FAQs

Answers

  1. What are the benefits of publishing in BMJ Global Health?
  • Open Access – all articles published in BMJ Global Health are freely available to a global audience on a number of databases, with the copyright retained by the author
  • Rapid publication – all articles are subject to stringent peer-review and fast turnaround times, ensuring prompt publication through our continuous publication policy
  • Trusted international brands – BMJ Global Health maintains the scientific and international reputation of BMJ
  • High readership visibility – bmj.com hosting makes sure papers are noticed; exceptional articles are press released
  1. How do I submit?
Manuscripts should be submitted via  BMJ Global Health's online manuscript submission site.
  1. My paper has just been rejected from another BMJ Journal – will it be automatically transferred to BMJ Global Health?
Your article will not automatically be transferred to BMJ Global Health if rejected from another BMJ Journal, however, you can choose BMJ Global Health as an alternate journal when submitting your article.
  1. What is Open Access and an Article Publishing Charge (APC)?
Open Access stands for unrestricted access and unrestricted reuse. Open Access publishing strives to facilitate the development of new medicines and healthcare, by disseminating ideas and discoveries efficiently, effectively and equitably. All articles published in BMJ Global Health are Open Access, so are freely available online in a permanent universally accessible repository. The APC covers the costs of the publication process (which would traditionally be covered via subscription fees), including:
  • Rigorous peer-review through a maintained online submission system
  • Production costs, such as copy-editing, typesetting and preparation for online publication
  • Continuous hosting of the article online, available worldwide
  • Marketing efforts to increase the article’s exposure
  1. What APC applies to BMJ Global Health?
BMJ Global Health levies an Article Publishing Charge (APC) that reflects the true cost of the services provided. The standard APC for Research Articles, Protocols and Analysis is GBP 3245; the APC for Editorials and Commentaries is GBP 1622 (exclusive of VAT for UK and EU authors). There are no submission or page charges, and no colour charges. Payment of the APC may be made online by credit card or by bank transfer following receipt of an invoice. Unless a waiver has been granted, accepted articles will not be published until payment has been received. Please note that bank transfers can take up to 2 weeks. A link to your typeset proof will be emailed approximately 2 weeks after cleared payment has been received. We aim to publish articles online within approximately 30 days following acceptance. BMJ does not refund APCs once paid.
  1. How do I pay? 
The submitting author must confirm at the time of submission that they will organise payment should the article be accepted for publication. Prompt payment is advised as the article will not be published until payment is received. Payment can be made by any of the following methods:
  • Immediate payment online via credit card using a secure payment form as soon as the manuscript has been accepted.
  • An invoice can be raised. Following receipt of an invoice, payment must be made within 30 days.
  1. Does BMJ Global Health offer discounts and waivers on the APC? 
BMJ Global Health offers waivers on the APC for papers reporting work conducted in HINARI Group A or B countries and whose authors are at institutions in Hinari Group A or B countries. For HINARI Group A there is a 100% waiver; for HINARI Group B there is a 50% waiver. Please note that in order for the waiver to apply, all named authors on the paper must be affiliated with institutions in HINARI Group A or B countries. BMJ Global Health offers a 25% discount to peer-reviewers who submit a paper to the journal within 12 months of their most recent review. A discount code for the paper will be provided upon its acceptance.
  1. Which funding agencies allow direct use of grants to cover the APC?
If you received a grant to conduct your research, your first enquiry should be to whoever disburses the research funds. Much research funding is now granted on the condition that any resulting articles are published Open Access and are deposited in PMC – publishing in BMJ Global Health means that you meet both of these criteria. To help authors complete these requirements, many funders will permit payment of APCs from grants or have separate funds available. The Open Access Directory contains a list of universities that have funds for researchers to pay APCs. The Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC) has something similar – both mainly cover US institutions and are not comprehensive. The Compact for Open Access Publishing Equity is a collection of universities who have pledged their support to establishing durable mechanisms for underwriting the APC model. Alternatively, contact your librarian to find out what support your institution offers. General information about BMJ’s Open Access programme, including copyright policies and institutional memberships, is available via our Author Hub.
  1. How do I subscribe?
BMJ Global Health is an Open Access journal and is, therefore, free to access for anyone with an internet connection. There is no print edition.
  1. Does BMJ Global Health impose any copyright restrictions and who retains copyright of the Open Access articles?
Authors retain copyright. Articles are published under a Creative Commons licence to facilitate reuse of the content.
  1. What is the time to publication?
BMJ Global Health aims to provide authors with a rapid peer review service. Continuous online publication ensures papers are published as soon as they are ready. All phases of the process can be tracked via our online systems.
  1. How is the article cited?
BMJ Global Health publishes online though is assembled into issues and volumes; articles will be referenced by their unique article number (Digital Object Identifier or DOI) as opposed to a page number.
  1. How do I sign up to email alerts about articles published in BMJ Global Health?
You can subscribe to receive BMJ Global Health email alerts. Options available for BMJ Global Health are:
  • Electronic table of contents alerts
  • Alerts when an article is cited
  • Alerts if corrections are posted to a specific article
  • Alerts if a letter is published in response to an article
You can also sign up for RSS feeds that will update you when new content is published.
  1. Who do I contact if I would like more information about BMJ Global Health?
For all queries please contact the editorial office at info.bmjgh@bmj.com