About the Journal

Updated: October 14th, 2025

Background [Top]

The European Journal of Health Research (EJHR), e-ISSN: 2445-0308, was established in 2015 by the Spanish Scientific Society for Research and Training in Health Sciences (ASUNIVEP). Since its inception, the journal has focused on disseminating health sciences research conducted in Ibero-America in close collaboration with the Universidad Autónoma de Chile. As of 2021, the journal is edited in Santiago, Chile, by the Universidad Autónoma de Chile, serving as the official journal of its Faculty of Health Sciences and of ASUNIVEP. The journal’s e-ISSN registration (2445-0308) was transferred to the ISSN Chile agency (https://portal.issn.org/resource/ISSN/2445-0308).

Focus and Scope [Top]

The European Journal of Health Research (EJHR), e-ISSN: 2445-0308, is a peer-reviewed serial journal and, since 2021, has been issued on a quarterly basis. It has an international scope with a focus on Ibero-America and has been open access since Vol. 8 (2022). Content is available immediately upon publication. Until 2024, publications were distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). Starting in 2025, the journal applies the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0).

Objective: To disseminate and publish empirical and theoretical work in any field related to health, broadly construed, extending its coverage to professionals from related disciplines.

Vision: EJHR seeks to be a space for academic discussion and multidisciplinary dialogue across the health sciences, contributing to scholarly communication among researchers and academics.

Aimed at: professionals, academics, and researchers in health sciences (e.g., medicine, nursing, physiotherapy, speech and language therapy/phoniatrics, biomedicine, health psychology, public health, health administration, and related specialties).

The journal publishes original articles, case reports, review articles, brief communications, and letters to the editor in English or Spanish. EJHR has no article processing charges (APC) and applies no submission fees at any editorial stage.

e-ISSN: 2445-0308

Frequency [Top]

Since its initiation, the journal has published three issues per year (April, August, December). Since Vol. 8 (2022), articles have been published under a continuous publication model.

Peer Review Process [Top]

Manuscripts submitted to EJHR undergo preliminary evaluation by the editorial team and external peer review under a double-blind modality.

  • Verification that the submission falls within the journal’s declared scope.
  • Similarity analysis using Turnitin® software.
  • Verification of compliance with the journal’s author guidelines.
  • Double-blind review by two external academic reviewers who complete the evaluation form and recommend: a) Accept; b) Publishable with modifications; c) Re-evaluable; d) Recommend another journal; e) Not publishable.

The maximum time between receipt of the article and the first response from reviewers is approximately 45 days.

Article Evaluation Criteria [Top]

  • Title and abstract in both English and Spanish.
  • Expository coherence and clarity.
  • Use of sources and bibliographic references.
  • Methodological rigor.
  • Scientific relevance.
  • Conformity with format and language standards.

Based on external reviews, the Editor-in-Chief makes a decision according to the following categories: a) Accept; b) Publishable with modifications; c) Re-evaluable; d) Not publishable. Articles with decisions (b) or (c) must submit a revised version within two weeks. In cases of substantial disagreement between two reviewers, a third review may be requested; the Editor-in-Chief will adjudicate discrepancies.

Reviews are expected within four weeks. Decisions are communicated immediately to authors. If only minor changes are required, authors are given 1–2 weeks to resubmit; otherwise the article proceeds to editing and production. Typical time from submission to publication ranges from 1 to 3 months. Reviews may use Microsoft Word and OJS evaluation forms.

Review Evaluation Criteria [Top]

  • Verification of thematic fit.
  • Compliance with publication standards.

Documents are evaluated by two external reviewers using the OJS platform. As with research articles, reviewers provide an overall assessment using the categories: a) Accept submission; b) Publishable with modifications; c) Re-evaluable; d) Not publishable. Based on these considerations, the Editor will decide acceptance or rejection. Letters to the Editor are checked for thematic fit and compliance with journal standards; they are not externally reviewed and publication is at the Editor’s discretion.

