Hegel Journal of Global Health

The Hegel Journal of Global Health (HJGH) publishes rigorous, open research and debate on health systems, financing and global health security, led from the Global South. It is free to read and free to publish. Every research article comes with a policy summary and an Urdu plain-language summary, so that evidence reaches the people who make decisions.

The journal takes its motto, Thesis · Antithesis · Synthesis, from the method it applies to evidence: each claim is tested against its strongest counter-argument before a conclusion is drawn. HJGH opens for submissions in early 2027 and publishes its first articles from May 2027.

Vision and mission

Vision. Health systems in low- and middle-income countries designed on their own best evidence.

Mission. To publish rigorous, open research and debate on health systems, financing and global health security, led from the Global South, and to translate it into formats that policymakers use.

HJGH publishes original research, reviews and debate in six areas, with priority to work from and for low- and middle-income countries. We particularly welcome work from South Asia, the Middle East and Africa, and comparative studies relevant to them.

1. Health systems and policy: governance, stewardship, regulation, service delivery and the health workforce.
2. Health financing: social health protection, strategic purchasing, universal health coverage and financial protection.
3. Global health security: preparedness, the International Health Regulations, health diplomacy and public health law.
4. Implementation and transition: scaling, sustainability and the transfer of donor-supported programmes to national ownership.
5. Equity and inclusion: disability and rehabilitation, gender, mental health and access to care.
6. Non-communicable diseases and their determinants, including tobacco, from a health systems perspective.

Outside our scope: purely clinical, laboratory or basic-science studies; single-hospital case series without a health systems question; and pharmaceutical formulation studies. We decline these without review so that authors can submit elsewhere quickly.

HJGH offers authors free, open publication, prompt decisions and a route to policymakers.

• No fees, ever: publication is free for all authors, wherever they are based.
• Prompt decisions: we aim to decide on desk review within 7 days and to give a first decision after peer review within 45 days.
• Policy reach: each research article carries a policy summary and an Urdu plain-language summary, and is promoted through our newsletter, social media and, where warranted, a press release.
• Open and permanent: articles are published under CC BY 4.0, receive a Crossref DOI and are preserved in the PKP Preservation Network.
• Space for debate: the Dialectic series publishes evidence on both sides of contested policy questions.
• Support for new authors: early-career researchers can use the Hegel Research Clinic for writing support, separately from the editorial process and with no effect on decisions.

HJGH publishes eight article types. Word counts exclude the abstract, tables, figures and references.

The Dialectic series

Each Dialectic takes one contested policy question and publishes the strongest case on each side, followed by a synthesis. One author argues the thesis; a second author, who has read it, writes the antithesis; an editor or invited expert writes a synthesis setting out where the evidence agrees, where it conflicts and what would settle the question. Dialectics are commissioned, but we welcome proposals for questions at editorial@thehegels.com.

Field reports

Field reports share practical lessons from implementing a programme or reform. They suit programme managers and officials who have run, financed or regulated a health service and want to report what worked, what did not and why.

First submissions are format-free: we ask only for line numbers and the sections listed below, and apply house style after acceptance.

1. Title page (separate file): title; all authors’ names, affiliations and ORCID iDs; corresponding author’s email; word count; funding; conflicts of interest; author contributions using the CRediT roles; acknowledgements, including any use of AI tools.
2. Main file (anonymised): title, abstract and keywords, then the text, with no names, institutions or other details that identify the authors.
3. Abstract: structured as Background, Methods, Results and Conclusions for research articles and reviews.
4. Policy summary (research articles): three bullet points of up to 150 words in total, headed What is known, What this study adds and What policymakers can do.
5. Reporting guideline: follow the guideline that fits your design and upload the completed checklist, for example CONSORT for trials, STROBE for observational studies, PRISMA for systematic reviews, COREQ for qualitative research and CHEERS for economic evaluations. See the EQUATOR Network for others.
6. Sex and gender: report sex and gender where relevant, following the SAGER guidelines.
7. References: any consistent style at submission; Vancouver style with DOIs after acceptance. Identify preprints as such.
8. Tables and figures: numbered and cited in the text; figures at 300 dpi or more, with editable source files where possible; permission for any previously published material.
9. Supplementary material: submitted with the manuscript and peer reviewed; video in MP4 and audio in MP3, up to 50 MB each, with written consent from anyone identifiable.
10. Data-sharing statement: what data will be shared, where, when and on what conditions.

HJGH does not require a covering letter. Instead, authors confirm each item below when they submit.

