Instructions to Authors

Scope

HER gives highest priority to original research focused on health education and promotion research, particularly intervention studies with solid research designs. More information about the scope and types of manuscripts HER publishes can be found on the About page.

Publication Ethics and Editorial Policies

The Journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and follows COPE guidelines with respect to handing ethical issues, including misconduct and retractions.

Your submission should include a statement indicating that the research or intervention project was approved (or judged exempt) by an institutional review board. (In the manuscript, authors should cite methods employed for protection of participants, including informed consent and assurances of confidentiality or anonymity.) Please refer to the section titled Preparation of manuscripts for submission for additional information about the preferred format and style of manuscripts.

All manuscripts presenting data or evaluation results from human subjects should include a statement describing the review process followed by the research or intervention project to safeguard the rights of human subjects.

Submission of a paper implies that it reports unpublished work and that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere. If previously published tables, illustrations or more than 200 words of text are to be included, the copyright holder's permission must be obtained. Copies of any such permission letters should be submitted with the paper. A permission letter template may be downloaded.

The highest editorial scientific standards are maintained throughout the journal. To this end, all papers are refereed by at least three authorities of acknowledged expertise in the paper's subject area.

Authorship

Authorship is limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the design and execution of the work described. Any contributors whose participation does not meet the criteria for authorship should be acknowledged but not listed as an author. For a detailed definition of authorship, please see the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) definitions of authors and contributors.

The Journal does not allow ghost authorship, where an unnamed author prepares the article with no credit, or guest/gift authorship, where an author who made little or no contribution is listed as an author. The Journal follows Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidance on investigating and resolving these cases. For more information, please see the OUP Publication Ethics page.

Natural language processing tools driven by artificial intelligence (AI) do not qualify as authors, and the Journal will screen for them in author lists. The use of AI (for example, to help generate content or images, write code, process data, or for translation) should be disclosed both in cover letters to editors and in the Methods or Acknowledgements section of manuscripts. Please see the COPE position statement on Authorship and AI (Authorship and AI tools | COPE: Committee on Publication Ethics) for more details.

After manuscript submission, no authorship changes (including the authorship list, author order, and who is designated as the corresponding author) should be made unless there is a substantive reason to do so. The editor and all co-authors must agree on the change(s), and neither the Journal nor the publisher mediates authorship disputes. If individuals cannot agree on the authorship of a submitted manuscript, contact the editorial office at [email protected]. The dispute must be resolved among the individuals and their institution(s) before the manuscript can be accepted for publication. If an authorship dispute or change arises after a paper is accepted, contact OUP’s Author Support team. COPE provides guidance for authors on resolving authorship disputes.

After submission, changing who is designated as the corresponding author will be permitted only where there is a substantive reason to do so. For the avoidance of doubt, changing the corresponding author in order to access Read and Publish funding is not permissible. For more information on Read and Publish funding, see the Open Access Option for Authors section.

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest

Authors

The Journal requires all authors to disclose any potential conflict of interest at the point of submission. It is the responsibility of the corresponding author to ensure that conflicts of interest of all authors are declared to the Journal.

A conflict of interest exists when the position, activities, or relationships of an individual, whether direct or indirect, financial or non-financial, could influence or be seen to influence the opinions or activities of the individual. For more information, refer to OUP’s definition of conflict of interest.

The Journal follows the COPE guidance for any undisclosed conflict of interest that emerges during peer review, production, or after publication.

The corresponding author must submit a completed and signed International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) disclosure of potential conflicts of interest (COI) form for each author by revision stage at the latest. A form must be submitted even if there are no interests to disclose, in which case the disclosure form and manuscript should state “none declared.” In addition, the manuscript must include a concise and accurate summary of any conflicts of interest declared in the ICMJE forms.

Peer reviewers

Individuals that have a conflict of interest relating to a submitted manuscript should recuse themselves and will not be assigned to oversee, handle, or peer review the manuscript.

If during peer review an editor, reviewer, or author becomes aware of a conflict of interest that was not previously known or disclosed they must inform the Editor-in-Chief immediately.

Editors and editorial board members

At initial submission, the corresponding author must declare if the Editor-in-Chief, an editor, or an Editorial Board Member of the Journal is an author of or contributor to the manuscript. Another editor without a conflict of interest will oversee the peer review and decision-making process. If accepted, a statement will be published in the paper describing how the manuscript was handled. The statement will read “[Author name] holds the position of [role] for Health Education Research and has not peer reviewed or made any editorial decisions for this paper."

