Call for Papers: Policy Matters Articles

The Editors and Editorial Board of Women's Health Issues invite article submissions for a new category of peer-reviewed manuscripts for the “Policy Matters” category.

We invite authors to submit scholarly, thoughtful, and timely policy analyses related to various issues affecting women's health.  These could include, for example:

• Policy implications of proposed legislation, regulations, judicial decisions at the federal, state, and local levels as they may affect women's health;
• Policy implications of current and future developments in programs integral to women's health (e.g., Medicaid, Medicare, community health, Healthy Start, WIC, family planning, public health, and private sector insurance coverage);
• Scholarly policy analyses of health and social issues affecting women's health from a historical perspective, e.g., the effects of delinking Medicaid from welfare and subsequent reproductive health choices, or the effects of state and national health reform efforts on women's health; and,
• Scholarly policy analyses that contribute to our understanding of how effective policy actions can improve the scope and quality of women's health care services and the organization, financing, and delivery of these services.

“Policy Matters” submissions may contain recommendations for “next steps,” however a key peer review criterion will be the extent to which such recommendations are supported by the rigor and comprehensiveness of the supporting policy analysis.  “Policy Matters” manuscripts should not exceed 3,000 words – charts and graphs are encouraged when appropriate.
 
The journal continues to give priority to scholarly health services research articles that report the results of original research and that improve understanding of how social, health care, and policy factors relate to women’s health.  We seek in particular research articles and commentaries that:

• Contribute to a better understanding of gender-based health services research and policy; and
• Document applied integration and implementation strategies that translate new clinical, health services, and health policy research findings into women's health care practice and policy.