Instructions for Authors

Preparation route

Seven stages to a complete submission

• Stage one

  Check the fit

  The journal publishes research on exposures encountered at work and in the wider environment, their effects on human health, and the surveillance, prevention and clinical practice that follow. Exposure may be chemical, physical, biological, ergonomic, psychosocial or environmental.

  Observational, analytical, methodological, clinical, surveillance-based, preventive, synthesis and policy or implementation work all belong here. A manuscript does not need field sampling, a clinical outcome, or experimental validation to be eligible; the evidence has to match the claim it makes. Read the Aims and Scope page before preparing a manuscript; it states the remit and its boundary in full.

• Stage two

  Choose the format

  Four formats are accepted. Word counts guide length; they are not assessment thresholds.

  • Original Research — Full investigations reporting new findings. (5,000–7,000 words)
  • Review Articles — Systematic or narrative syntheses of current knowledge. (6,000–8,000 words)
  • Case Reports — Unusual occupational or environmental cases with clinical value. (2,000–3,000 words)
  • Methods Papers — Validation studies for diagnostic tools or exposure-assessment methods. (3,000–4,000 words)

• Stage three

  Prepare the manuscript
  • A title page with author affiliations and corresponding-author details
  • A structured abstract stating objectives, methods, results and conclusions, with keywords that name the hazards, industries or exposures involved
  • An introduction setting the occupational or environmental context
  • Methods covering exposure and outcome measurement, including calibration
  • Results with tables, figures and the statistical analysis
  • A discussion that draws out implications for prevention or policy
  • Complete references with DOIs where available; all abbreviations defined at first use

  Supply high-resolution figures and editable tables, cite figures in order, define every unit, and give each figure a descriptive caption. Supplementary data is accepted with clear labeling.

• Stage four

  Meet the reporting standard

  Follow the reporting guideline that matches the design:

  • STROBE for observational studies
  • CONSORT for randomized trials
  • PRISMA for systematic reviews
  • CARE for case reports
  • TREND for non-randomized evaluations

• Stage five

  Complete the disclosures
  • Ethics approvals and informed-consent statements
  • Worker privacy safeguards and de-identification
  • Conflicts of interest and funding sources for every author
  • Preprints and any prior dissemination
  • Any AI-assisted writing or analysis

  Every empirical research manuscript must include a data-availability statement. Provide repository links where data are deposited.

  Interventional clinical trials must be registered in an accepted public trial registry at or before the first participant provides consent for enrollment. The registry name, registration number, and registration date must be reported in the manuscript.

  If you are requesting double-blind review: For double-blind review, remove author names, affiliations, acknowledgments, funding details, institution names, and other identifying information from the reviewer manuscript. Provide identifying information separately in the title-page file or submission form.

• Stage six

  Submit

  Submission is available through these routes:

  • Primary: ManuscriptZone
  • Alternative: Simple manuscript submission form
  • Assisted: Editorial email — [email protected]

  Authors must use only one submission route for the same manuscript. The Submit a manuscript page explains each route.

• Stage seven

  What follows

  All submissions undergo initial editorial screening. Manuscripts that meet the journal’s scope and minimum requirements proceed to independent peer review. Single-blind by default; double-blind review is available on request. Manuscripts that proceed to external peer review are normally evaluated by at least two independent subject-matter experts.

  Editorial decisions are based on scope, scientific quality, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, reporting quality, and relevance to the journal. Decisions remain independent of fees, services, memberships, and editorial or reviewer roles.

  After acceptance the manuscript moves to copyediting, proofs and DOI registration, and an article processing charge is invoiced. The charge and its terms are on the Article Processing Charges page.