AI Tools Policy [Top]

Policy on the use of AI tools by EJHR authors and peer reviewers

EJHR prohibits listing artificial intelligence (AI) tools—such as ChatGPT or large language models (LLMs)—as authors. This policy aligns with recommendations from scholarly organizations, including the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), which hold that AI tools cannot meet authorship criteria as they cannot assume ethical or legal responsibility for scholarly work. If AI tools are used (e.g., to generate text or images, or to collect/process data), authors must disclose this transparently in their manuscripts. Authors remain fully responsible for all content, including parts generated with AI. The use of AI tools to assist in the peer review process is strictly prohibited.

Open Access Policy [Top]

The European Journal of Health Research (EJHR) provides immediate open access to its content, in line with the University’s Rectory Resolution 103/2017 approving criteria and procedures for the creation of scientific journals at the Universidad Autónoma de Chile and its institutional commitment to open-access policies for academic, scientific, and general audiences. Publications are distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0). Copyright remains with the author, who is free to distribute and disseminate the work provided the source is properly cited.

Research Data Availability Policy [Top]

To promote transparency, reproducibility, and data sharing in health research, EJHR establishes that data availability is mandatory for all studies reporting empirical results, except where ethical, legal, or confidentiality obligations justify restrictions.

1. Data Availability Statement. Authors must include—immediately before the Conclusions section—a Data Availability Statement specifying: (a) the repository; (b) dataset DOI or persistent URL; (c) license (CC0 or CC BY 4.0 preferred); (d) file inventory (raw/curated data, code, supplementary materials); and (e) access conditions.

2. Repositories. Datasets may be deposited in institutional, disciplinary, or general-purpose repositories that ensure long-term preservation and assign persistent identifiers (e.g., DOI), following FAIR principles.

3. Sensitive Data. For studies involving human participants or clinical data, authors must ensure anonymization and compliance with ethics approvals and informed consent. When full data sharing is restricted, provide metadata and a clear data-access statement.

4. Code and Materials. Code, statistical scripts, and protocols should be shared in appropriate repositories (e.g., Git-based with DOI, Zenodo) and cited with persistent identifiers.

5. Embargoes and Exceptions. EJHR allows limited, justified embargoes (up to 12 months). Permanent restrictions must be explained in the Statement.

6. Data Citation. Datasets and code must be cited in the reference list with their persistent identifiers.

7. Editorial Verification. During review or production, editors may request evidence of deposition or documentation to verify consistency between manuscript, data, and analyses.

Suggested wording:

  • “Data supporting this study are available in [Repository] at [DOI/URL], under [CC0/CC BY 4.0]. The package includes [files]. Analysis code is available at [repository DOI/URL].”
  • “Because the dataset contains sensitive clinical/identifiable information, access is restricted. [Describe controlled-access mechanism]. Metadata and a data dictionary are available at [DOI/URL].”

Diversity Commitment Policy [Top]

The European Journal of Health Research (EJHR), a scientific publication of the Universidad Autónoma de Chile, affirms its institutional commitment to promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) across all stages of the editorial process and in scholarly communication. Diversity is understood to encompass multiple dimensions, including gender, age, ethnicity, nationality, geography, sexual orientation, disability status, and stage of professional or academic development.

As a guiding principle, EJHR seeks to reflect and strengthen the plurality and representativeness of the national and international scientific community, fostering editorial practices that ensure equal opportunities and fair treatment for all authors, reviewers, and editorial team members.