Availability of Data and Materials

Where ethically feasible, Health Education Research strongly encourages authors to make all data and software code on which the conclusions of the paper rely available to readers. We suggest that data be presented in the main manuscript or additional supporting files, or deposited in a public repository whenever possible. Information on general repositories for all data types, and a list of recommended repositories by subject area, is available here.

Data Citation

Health Education Research supports the Force 11 Data Citation Principles and requires that all publicly available datasets be fully referenced in the reference list with an accession number or unique identifier such as a digital object identifier (DOI). Data citations should include the minimum information recommended by DataCite:

• [dataset]* Authors, Year, Title, Publisher (repository or archive name), Identifier

*The inclusion of the [dataset] tag at the beginning of the citation helps us to correctly identify and tag the citation. This tag will be removed from the citation published in the reference list.

Preprint Policy

Authors retain the right to make an Author’s Original Version (preprint) available through various channels, and this does not prevent submission to the journal. For further information see our Online Licensing, Copyright and Permissions policies. If accepted, the authors are required to update the status of any preprint, including your published paper’s DOI, as described on our Author Self-Archiving policy page.

Author Self-Archiving/Public Access Policy

For information about this journal's policy, please visit our Author Self-Archiving policy page.

CrossRef Funding Data Registry

In order to meet your funding requirements authors are required to name their funding sources, or state if there are none, during the submission process. For further information on this process or to find out more about CHORUS, visit the CHORUS initiative.

Appeals and complaints

Authors may appeal an editorial decision. To do so, please contact the editorial office at [email protected] providing as much specific detail as possible about why the original decision should be reconsidered. Every appeal will receive a response within a reasonable timeframe. Please do not resubmit your manuscript in the interim.

To register a complaint regarding non-editorial decisions, the Journal’s policies and procedures, editors, or staff, please contact [email protected]. Complaints will be taken seriously and will be carried forward following COPE guidelines and processes.

Preparing Your Manuscript

Please read these instructions carefully and follow them strictly. In this way you will help ensure that the review and publication of your paper is as efficient and quick as possible. The editors reserve the right to return manuscripts that are not in accordance with these instructions.

1. Papers must be clearly and concisely written in English. In the interest of speed, manuscripts are not extensively copy-edited, and authors are requested to check their texts carefully before submitting them. Papers should be intelligible to as wide an audience as possible; particular attention should be paid to the Introduction and Discussion sections, which should clearly draw attention to the novelty and significance of the data reported, and to the implications for future developments. Failure to do this may result in publication delays or rejection of the paper.
2. Prepare your manuscript, including tables, using a word processing program and save it as a .doc, .rtf or .ps file. All files in these formats will be converted to .pdf format upon submission.
3. Prepare your figures at publication quality resolution, using applications capable of generating high-resolution files (800 d.p.i. for line drawings and 300 d.p.i. for color and half-tone artwork). For useful information on preparing your figures for publication, go to the Digital Art Support webpage. Prepare any other files that are to be submitted for review, including any supplementary material. The permitted formats for these files are the same as for manuscripts and figures. Other file types, such as Microsoft Excel spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations may be uploaded and will form part of the single PDF proof that is created for use in the peer review process. It is also possible to upload LaTeX files but these will not be automatically converted to .pdf format (and are therefore discouraged). The journal staff, editors and reviewers will only be able to view these unconverted files if they have the appropriate software, which cannot be guaranteed.
4. When naming your files, please use simple filenames and avoid special characters and spaces. If you are a Macintosh user, you must also type the three-letter extension at the end of the file name you choose (e.g. .doc, .rtf, .jpg, .gif, .tif, .ppt, .xls, .pdf, .eps, .mov).
5. The online submission software will automatically create a single PDF document containing your main text and reduced-resolution versions of any figures and tables you have submitted. This document will be used when your manuscript undergoes peer review. Your submitted files will appear in this PDF sequentially, as specified by you on the submission page, and you will have an opportunity to enter figure captions/legends and to check the PDF proof prior to final submission.

Manuscripts should be in their final form when they are submitted so that proofs require only correction of typographical errors.

You may wish to use a language-editing service before submitting to ensure that editors and reviewers understand your manuscript. Our publisher, Oxford University Press, partners with Enago, a leading provider of author services. Through the OUP-Enago partner page, prospective authors are entitled to a discount for language editing, abstract and layperson summary writing, rejected manuscript editing, and creation of graphical abstracts, illustrations, and videos. Enago is an independent service provider, which will handle all aspects of this service, including payment. As an author you are under no obligation to take up this offer. Language editing and other services from Enago are optional and do not guarantee that your manuscript will be accepted. Edited manuscripts will undergo the regular review process of the Journal. For more details and a list of additional resources, please see OUP’s page on language services.

