Henrietta Street, London, WC3E 8LU, UK.
List: references should be arranged first alphabetically and then further sorted chronologically if necessary. More than one reference from the same author(s) in the same year must be identified by the letters 'a', 'b', 'c', etc., placed after the year of publication.
Examples:
Reference to a journal publication:
Burka, S. D., Van Cleve, S. N., Shafer, S., & Barkin, J. L. (2014). At integration of pediatric mental health care: an evidence-based workshop for primary care providers. Journal of Pediatric Health Care, 28, 23–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedhc.2012.10.006
Reference to a chapter in an edited book:
Mettam, G. R., & Adams, L. B. (2009). How to prepare an electronic version of your article. In B. S. Jones, & R. Z. Smith (Eds.), Introduction to the electronic age (pp. 281–304). New York: E-Publishing Inc.
Reference to a dataset:
[dataset] Oguro, M., Imahiro, S., Saito, S., & Nakashizuka, T. (2015). Mortality data for Japanese oak wilt disease and surrounding forest composition [Mendeley Data, v1]. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.17632/xwj98nb39r.1

Journal abbreviations source
Journal names should be abbreviated according to the list of title word abbreviations: http://www.issn.org/2-22661-LTWA-online.php.

VIDEO DATA

Elsevier accepts video material and animation sequences to support and enhance your scientific research. Authors who have video or animation files that they wish to submit with their article are strongly encouraged to include links to these within the body of the article. This can be done in the same way as a figure or table by referring to the video or animation content and noting in the body text where it should be placed. All submitted files should be properly labeled so that they directly relate to the video file's content. In order to ensure that your video or animation material is directly usable, please provide the files in one of our recommended file formats with a preferred maximum size of 150 MB. Video and animation files supplied will be published online in the electronic version of your article in Elsevier Web products, including ScienceDirect: https://www.sciencedirect.com. Please supply 'stills' with your files: you can choose any frame from the video or animation or make a separate image. These will be used instead of standard icons and will personalize the link to your video data. For more detailed instructions please visit our video instruction pages at https://www.elsevier.com/artworkinstructions. Note: since video and animation cannot be embedded in the print version of the journal, please provide text for both the electronic and the print version for the portions of the article that refer to this content.

SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS

Supplementary data (i.e., multimedia files, additional images/datasets, etc.) to accompany your manuscript can be submitted. If the manuscript is accepted, such file(s) may appear with the online version of the article and the availability of the online file(s) will be noted in the printed version of the JPHC.

Research data

This journal encourages and enables you to share data that supports your research publication where appropriate, and enables you to interlink the data with your published articles. Research data refers to the results of observations or experimentation that validate research findings, which may also include software, code, models, algorithms, protocols, methods and other useful materials related to the project.

Below are a number of ways in which you can associate data with your article or make a statement about the availability of your data when submitting your manuscript. If you are sharing data in one of these ways, you are encouraged to cite the data in your manuscript and reference list. Please refer to the "References" section for more information about data citation. For more information on depositing, sharing and using research data and other relevant research materials, visit the research data page.

Data linking
If you have made your research data available in a data repository, you can link your article directly to the dataset. Elsevier collaborates with a number of repositories to link articles on ScienceDirect with relevant repositories, giving readers access to underlying data that gives them a better understanding of the research described.

There are different ways to link your datasets to your article. When available, you can directly link your dataset to your article by providing the relevant information in the submission system. For more information, visit the database linking page.

For supported data repositories a repository banner will automatically appear next to your published article on ScienceDirect.

In addition, you can link to relevant data or entities through identifiers within the text of your manuscript, using the following format: Database: xxxx (e.g., TAIR: AT1G01020; CCDC: 734053; PDB: 1XFN).

Data statement
To foster transparency, we encourage you to state the availability of your data in your submission. This may be a requirement of your funding body or institution. If your data is unavailable to access or unsuitable to post, you will have the opportunity to indicate why during the submission process, for example by stating that the research data is confidential. The statement will appear with your published article on ScienceDirect. For more information, visit the Data Statement page.