Priority Principles and Actions

  1. Invited Authors. EJHR is committed to fostering greater diversity in gender, nationality, and career trajectories among invited contributions, seeking balanced and equitable representation in special issues, narrative reviews, and editorials.
  2. Peer Reviewers. The journal promotes gender equity and diverse participation in reviewer selection, considering geographic distribution, professional experience, and institutional diversity. The Editorial Committee will strive for balance in invitations and will monitor reviewer participation with these parameters in mind.
  3. Editorial Committee Membership. EJHR is committed to maintaining and strengthening the diversity of its Editorial Committee, including equitable representation by gender, country, region, and specialty, in alignment with the mission of the Universidad Autónoma de Chile and its gender equality policy.
  4. Inclusive Language and Visual Representation. The journal employs inclusive, non-sexist academic language and will ensure that images, illustrations, and photographs reflect the diversity of national and international scientific and clinical communities. EJHR adopts ethical and communication guidelines based on recommendations from the Chilean Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation and international organizations advancing equity in science.
  5. Events and Academic Activities. In seminars, congresses, or activities organized by EJHR or its partners, a non-exclusionary policy will be applied with respect to gender and other conditions, guaranteeing the representation of women and minorities on scientific committees, round tables, panels, and keynote sessions.
  6. Monitoring and Transparency. EJHR will report annually—on its website or in an editorial report—descriptive indicators on the gender composition and geographic origin of authors, reviewers, and Editorial Committee members, to evaluate progress and promote continuous improvement.
  7. Training and Awareness. Editors and Editorial Committee members will receive periodic training in best editorial practices, gender equity, and inclusive language, in collaboration with institutional units and national or international scientific cooperation bodies.

Institutional Commitment. This policy is framed by the principles of the Universidad Autónoma de Chile’s Gender Equality and Non-Discrimination Policy and by recommendations from COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics), the EQUATOR Network, and UNESCO (Science for Equality). EJHR reaffirms its commitment to advancing a more just, plural, and representative editorial culture, consistent with the values of open and responsible science promoted by the Chilean and Latin American scientific communities.

Preprints Repositories [Top]

EJHR authors may deposit manuscripts submitted to the journal in preprints servers only when they have been accepted for publication and are in the editing and production stages prior to publication.

Statement of Ethics and Negligence [Top]

EJHR bases its editorial processes on the COPE guidelines and the Declaration of Helsinki. Research involving humans must include an ethics statement, informed consent, and appropriate anonymization; animal studies must follow international guidelines (e.g., ARRIVE, EU Directive 2010/63, or NIH Guidelines).

Responsibilities of the Editorial Committee [Top]

The EJHR Editorial Committee oversees the double-blind peer-review process and ensures adherence to ethical and methodological standards, providing clarification in cases of dispute or editorial appeal.

Editor Responsibilities [Top]

  • Ensure ethical integrity and scientific quality of published material.
  • Maintain confidentiality and manage conflicts of interest.
  • Prevent and address research misconduct.
  • Guarantee fair, unbiased evaluation based solely on scientific merit.
  • Publish corrections, clarifications, or retractions when necessary.

Reviewer Responsibilities [Top]

  • Conduct objective, constructive, and timely evaluations.
  • Respect confidentiality of the peer-review process.
  • Report conflicts of interest or ethical concerns.
  • Base recommendations on scientific evidence and methodological rigor.

Author Responsibilities [Top]

  • Ensure originality and avoid redundant or duplicate publication.
  • Provide accurate data and declare funding sources and conflicts of interest.
  • Include only contributors who meet authorship criteria.
  • Cooperate with editors to correct or retract work when required.

Plagiarism Detection Policy [Top]

All submissions are screened for plagiarism using Turnitin®. Manuscripts found to contain plagiarized content will be rejected and authors notified. EJHR follows COPE guidelines for managing research misconduct.

Erratum, Retractions, Clarifications, and Apologies [Top]

Corrections and retractions are issued following COPE recommendations and ethical standards to maintain the integrity of the scientific record.

Policy for the Preservation of Digital Archives [Top]

EJHR ensures long-term digital preservation through participation in systems such as LOCKSS, Portico, and institutional repositories managed by the Universidad Autónoma de Chile.

Rejection Rate [Top]

The current rejection rate of EJHR is 23%.

DOI [Top]

Each published article in EJHR receives a unique DOI identifier for permanent citation and indexing.