Research Papers may follow the standard research format, or they may present theoretical discussions and implications for health education research and practice. Review articles are also included in this category.

Data-based research articles, including review articles, should be divided into the following sections: Title page, Abstract, Introduction, Method, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgements, References, Tables, Legends to figures. Theoretical articles should follow the above basic structure but should replace the Method, Results and Discussion sections with appropriate headings. In both cases, authors who wish to write extensive Introduction and Discussion sections may use additional subheadings in these sections if this seems helpful. It is expected that qualitative research studies will provide concise details of the data generation and analytic processes used and will show how the validity and trustworthiness of findings were established.

Contributions that exceed 4000 words (for the main text, excluding the abstract, tables, figures and references) normally are not considered unless agreed in advance with the Managing Editor, but even then publication may be subject to delay. The length of papers which include a qualitative research study may be extended by a maximum of 1500 words to allow for the use of quotations. This does not require the prior agreement of the Editor.

Authors are asked to refer to participants in research as 'participants', 'respondents', 'individuals', or by a more specific word ('children', 'students', etc.), rather than as 'subjects'.

General Format

All sections of the manuscript must be double-spaced (space between the lines of type not less than 6 mm). Margins of 25 mm (1 inch) should be left at the sides, top and bottom of each page. Number each page top right (Title page is 1). Please avoid footnotes; use instead, and as sparingly as possible, parentheses within brackets. Please check the final copy of your paper carefully as any errors will be faithfully translated into the typeset version.

Title page 

The title should be short, specific and informative, and should appear on a separate page. Serial titles are not accepted. The surname and initials of each author should be followed by his or her department, institution, city with postal code, and country. Any changes of address may be given in numbered footnotes. Please provide a running title of not more than 50 characters and include four to five key words or short phrases to assist us in the review process. Indicate the word count for the main text (excluding the abstract, tables, figures and references) at the bottom of the title page.

Abstract 

The second page of every manuscript must contain only the Abstract, which should be a single paragraph not exceeding 200 words. Please abide strictly by this limitation of length. The Abstract should be comprehensible to readers before they have read the paper, and abbreviations and reference citations should be avoided.

Funding 

Details of all funding sources for the work in question should be given in a separate section entitled 'Funding'. This should appear before the 'Acknowledgements' section. Please do not include funding details in the anonymized version as we are unable to send it to peer review if this information is visible.

The following rules should be followed:

• The sentence should begin: ‘This work was supported by …’
• The full official funding agency name should be given, i.e. ‘the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health’ or simply 'National Institutes of Health' not ‘NCI' (one of the 27 subinstitutions) or 'NCI at NIH’ (full RIN-approved list of UK funding agencies)
• Grant numbers should be complete and accurate and provided in brackets as follows: ‘[grant number ABX CDXXXXX]’
• Multiple grant numbers should be separated by a comma as follows: ‘[grant numbers ABX CDXXXXXX, EFX GHXXXXX]’
• Agencies should be separated by a semi-colon (plus ‘and’ before the last funding agency)
• Where individuals need to be specified for certain sources of funding the following text should be added after the relevant agency or grant number 'to [author initials]'.

An example is given here: ‘This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health [AA123456 to C.S., BB765432 to M.H.]; and the Alcohol & Education Research Council [P50 CA098252 and CA118790 to R.B.S.R.].’

Oxford Journals will deposit all NIH-funded articles in PubMed Central. See our Author Portal page for details. Authors must ensure that manuscripts are clearly indicated as NIH-funded using the guidelines above.

Acknowledgements 

These should be included on a separate page at the end of the text and not in footnotes. Please do not include references to specific institutions or funding agencies in the text of the manuscript. Personal acknowledgements should precede those of institutions or agencies. Please do not include acknowledgment details in the anonymized version as we are unable to send it to peer review if this information is visible.