SUBMISSION CHECKLIST

The following list will be useful during the final checking of an article prior to sending it to the journal for review. Please consult this Guide for Authors for further details of any item. Please include the following statement as a disclosure in your manuscript: "I am submitting this manuscript using the appropriate reporting standards for my work," e.g., CONSORT for a randomized controlled trial (RCT).
Ensure that the following items are present:
One author has been designated as the corresponding author with contact details:
• E-mail address
• Full postal address
• Phone numbers
All necessary files have been uploaded, and contain:
• Keywords
• All figure captions
• All tables (including title, description, footnotes) in separate, editable Word files
Further considerations
• Manuscript has been 'spell-checked' and 'grammar-checked'
• References are in the correct format for this journal
• All references mentioned in the Reference list are cited in the text, and vice versa
• Permission has been obtained for use of copyrighted material from other sources (including the Web)
• Color figures are clearly marked as being intended for color reproduction on the Web (free of charge) and in print, or to be reproduced in color on the Web (free of charge) and in black-and-white in print
• If only color on the Web is required, black-and-white versions of the figures are also supplied for printing purposes
• Anonymous author disclosures: In addition to the regular author disclosures provided, for the purpose of making any disclosures available to the reviewers, please provide the disclosures anonymously as well (i.e., with author names excluded)
Please include an author contribution statement immediately preceding the Reference List in the following format:
AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS
E. A. D. and E. S. conceptualization; E. A. D., H. L., and E. S. resources; E. A. D., Y. L., Z. S., H. L., and E. S. data curation; E. A. D. formal analysis; E. A. D., Y. L., and E. S. supervision; E. A. D. and E. S. funding acquisition; E. A. D. validation; E. A. D. and Z. S. investigation; E. A. D. visualization; E. A. D. and Y. L. methodology; E. A. D. writing-original draft; E. A. D. and E. S. project administration; E. A. D., Y. L., and E. S. writing-review and editing.
For any further information please visit our customer support site at https://service.elsevier.com.

After acceptance

Proofs

One set of page proofs (as PDF files) will be sent by e-mail to the corresponding author, or a link will be provided in the e-mail so that authors can download the files themselves. Elsevier now provides authors with PDF proofs which can be annotated; for this you will need to download Adobe Reader version 7 (or higher) available free from http://get.adobe.com/reader. Instructions on how to annotate PDF files will accompany the proofs (also given online). The exact system requirements are given at the Adobe site: http://www.adobe.com/products/reader/tech-specs.html.
If you do not wish to use the PDF annotations function, you may list the corrections (including replies to the Query Form) and return them to Elsevier in an e-mail. Please list your corrections quoting line number. If, for any reason, this is not possible, then mark the corrections and any other comments (including replies to the Query Form) on a printout of your proof and return by fax, or scan the pages and e-mail, or by post. Please use this proof only for checking the typesetting, editing, completeness and correctness of the text, tables and figures. Significant changes to the article as accepted for publication will only be considered at this stage with permission from the Editor. We will do everything possible to get your article published quickly and accurately – please let us have all your corrections within 48 hours. It is important to ensure that all corrections are sent back to us in one communication: please check carefully before replying, as inclusion of any subsequent corrections cannot be guaranteed. Proofreading is solely your responsibility. Note that Elsevier may proceed with the publication of your article if no response is received.

Use of the Digital Object Identifier

The Digital Object Identifier (DOI) must be used to cite and link to electronic documents. The DOI consists of a unique alpha-numeric character string which is assigned to a document by the publisher upon the initial electronic publication. The assigned DOI never changes. Therefore, it is an ideal medium for citing a document, particularly 'Articles in press' because they have not yet received their full bibliographic information. Example of a correctly given DOI (in URL format; here an article in the journal Physics Letters B):
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.physletb.2010.09.059
When you use a DOI to create links to documents on the web, the DOIs are guaranteed never to change.

Offprints

The corresponding author will, at no cost, receive a customized Share Link providing 50 days free access to the final published version of the article on ScienceDirect. The Share Link can be used for sharing the article via any communication channel, including email and social media. For an extra charge, paper offprints can be ordered via the offprint order form which is sent once the article is accepted for publication. Corresponding authors who have published their article gold open access do not receive a Share Link as their final published version of the article is available open access on ScienceDirect and can be shared through the article DOI link.

Author inquiries

Visit the Elsevier Support Center to find the answers you need. Here you will find everything from Frequently Asked Questions to ways to get in touch.
You can also check the status of your submitted article or find out when your accepted article will be published.