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Journal of Wellness

Guidelines for Authors

Submission Type

We accept several types of submissions: Original Research, Review, Editorial, Humanities, Case Report, Innovation, and Brief Report. The general breakdown of each type is below.

  1. Original Research -- Brief reports, clinical studies, and original data research are all welcome for submission. Any studies involving people or animals need to have an institutional review board approval documented with the IRB approval number. Clinical trials should be registered (trial number included at the end of the abstract). There is no limitation on article length or number of references. Required sections of the manuscript include: Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion. Abstracts must be structured with the following sub-sections: Introduction, Methods, Results, Conclusion.
  2. Review – Provides an overview of published literature. No limitation on article length or references. Please include a Methods section detailing how the search was completed, and inclusion/exclusion criteria of articles. Required sections include: a structured Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results & Discussion (Results and Discussion can be a single section or separated), Conclusion. Abstracts must be structured with the following sub-sections: Introduction, Objective (optional), Methods, Results, Conclusion.
  3. Editorial -- Within the first paragraph, identify the topic / article the letter is addressing. The letter should delineate both sides of controversy if existent (both sides however do not require equal treatment). There is no formal limitation on length, but authors are encouraged to keep submission less than 1,000 words if possible. No abstract is required.
  4. Humanities – Submission can cover anything in the realm of creative writing dealing with wellness (for example, but not limited to: patient encounters, cases of recovery, advocacy for health / wellness). No restriction on length, no restriction on diction, flow or format; poetry and narratives of all types are accepted. No abstract required. No references required, however any references contained within the work must comply with Vancouver formatting.
  5. Case Report– JWellness challenges authors to submit “Wellness Case Reports.” This is a unique modality of wellness literature aimed at harnessing the power of narrative by publishing short reports of wellness triumph. An example of this could be a healthcare professional who has suffered from burnout and made the hero’s journey to the other side. When diagnosed, burnout can be utilized as a positive nidus for change, providing post-traumatic growth that many individuals may find relatable and inspiring. No restriction on length; no restriction on diction, flow or format. No abstract required. Any references contained within the work must comply with Vancouver formatting.
  6. Innovation– Presentation of a new test, method, or process that advances what is currently available. Examples include pilot and quality initiatives. Required sections: Abstract, Introduction, Approach, Discussion, Conclusion. Abstracts must be structured with the following subsections: Introduction, Approach, Discussion.
  7. Brief Report– A short report of original research data. Generally, this submission type encompasses pilot studies or survey studies which are shorter and have fewer references than Original Research. In this category, JWellness will also consider research involving cohorts other than healthcare professionals. Required sections include: Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion. The Methods section should indicate IRB approval number when applicable for research involving human or animal subjects. Abstracts must be structured with the following subsections: Introduction, Methods, Results, Conclusion.

*Note: Formatting for the Review, Innovation, and Brief Report categories reflect the current requirements, which were updated in Volume 4 (2022).

Manuscript Preparation

Journal of Wellness uses ThinkIR for manuscript submission and peer review. Technical assistance for ThinkIR is available via email at ThinkIR@louisville.edu. Each submission is assigned a manuscript tracking number that will appear in the e-mail that confirms your submission has been received. Please provide this tracking number in any correspondence regarding the manuscript.

Submission

Please submit your manuscript in blinded format, i.e., do not use university names, City, State, or other location specific or identifying information in the manuscript. You may substitute with “XX”, “Blinded”, etc. After final review and prior to publication the author will be asked to update / change any blinded sections.

When submitting to Journal of Wellness, authors will be asked to upload several distinct files through ThinkIR. The following list includes the types of files that may be required:

  1. Manuscript file (uploaded as Main Document), inclusive of
    • Title page
    • Abstract
    • Text
    • References
    • Figure(s) legend
    • Tables
    • Figures
  2. Supplemental material
    • Additional Figure files (if applicable)
    • Appendices
    • Copy of Patient consent (for Case Report)
    • Permissions

Manuscript File

Submit your manuscript, including tables, figures, appendices, etc., as a single Word file in the following page order:

  1. Title
  2. Abstract (Structured)
  3. Text (Introduction through References)
  4. Figure Legend
  5. Table(s)*
  6. Figure(s)*

The ‘Text’ portion of your manuscript file should be written in accordance with the structure specified for the applicable article type.

Title page

The title page should be submitted as the first page of the main manuscript file and include the following elements:

  1. Title
  2. Short Title
  3. Article Type
  4. Corresponding author & email address
  5. Authors formatted as FirstName [Middle Initial] LastName1, Title Letters; repeat per # of authors (Example: Martin Huecker1, MD;)
  6. Author Affiliation formatted by numerical superscript with italics (Example: 1Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA)
  7. Acknowledgements (if applicable)
  8. Funding statement (required)
  9. Conflict of Interest statement(required)

Text

Prior to submission, authors should format the manuscript to meet the following requirements:

  1. Page size should be 8.5 x 11-inches
  2. Text should be single-spaced
  3. Use a single column layout with both left and right margins justified.
  4. Article should be written in English
  5. Article should be blinded for review (i.e., do not use University Names, City, State, or other location specific or identifying information in the manuscript. You may substitute with “XX”, “Blinded”, etc. After final review and prior to publication the author will be asked to update / change any blinded sections.
  6. References:
    1. Use in-text citations with brackets at the end of your sentence and before the period [1]. Reference list should be included at the end of your manuscript, numbered, and in the order they were cited.
  7. Figures and Tables:
    1. *Figures and Tables can be placed within the body of the manuscript OR at the end (with proper callouts in text). They can also be submitted as a separate file(s).
    2. In-sentence Figures and Tables should be hold and numbered in the order they appear (e.g., ”Changes in the environment are indicated in Figure 1.”
    3. Figures and Tables referenced in text must be given in parenthesis and bold at the end of a sentence. Where two or more Tables/Figures are mentioned in the same parenthetic, conjunction word(s) should not be bold (e.g., Table 1 and Table 2.)

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

Any newly published articles will receive a DOI automatically within 24 hours after publishing. There are two CrossRef membership requirements for sponsored CrossRef members: DOI display and Reference Linking.

DOI display will be handled by the journal editors. Reference linking means the author(s) will need to use DOIs when citing other works in their article's references section. The following page provides some tools to allow editors / authors to perform reference linking: https://www.crossref.org/services/reference-linking/.