References 

Authors are responsible for the accuracy of the References. Published articles and those in press (state the journal which has accepted them) may be included. In the text references should be cited sequentially by number as 'Reports by Author [1] have confirmed...' or '...as reported earlier [1, 2-4]'. At the end of the manuscript the citations should be typed in numerical order, listing three authors et al. , with the authors' surnames and initials inverted. References should include, in the following order: authors' names, paper title, abbreviated journal title, year, volume number, inclusive page numbers, and name and address of publisher (for books only). References should therefore be listed as follows:

1. Roberts MM, French K, Duffy J. Breast cancer and breast self-examination: what do Scottish women know? Soc Sci Med 1984; 18 :791-797.
2. Fynn A. Cigarette advertising and health education: use and abuse of media. In: Leathar DS, Hastings GB, Davies JK (eds). Health Education and the Media. Oxford: Pergamon Press, 1981, 129.
3. Bergler R. Advertising and Cigarette Smoking: a Psychological Study. Bern: Hans Huber, 1981.
4. Paul CL, Redman S, Sanson-Fisher RW. A cost-effective approach to the development of printed materials: a randomized controlled trial of three strategies. Health Educ Res May 20, 2004: 10.1093/her/cyg090.
5. Paul CL, Redman S, Sanson-Fisher RW. A cost-effective approach to the development of printed materials: a randomized controlled trial of three strategies. Health Educ Res 2004; 19 ;698-706. First published on May 20, 2004, 10.1093/her/cyg090.

Personal communications (J. Smith, personal communication) should be authorized by those involved in writing, and unpublished data should be cited as (unpublished data). Both should be used as sparingly as possible and only when the unpublished data referred to is peripheral rather than central to the discussion. References to manuscripts in preparation, or submitted, but not yet accepted, should be cited in the text as (A.Smith and B.Jones, in preparation) and should NOT be included in the list of references.

Tables 

Tables should appear on separate pages and be numbered consecutively with Roman numerals. Tables should be self-explanatory and include a brief descriptive title. Footnotes to tables indicated by lower case letters are acceptable, but they should not include extensive experimental detail.

Illustrations 

All illustrations (line drawings and photographs) should be referred to in the text as Figure 1 etc., which should be abbreviated to 'Fig. 1' only in the figure legend. Please create your figures in software capable of generating high-resolution images (image resolution should be a minimum of 300 d.p.i.).

Color figures 

Beginning for all articles accepted after 15 May 2010, all figures submitted to the journal in color will be published in color online at no cost. Color figures must have a resolution of at least 300 dots per inch at their final sizes.

Line drawings 

No additional artwork, redrawing or typesetting will be done. Ideally, line drawings should be submitted in the desired final size to avoid reduction (maximum dimensions 192 x 149 mm including legends) and should fit either a single (72 mm) or a double column width (149 mm).

Figure legends 

These should be on a separate, numbered manuscript sheet. Define all symbols and abbreviations used in the figure. Common abbreviations and others in the preceding text should not be redefined in the legend.

Figure accessibility and alt text

Incorporating alt text (alternative text) when submitting your paper helps to foster inclusivity and accessibility. Good alt text ensures that individuals with visual impairments or those using screen readers can comprehend the content and context of your figures. The aim of alt text is to provide concise and informative descriptions of your figure so that all readers have access to the same level of information and understanding, and that all can engage with and benefit from the visual elements integral to scholarly content. Including alt text demonstrates a commitment to accessibility and enhances the overall impact and reach of your work.  

Alt text is applicable to all images, figures, illustrations, and photographs. 

Alt text is only accessible via e-reader and so it won’t appear as part of the typeset article. 

Detailed guidance on how to draft and submit alt text. 

Pre-Submission Technical Checks

In partnership with Cactus, we are offering authors free usage of their Paperpal Preflight tool pre-submission. This is an AI-driven tool that performs technical checks tailored to HER. Authors are given a markup of suggested corrections to match their paper to journal requirements. Before submission, we encourage authors to run their paper through this tool. Please note that this is not mandatory and suggested corrections are optional.

Authors also have the option to pay for additional language checking – again, this is not mandatory and all suggested corrections are optional.

Submitting Your Manuscript

Now that your files are ready, visit the online submission web site.

