Health Journals Seek Human Rights Submissions

Two health-related journals are seeking submissions addressing human rights issues.  First, the influential Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) is planning a 2015 theme issue on trauma associated with violence and human rights.  For the issue, which will be published in August 2015, JAMA is soliciting papers on trauma resulting from unintentional and intentional injury, from interpersonal and community-levels of violence, and from mass conflict, war, displacement, and natural disasters.

According to the JAMA announcement, "[a]uthors may submit manuscripts addressing any topic related to trauma, injury, violence, war, civil conflict, disaster, and human rights abuses. We are particularly interested in manuscripts reporting on studies of interventions to address the effects of trauma, new modes of management and treatment, and optimal systems of care in a variety of settings. Randomized clinical trials of preventive, therapeutic, or rehabilitative interventions are of primary interest, but we will also consider reports of observational studies and systematic reviews that address new and important findings as well as scholarly Viewpoints that address timely topics on clinical management, research, and policy related to trauma, violence, or human rights."

Manuscripts received by March 15, 2015, will have the best chance of consideration for publication in the JAMA theme issue. More information about submission procedures is here. 

Second, the open access Health and Human Rights Journal, edited by Dr. Paul Farmer and Carmel Williams, is soliciting submissions for its special issue on Tuberculosis and human rights.  According to the call for papers, TB and human rights is a neglected topic.  Possible subjects to be addressed in the special issue, slated for June 2016, are: 

    -- The individual rights and entitlements of people living with and vulnerable to TB;

    -- The obligations of States and non-state actors under human rights law to respect, protect and fulfill rights, including through prevention measures, and diagnosis and treatment;

    -- The role of human rights in promoting the availability, accessibility and acceptability of good quality testing and treatment for TB;

    -- The impact of stigma and discrimination in the lives of people living with and vulnerable to TB;

    -- The situation of key affected populations;

      --The State’s duty to protect against violations of human rights by non-state actors, such as pharmaceutical companies and private health providers.

Submissions should be received by September 20, 2015.  Guidelines for submission are here.