Submissions

Author Guidelines

Rhetoric of Health & Medicine
Author Guidelines

Submission Types:

• Original research articles, including pilot and case studies. Articles with significant multimedia components may be published in online form on the RHM website. Research article submissions should be no longer than 10,000 words, though longer manuscripts may be considered at the discretion of the editors.
• Dialogues (invited and proposed) among multiple scholars and stakeholders about the role of and/or study of rhetoric in health and medical issues; the editors especially welcome dialogues that include public and other nonacademic stakeholders and that propose new ways of engaging or studying health and medicine. Dialogues can take different forms but should be no longer than 5,000 words. Topics, contributors, and forms of dialogues should be approved by the editors before submission.
• Review essays that put in conversation three or more fairly recent publications (including article- and book-length scholarly publications across a range of disciplines, publications in a range of media, and publications in health or medical forums) related to RHM as a scholarly field of inquiry. Review essays should include substantial synthesis, critique, and original larger observations about the field and its future directions.
• “Persuasion briefs” or white papers that explain the role of rhetoric in and synthesize rhetorical insights about a particular set of health or medical practices (including applied communication contexts), written for non- or extra-academic audiences (e.g., policymakers, health/medical practitioners, publics and community members, business representatives) with the purpose of informing, improving, and advocating; in some cases, these briefs will be commissioned by the editors and follow up on research articles and dialogues.

Review Process
All research articles, dialogues, review essays, and “persuasion briefs” will first be screened by the editors and, if found to be appropriate for the journal and ready for review, undergo peer review by at least two anonymous reviewers, usually from different areas of the field. A decision about whether to send a manuscript for review will usually be made within two weeks of submission, and a decision about publication will usually be made within six to eight weeks after a manuscript is sent for review.

Submission Instructions
By submitting a manuscript to RHM, you are acknowledging that the work has not been previously published, that the work is not being considered for publication in other venues, and that you will not allow the manuscript to be so considered before notification in writing of an editorial decision by RHM.

Submit manuscripts by creating an account by registering (see link to do so above) or by logging in to your existing account. 

• Include a title and, in most cases, informative headings.
• Include an abstract of approximately 150 words and 5–7 keywords that do not appear in the title.
• The manuscript should not be longer than 10,000 total words (including abstract, notes, references, tables/figures, and appendixes) for research articles, and not be longer than 5,000 total words for dialogues, review essays, and persuasion briefs.
• The manuscript must conform to the guidelines of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7^th edition) with the sole exception to use authors’ first names in the list of references as well as when named in the text. 
• Do not include identifying information about the author in the text or file properties.
• Use endnotes rather than footnotes, if applicable.
• Submit as Microsoft Word files (.doc or .docx) that are page-numbered and double-spaced (including the abstract, block quotations, tables and figures, endnotes, and references); tables and figures should be placed in appropriate locations within the text, not in additional files. Please do not include line numbers.
• If applicable, include a statement confirming that research data about human subjects was collected in accordance with the standards and guidelines of any and all relevant IRBs (or equivalent bodies).
• Authors are responsible for obtaining written permission and paying any associated fees for use of any images or other material that has been previously published elsewhere.

Illustrations
Manuscripts accepted for publication should be accompanied by separate high-quality files of any illustrations. Digital files are recommended for best reproduction. These should be 300 dpi or higher; sized to fit on journal page (within 4.75” wide by 7.75” high); EPS, TIFF, or PSD (Photoshop) format. All illustrations and tables should include titles and should be clearly labeled and credited.

Copyright
Authors transfer copyright to the University of Florida Press but retain the following specific rights: (1) to use the article in their own teaching activities; (2) to publish the article in any book they may write; (3) to include a preprint version of the article on their departmental or institutional database, or personal website (4) to include a PDF of the final, copyedited, and proofread version of the article as it appears in the journal on their departmental or institutional database or personal website 12 months after final publication To obtain permission for other uses, please contact the University of Florida Press: journals@upress.ufl.edu.

Inclusive Language

The RHM journal asks that authors adhere to using inclusive language in all submitted manuscripts. Please consult the American Psychological Association’s “General Principles for Reducing Bias” along with guidelines for using inclusive language when addressing and referring to

Age

Disability

Gender and Gender Identity

Racial and Ethnic Identity

Sexual Orientation

Socioeconomic Status

And Intersectionality

We expect authors to be willing to revise/edit for inclusive langauge where necessary. 

Additional Guidance on Emprical Studies