1. First, you will need to log into the system. Note: Before you begin, you should be sure you are using an up-to-date version of Netscape or Internet Explorer. If you have an earlier version, you can download a free upgrade using the icons found at the bottom of the 'Instructions and Forms' section of the online submission web site.
   • If you know your login details (i.e. you have submitted or reviewed a manuscript on this system before), use your User ID and Password to log on.
   • If you do not know your login details, check to see if you are already registered by clicking on the 'Forgot your Password' button and following the on-screen instructions. If you are not already registered, you can register by clicking on the 'Create Account' button on the login screen and following the on-screen instructions.
   • If you have trouble finding manuscripts or have other problems with your account do not create another account. Instead, please contact the Journal's Editorial Office.
2. To submit a new manuscript, go to the 'Author Center', click on the button to 'Submit a Manuscript' and then follow the on-screen instructions. There are up to 7 steps for you to follow to submit your manuscript. You move from one step to the next by clicking on the 'Save and Continue' button on each screen or back to the previous screen by clicking on the 'Previous' button. Please note that if you click on the 'Back' or 'Forward' button on your browser, the information you have entered will not be saved. At any stage you can stop the submission process by clicking on the 'Main Menu' button. Everything you have typed into the system will be saved, and the partially completed submission will appear under 'unsubmitted manuscripts' in your 'Author Center'. To return to the submission process you will need to click on the button 'Continue Submission' against the relevant manuscript title.
3. When submitting your manuscript, please enter your manuscript data into the relevant fields, following the detailed instructions given at the top of each page. You may like to have the original word processing file available so that you can copy and paste the title and abstract into the required fields. You will also be required to provide email addresses for your co-authors, so please have these on hand when you log onto the site.
4. When you come to upload your manuscript files via the 'File Upload' screen:
   • Enter individual files using the 'Browse' buttons below and select the appropriate 'File content' type.
   • Select the document's designation from the pull-down menu. The designation choices may vary from journal to journal, but will always include 'Main Document' (your manuscript text). If you do not wish a document to be included as part of the consolidated PDF used for peer review, please designate it as a 'supplementary file'.
   • Upload your files by clicking on the 'Upload files' button. This converts your files to a PDF and may take several minutes. Repeat these steps until you have uploaded all your files.
   • When the upload of each file is completed, you will see a confirmation window and will be prompted to provide figure legends and 'file tags' that will link figures to texts in the HTML proof of your main document.
   • Once you have uploaded all files, indicate the order in which they should appear in your paper. This will determine the order in which they appear in the consolidated PDF used for peer review.
   • After the successful upload of your text and images, you will need to view and proof your manuscript. Please do this by clicking on the blue HTML button or a PDF button.
   • If the files have not been uploaded to your satisfaction, go back to the file upload screen where you can remove the files you do not want, and repeat the upload process.
5. When you are satisfied with the uploaded manuscript proof click on 'Next' which will take you to the 'Review & Submit' screen. The system will check that you have completed all the mandatory fields and that you have viewed your manuscript proof. It will also present you with a summary of all the information you have provided and give you a final chance to edit it. When you have finished reviewing this information press 'Submit'.
6. After the manuscript has been submitted you will see a confirmation screen and receive an email confirmation stating that your manuscript has been successfully submitted. This will also give the assigned manuscript number, which is used in all correspondence. If you do not receive this, your manuscript will not have been successfully submitted to the journal and the paper cannot progress to peer review. If this is the case, your manuscript will still be sitting in the 'Unsubmitted Manuscripts' section of your 'Author Center' awaiting your attention.
7. If you return to your 'Author Center' you will notice that your newly submitted manuscript can be found in the 'Submitted Manuscripts' area. Among the information listed there, the 'Processing Status' section provides information on the status of your manuscript as it moves through the review process.

Submitting A Revised Manuscript

Please supply your revised paper though the online submission web site using your User ID and Password to log-on. Remember that your User ID and Password are both case-sensitive.

1. Log onto the online submission web site and, in the 'Author Center', click on 'Manuscripts with Decisions' under 'My Manuscripts'. You will then see a list of all manuscripts you have submitted where the editors have been able to make a decision.
2. Find the manuscript you wish to revise and click on the link 'create a revision' in the 'Actions' column.
3. This will initiate a revised-submission process that prompts you to respond to the points made by the Editors and/or reviewers.
4. Continue to follow the 7-step submission process, providing information when prompted.

Please note: All the files from your previous submission will have been retained by the system. So, when your reach the 'File Upload' screen (Step #6), you will need to delete any files that are no longer needed or need replacing with revised versions. Important: As detailed above, your images are required as high-resolution files (800 d.p.i. for line drawings and 300 d.p.i. for colour and half-tone artwork). For useful information on preparing your figures for publication, go to Digital Art Support page. Please note that publication of your manuscript will not proceed until figures suitable for reproduction are received.

Getting help If you experience any problems during the online submission process, please consult the Author's User Guide which provides more detailed submission instructions and 'movie tutorials' explaining how to submit your paper. Alternatively, please contact the Journal's Editorial Office who will be pleased to assist you.

