Health Policy is intended to be a vehicle for the exploration and discussion of health policy issues and is aimed in particular at enhancing communication between health policy researchers, legislators, decision-makers and professionals concerned with developing, implementing, and analysing health policy.

The journal encourages the submission of original, empirically based, comparative and/or global studies. To achieve the journal's objectives, Authors are encouraged to write in a non-technical style, which is understandable to health policy practitioners and specialists from other disciplines.

Health Policy is affiliated with The International Society for Equity in Health and AcademyHealth.

Types of contributions
Four types of articles are possible.

1. Research articles should report original research. The material should not have been previously published elsewhere.
2. Review articles should cover subjects, which are of current interest and which are within the scope of the journal. They may be submitted or invited.
3. A Second Opinion is a response to a paper recently published in the Journal. Second Opinions may be submitted or invited.
4. Letters to the Editor are welcome.

Health Policy is a truly international journal. Papers are invited from any country in the world. However, Authors should provide sufficient background and context, to ensure that their manuscript can be appreciated by an international readership.

Online submission of manuscripts
Submission to Health Policy proceeds totally online. Via the journal's homepage, http://www.ees.elsevier.com/heap, Elsevier Editorial System^TM guides the Author stepwise through the creation and uploading of the various files. During the submission process, Authors provide an electronic version of their manuscript to Elsevier Editorial System^TM. Once the uploading is done, the system automatically generates an electronic (PDF) proof, which is then used for reviewing. The review process is fully anonymous. All correspondence, including the Editor's decision and request for revisions, will be processed through the system and will reach the corresponding Author by e-mail.

Size and layout of manuscripts
Manuscripts should be written in English. They should be clear, concise and logical.

Manuscripts should in principle be no longer than 4000 words, excluding references, figures and tables. Papers below this word limit are preferred.
Exceptionally, if the topic requires a more extensive approach (e.g. review articles), manuscripts exceeding this word limit may be accepted.

Manuscripts should be structured as follows:
1. Title page: this page lists the full title, the names and affiliations of all Authors, the full address (including e-mail, phone and fax) of the corresponding Author and the word count
2. Abstract
3. Introduction
4. Materials and methods
5. Results
6. Discussion
7. Conclusions
8. Acknowledgements (e.g. to sponsors) / conflicts of interest (when relevant)
9. References

Manuscripts should include a line count, in order to facilitate the work of the referees.

Health Policy applies a double-blind review process, whereby the Authors are not revealed to the referees (and vice versa). Authors should very carefully follow the guidelines for preparing the manuscript to ensure anonymity in the electronic submission system. Authors should furthermore be aware that certain elements in the manuscript (e.g. referring to the own institution, or to own published work) may, unwillingly, reveal their identity to reviewers. It is the responsibility of the submitting Author to assure that all personal details are provided on a separate Title Page.

Abstract
The abstract should not exceed 200 words and should be structured as follows: objectives, methods, results, conclusions. The abstract should not contain references to other published work.
The abstract page should also include 3 to 6 keywords, using terms from the Medical Subject Headings from Index Medicus.

Figures, tables and equations
Figures and tables, and especially equations or other formulae should be kept to a minimum. Only those figures, tables and equations that are essential to clarify arguments in the manuscript should be included. Figures and tables should still be legible when reduced in size for printing.

Figures
Figures of good quality should be submitted online as a separate file. The lettering should be large enough to permit photographic reduction. The legend should be typed on a page separate from the figure. If there are multiple figures, the legends should be compiled together on one page (or more if necessary).

Tables
Tables should be submitted online as a separate file and should bear a short descriptive title. Legends for each table should appear on the same page as the table.

Throughout the manuscript text, Authors must indicate where approximately the tables and figures should be included.

Literature references
Citation of literature references in the text should be done as numbers in square brackets. All references should be listed at the end of the paper on a separate page (also double spaced), arranged in numerical order of their appearance in the text, not in alphabetical order.

The Authors should ensure that there is a strict one-to-one correspondence between the names and years in the text and those on the reference list.

Examples:
[1] Maynard A. Rationing health care: an exploration. Health Policy 1999;49:5-11.
[2] World Health Organization. The World Health Report 2000: improving health system performance. Geneva. 2001.
[3] Figueras J, Saltman RB, Busse R, Dubois FW. Patterns and performance in social health insurance systems. In: Saltman RB, Busse R, Figueras J, editors. Social health insurance systems in western Europe. Berkshire: Open University Press; 2004. p.81-140.
[4] Canadian Institute of Health Information. Health Care in Canada 2002, www.cihi.ca; 2002.

Appendices
Appendices should be avoided. If technical details on a study or analysis (e.g. questionnaires, models) are considered important for the review process, appendices can be included in the first submission. Final revisions should no longer include the appendices. Authors should then note that this additional material is available from the Authors upon request.

Attention: manuscripts that do not comply strictly with the above mentioned manuscript guidelines will be considered as non-admissible.

Revised version of the manuscript
On the basis of the comments of the referees and editors, Authors may be asked to revise their manuscript. In order to facilitate the evaluation of the revisions by the referees and editors, upon revision, Authors are asked:
- to indicate all changes to the original manuscript by means of 'track changes'
- to add a letter for the referees, explaining how they dealt with all of the recommendations and questions from the referees
Authors should submit their revised version no later than 9 months after they were informed about the decision that the manuscript needs revision. If no revised manuscript is received 9 months after the decision, the manuscript will be considered as rejected.

Author Agreement
Submission of a manuscript to Health Policy implies that it has not been published elsewhere, or it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere.
Submission of a manuscript by one of the Authors implies that this submission is approved by all Authors and, if relevant, by the authorities where the manuscript was produced.
After the manuscript is accepted for publication, it will not be published elsewhere, in English or in any other language, without the written consent of the copyright-holder.

Upon acceptance of an article, Authors will be asked to transfer copyright (for more information on copyright see http://www.authors.elsevier.com. This transfer will ensure the widest possible dissemination of information.
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: contact Elsevier's Rights Department, Philadelphia, PA, USA: phone (+1) 215 239 3804, fax (+1) 215 239 3805, e-mail healthpermissions@elsevier.com

Conflicts of interest and funding
It is the responsibility of the Authors to recognise and disclose any financial or other conflicts of interest that might potentially bias the work. Authors are responsible for disclosing this information upon submission of a manuscript.

Language Editing
Language Editing: International Science Editing and Asia Science Editing can provide English language and copyediting services to Authors who want to publish in scientific, technical and medical journals and need assistance before they submit their article or, before it is accepted for publication. Authors can contact these services directly: International Science Editing ( http://www.internationalscienceediting.com) and Asia Science Editing ( http://www.asiascienceediting.com) or, for more information about language editing services, please contact authorsupport@elsevier.com who will be happy to deal with any questions. For more information please check: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/languagepolishing

Proofs
Proofs will be sent electronically to the Authors to be carefully checked for printer's errors. Changes or additions to the edited manuscript cannot be allowed at this stage. Corrected proofs should be returned to the publisher within 2 days of receipt.

Reprints
Twenty-five reprints will be supplied free of charge. The publisher will send Authors a form enabling further reprints to be ordered at prices listed on the form.

All questions arising after acceptance of the manuscript, especially those relating to proofs, should be directed to Elsevier Ireland Ltd., Elsevier House, Brookvale Plaza, East Park, Shannon, Co. Clare, Ireland, Tel: (+353) 61 709677; Fax: (+353) 61 709114.

Health Policy has no page charges.


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 http://www.elsevier.com/fundingbodies