• ☐ The manuscript falls within the journal’s aims and scope.
• ☐ It has not been published and is not under consideration elsewhere (preprints are allowed and must be declared).
• ☐ All authors meet the ICMJE authorship criteria and have approved the submission.
• ☐ The title page is uploaded separately and the main file contains no identifying information.
• ☐ Ethics approval and consent are stated where required; trial or review registration numbers are given.
• ☐ The reporting-guideline checklist is uploaded.
• ☐ Funding, conflict of interest and data-sharing statements are included.
• ☐ Any use of AI tools is disclosed.
• ☐ A policy summary is included (research articles).
• ☐ Optional: a short statement requesting fast-track handling, explaining why the topic is time-sensitive for public health.

Submit through the online submission system, where you will be asked to confirm each item. Signed authorship declarations and supporting documents are requested only after peer review.

Every research article is reviewed by at least two independent experts under double-anonymised review; editors make the decisions.

Open-review option. Authors may opt in at submission to publish the peer review reports alongside their article. Reports are published only if each reviewer agrees, signed or unsigned as the reviewer chooses.

Appeals. Authors may appeal a decision within 30 days by writing to the Editor-in-Chief with their reasons. An appeal against the Editor-in-Chief’s own decision is considered by an independent member of the editorial board.

Accepted articles are copy-edited, given a DOI and published online within about three weeks.

• Proofs: sent to the corresponding author, to be returned within 3 working days.
• Urdu summary: prepared by the journal from the policy summary and checked by an Urdu-speaking author where possible.
• Licence: CC BY 4.0. Authors keep copyright and may share and deposit any version of their article.
• Promotion: new articles feature on the journal website, newsletter and social media; selected articles are highlighted through press releases, podcasts or webinars.

HJGH follows the COPE Core Practices and the ICMJE Recommendations.

Reviewers are the foundation of the journal’s quality; we ask for fair, constructive and timely reports, and we recognise the work.

Before accepting an invitation

Accept only if the paper is within your expertise, you can report within about 21 days, and you have no conflict of interest. If you must decline, please do so promptly and, if you can, suggest another reviewer.

Confidentiality and AI

Manuscripts are confidential. Do not share them, use unpublished information, or contact the authors. Do not upload manuscripts or your report to generative AI tools or other third-party platforms. Delete the manuscript and data when your review is complete.

Writing the report

Reviewers complete a short form covering:

• originality and contribution;
• relevance to the journal’s scope and to policy in low- and middle-income settings;
• the question and the methods;
• the validity of the results;
• whether the conclusions are proportionate to the evidence;
• the policy summary;
• presentation, including tables, figures and references.

Comments to authors should be specific, respectful and constructive, separating major from minor points. Confidential comments to the editor may include concerns about ethics, overlap or misconduct; please report suspected misconduct to the editor rather than investigating it yourself.

Anonymity

HJGH uses double-anonymised review. Do not try to identify the authors, and do not reveal your identity in your report unless the paper is on the open-review track and you choose to sign it.

Recognition

Reviewers receive a certificate, credit on their ORCID record and, with their consent, a listing in the journal’s annual acknowledgement of reviewers.

Reviewer Academy

Early-career researchers can join the HJGH Reviewer Academy, a free online course, and then review alongside an experienced reviewer before reviewing independently.

HJGH’s editorial decisions are made by its editors, independently of the publisher and of any sponsor.

The editorial board and advisory board are separate bodies, and at least half of the editorial board will be based outside Pakistan. We are inviting expressions of interest from researchers who wish to review for the journal or join the board: write to editorial@thehegels.com with a short CV.

Financing transition: from donor support to national ownership

As donor support for health falls and programmes are handed to national governments, HJGH invites papers on how health services can be financed, governed and sustained through transition. We welcome original research, policy analyses, reviews, field reports and commentaries from low- and middle-income countries, and comparative studies relevant to them.

Topics include, but are not limited to:

• financing and costing the transfer of donor-supported programmes to national budgets and social health protection schemes;
• benefit packages, strategic purchasing and the inclusion of under-served services, such as rehabilitation and assistive technology;
• governance, regulation and stewardship during transition;
• supply chains, procurement and the continuity of essential products;
• equity: who loses access during transition, and how to protect them;
• lessons from transitions that succeeded or failed.

Editorial office: editorial@thehegels.com

Publisher: The Hegel Institute, Islamabad, Pakistan

Online submission system: journal.thehegels.com

Website: thehegels.com