Your submission should include a statement indicating that the research or intervention project was approved (or judged exempt) by an institutional review board. (In the manuscript, authors should cite methods employed for protection of participants, including informed consent and assurances of confidentiality or anonymity.) Please refer to the section titled Preparation of manuscripts for submission for additional information about the preferred format and style of manuscripts.

Submission of a paper implies that it reports unpublished work and that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere. If previously published tables, illustrations or more than 200 words of text are to be included, the copyright holder's permission must be obtained. Copies of any such permission letters should be submitted with the paper. A permission letter template may be downloaded.

The highest editorial scientific standards are maintained throughout the journal. To this end, all papers are refereed by at least three authorities of acknowledged expertise in the paper's subject area.

Proofs

Corresponding authors are sent a link to access page proofs in an editable format to the email address they provide with the final accepted manuscript. To avoid delays in publication, proofs should be checked immediately for errors and returned.

Licence to Publish

It is a condition of publication in the Journal that authors grant an exclusive licence to publish to Oxford University Press. This ensures that requests from third parties to reproduce articles are handled efficiently and consistently and will also allow the article to be as widely disseminated as possible. In granting an exclusive licence, Authors may use their own material in publications provided that the Journal is acknowledged as the original place of publication, and Oxford University Press is notified in writing and in advance.

Upon receipt of accepted manuscripts at Oxford Journals authors will be invited to complete an online copyright licence to publish form. 

Please note that by submitting an article for publication you confirm that you are the corresponding/submitting author and that Oxford University Press ("OUP") may retain your email address for the purpose of communicating with you about the article. You agree to notify OUP immediately if your details change. If your article is accepted for publication OUP will contact you using the email address you have used in the registration process. Please note that OUP does not retain copies of rejected articles.

Open Access Option for Authors

Health Education Research offers the option of publishing under either a standard licence or an open access licence. Please note that some funders require open access publication as a condition of funding. If you are unsure whether you are required to publish open access, please do clarify any such requirements with your funder or institution.

Should you wish to publish your article open access, you should select your choice of open access licence in our online system after your article has been accepted for publication. You will need to pay an open access charge to publish under an open access licence.

Details of the open access licences and open access charges.

OUP has a growing number of Read and Publish agreements with institutions and consortia which provide funding for open access publishing. This means authors from participating institutions can publish open access, and the institution may pay the charge. Find out if your institution is participating. 

Third-Party Content in Open Access papers

If you will be publishing your paper under an Open Access licence but it contains material for which you do not have Open Access re-use permissions, please state this clearly by supplying the following credit line alongside the material: 

Title of content 
Author, Original publication, year of original publication, by permission of [rights holder] 

This image/content is not covered by the terms of the Creative Commons licence of this publication. For permission to reuse, please contact the rights holder.

Online Access

The publisher will supply free electronic access to the corresponding author of an article when it is published online.

HER Advance Access

HER Advance Access is the journal's system for the early online publication of articles. Papers are published online via Advance Access at least once a week, in typeset and proof-read format. HER Advance Access significantly reduces the time from acceptance to publication for HER articles (to approximately 6 weeks). If you are a subscriber to the journal you can view the Advance Access papers by visiting our webpage and clicking the Advance Articles link. Appearance in Advance Access constitutes official publication, and the Advance Access version can be cited by a unique doi (digital object identifier).

Peer Review Policy

Double anonymised peer review

The Journal operates double-anonymised peer review, meaning that the identity of the authors is hidden from reviewers, and the reviewers’ identities are hidden from the authors. The editors know the identity of both the reviewers and the authors. For full details about the peer review process, see Fair editing and peer review.

This journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), so reviewers may want to read the COPE guidelines for reviewers, which address important considerations, including the following:

• We rely on reviewers to conduct reviews in accordance with, and in order to uphold, the standards of the journal. While there are potential opportunities arising from generative AI, please ensure these types of tools and resources are not used as a substitute for your expert opinion and do not supersede your own judgment.
• Maintaining confidentiality both throughout and following the review process is important, so please do not share information about this manuscript, its content, or your review with any person or entity, including Large Language Models (LLMs) and AI tools.

Manuscript Transfer

HER sends and receives transfers from other journals on related topics published by Oxford University Press. All transfers are sent according to the choice of the authors. Reviewer reports and the original decision letter are included in the transfer, but the reviewer identities are not shared.

Transferred manuscripts may be sent out for additional peer review, and a decision will be made on the manuscript based on the feedback from all reviewers and the judgment of the editorial team.