Editorial Policies

NOTE:
The journal website - jephc.com is evolving. The following has been released as a guide to potential contributors and readers. The content will be updated as the website is developed, as policies are developed and in response to feedback.

Ethics
The editors of medical journals are often confronted with ethical issues unique to publishing journals, referred to as "publication ethics". The British Medical Journal (BMJ) has now introduced an ethics committee to advise the journal editor. A good introduction to an overview of these issues can be found on the BMJ website http://bmj.com and also on the United Kingdom's Committee on Publication Ethics www.publicationethics.org.uk. The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors also has guidelines on publication ethics: Sponsorship, Authorship, and Accountability.http://www.icmje.org.

JEPHC does not have an ethics committee at this time. However, the need for an ethics committee will be considered as the editorial team gains more experience.

All reports of studies involving humans must have been approved by an appropriate institutional ethics committee before the article can be considered for publication in JEPHC. Further, intending authors are advised to consider if there are additional ethical issues of their article being published before submitting them for editorial review.

Existing Standards as Policies
The editorial team has decided to adopt existing international standards in the production of medical journals to provide a sound, internationally recognised base for JEPHC. These international standards include:

Scope
JEPHC will reflect the inclusive paradigm of "emergency primary health care".

Article Categories
JEPHC encourages articles from a wide range of disciplines, methodologies and approaches as they relate to emergency primary health care. The underpinning requirement is that articles meet the guidelines for publication, in particular that they are reflective and scholarly in nature.
JEPHC will include articles in the following categories (categories with an asterisk * will be peer reviewed), however articles from each category may not be included in every issue.

In this issue:
An editorial commentary highlighting the contents of the respective issues prepared by the editorial team.

Editorial(s):
Two or three editorials per issue which may be invited contributions to highlight a current controversy or a major event, or prepared by one of the JEPHC associate editors on a selected theme or to complement one or more articles published in that issue.

Profile(s):
This section aims to profile notable people, institutions, systems or events of significance to the leadership or directions of the emergency primary health care, either in Australia or internationally.
Profiles may be submitted from the readership, invited by the editorial team or prepared by a JEPHC section editor. As an initial theme, throughout 2003 JEPHC will profile each Australian University offering Paramedic degree programs, commencing with Charles Stuart University, as the first university to offer a Paramedic degree program in Australia.

Original Research:*
This section will include articles of the highest quality in original research reporting on completed studies that advance the body of knowledge in emergency primary health care. JEPHC will seek to publish articles from both Australian and international researchers and research teams. Reports of collaborative and multidisciplinary research are particularly encouraged.

Original literature reviews, work-in-progress and reflective analysis of research studies, methodologies or directions relevant to emergency primary health care, will also be sought and published in JEPHC.

JEPHC will promote efforts to further develop both national and international research agendas for emergency primary health care.

JEPHC acknowledges that there are many quality studies completed by investigators in Australian emergency primary health care but, for various reasons, are not published. JEPHC is committed to encouraging and supporting investigators in emergency primary health care to publish their work, including both positive and negative outcomes from well?structured studies.

Evidence-based Practice:*
JEPHC is committed to developing both the evidence-base and the use of best evidence to inform the practice of research, education, clinical care, policy and service delivery in emergency primary health care. Reports on strategies to remove or minimise barriers to incorporating evidence into practice are particularly encouraged.

JEPHC recognises that "the science of pre-hospital care is weak", that "decision making in pre-hospital care cannot rely on randomised controlled trials alone" and that evidence from other forms of critical enquiry needs to be systematically developed and considered.

JEPHC will include articles on this theme in each issue. JEPHC will welcome articles on the principles, methodologies and critiques of evidence-based practice, as well as the outcomes of specific projects on evidence-based practice ranging from rigorous meta-analyses and systematic reviews, to the analysis of the clinical effectiveness of specific interventions, to the critical appraisal of individual articles relating to emergency primary health care.

Education:*
Education is the link between the evolution of research and evidence, and their incorporation into clinical practice and service delivery. The Australian Paramedic, emergency care, primary health care and public health education programs have enjoyed international reputations for many years. JEPHC acknowledges these reputations and aims to provide an opportunity for educators to report on the critical analysis of their programs, investigations to understand and enhance pedagogy in emergency primary health care education at all levels in all disciplines and primary research in this field.

JEPHC will also use the medium of the journal to inform and educate its readers on research methods, preparing articles for publication and the broader social, cultural and ethical issues confronting emergency primary health care.

Clinical Practice:*
Clinicians form the bulk of the emergency primary health care workforce and JEPHC will reflect their needs. In addition to articles on original research in clinical practice, JEPHC will welcome and encourage shorter articles that critically analyse a clinical event, ie case reviews, or present a thoughtful analysis of a case series or of a clinical audit, or provide an innovative examination, approach or solution of a particular clinical problem encountered in emergency primary health care.

Reports of collaborative and multidisciplinary approaches to clinical practice are particularly encouraged.

Policy and service delivery:*
Ambulance services have been shaped over the years on multiple internal and external reviews which provide a rich source of understanding the current nature of emergency service policy and service delivery. Unfortunately few of these have been published in the public domain. JEPHC encourages authors of evaluations and strategy plans to contribute their outcomes for publication.

Reports of collaborative and multidisciplinary approaches to emergency service policy and service delivery are particularly encouraged.

Student contributions:*
Although students may be sole or co-author of papers published in one of the above sections, JEPHC is committed to providing the opportunity for students to publish their work. Thus, JEPHC will maintain this section as a feature of the journal.

To be considered for publication in this section, authors, or at least one co-author, must be a registered student at the time the work upon which the paper is based was undertaken.

Articles will be classified in two sections, those authored or co-authored by undergraduate students, and those authored or co-authored by graduate students. The topic of the articles may reflect any of the journal's themes and may be based in any of the disciplines contributing to emergency primary health care. The only essential criteria is that the article be underpinned by an appropriate methodology and demonstrate critical reflection. Student's perspectives on current issues and controversies, notably on multidisciplinary approaches, are particularly encouraged.

Reviews:
JEPHC will provide contemporary information to its readers by including critical reviews on, but not necessarily limited to, recent keynote news events, recently published books, relevant journals and websites, conference reports, and equipment/technology reflecting the interests of the emergency primary health care community.

Continuing education events:
JEPHC will also provide contemporary information to its readers by including updated details on conferences, courses, workshops, university programs and other continuing education opportunities of potential interest to the emergency primary health care community.

Conference abstracts:
JEPHC is committed to promoting the ACAP National Conference and will publish the abstracts of each National conference.

JEPHC will explore establishing relationships with other kindred organisations contributing to emergency primary health care and, if they also conduct an annual scientific conference, JEPHC will offer to negotiate publication of their abstracts.

ACAP update:
As the Official Journal of the Australian College of Ambulance Professionals, JEPHC will include a short update of College activities in each edition.

Letters to the Editor:
Letters to the editor are welcomed.

Special Issues
JEPHC intends to build in special issues which will include major issues, commemoration of significant events and both horizontal and vertical themes. The editorial team will announce these special issues in the production schedule so that both invited and offered papers can be considered.

Copyright
JEPHC will adopt a modern copyright policy, promoted by the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC) whereby the copyright of articles published will remain with the author(s) of the articles. Authors will licence JEPHC to publish their articles.

Permission to Copy
Access to jephc.com is free to all readers. Policy on downloading articles in JEPHC will be defined before the inaugural issue is released.

Linking
JEPHC is pleased for other organisations to link jephc.com to their website, provided they do not include our content. There is no need to ask our permission.

Production schedule
JEPHC will be published in March, June, September and December in each year.