i) General Information

Pacific Health Dialog invites submissions of original papers and reviews on all aspects of health of Pacificans anywhere in the world.  Any health worker who actively participates in the process of providing medical education, medical care, community health services, and health development should consider contributing to this Journal.

The language of Pacific Health Dialog is English.  The views and opinions expressed in the

Journal do not necessarily reflect those of the editorial staff, Advisory Board or sponsoring agencies.

Manuscripts are accepted for publication only with the understanding that they have not been published or submitted for publication elsewhere.  They may be submitted in any major Pacific language with a translation in English.  Priority will be given to articles and subjects relevant to health and health practices in the Pacific.

All manuscripts will be peer reviewed before being accepted for publication.

ii) Types of Contributions

The types of contributions are as below but other types of contributions may be accepted for publication at the Editor's discretion.

Editorials.  Comments from the editors on the contents and issues covered by the Journal.  Guest editorials will be invited for the author to comment on the themes of some of the issues.

Original Articles.  Reports of original and new investigations or contributions.  Text to be a maximum of 4000 words.

Brief Communications and Case Reports.  Contents similar to that of original articles but text should be no more than 2000 words.  These may include articles on various aspects of health

service, history, etc.

Reviews.  Critical analysis of previously collected and published information.  Text to be a maximum of 4000 words.

Viewpoints and Perspectives.  These are informed comments or papers on health issues in the Pacific.  Text to be no more than 4000 words.

Letters.  Short reports of clinical experience, topics of interest, or comments on previous articles.  Text to be no more than 500 words.

Book Reviews.  These are informed reviews of no more than 2000 words of books pertinent to health in the Pacific.

Journal Abstracts.  These are an annotated list of important health papers published (not in PHD) about the Pacific islands and peoples.  The editors will comment on each of the papers.

Organizational News, Information.  These will be brief announcements about regional organizations' activities, news and information.

iii) Information on Manuscripts

Language.  A manuscript should be in English but we will accept manuscripts in a major Pacific language if a good abstract in English accompanies the article.

Typed and handwritten manuscripts.  Submit the original and two duplicates with all typing double-spaced.  If handwritten it must be legible.

Word-processed manuscripts.  Submit the file on a PC formatted disk with the name and version number of the word processing software used, along with two printed copies.  Common word processing formats are Microsoft Word and WordPerfect.

The Title Page.  Should include the titles, full names of all authors, and names, addresses and contact number (including email addresses) of institutions where the work has been done so that the author can be contacted.  If more than one author, indicate the author to whom correspondence should be directed.

Subheads.  Indicate on the printed text whether headings are main, subheads or sub-subheads.

References.  References should be as superscripts in the text.  They should be kept to a minimum and must be in the Vancouver style (see Index Medicus) or consult the latest PHD for the format.

Other.  Each original article should include an informative Abstract; Introduction; Patients, Materials and Methods; Results; Discussion; and References.

Abbreviations and Units.  Only standard abbreviations and units should be used.

Pharmaceuticals.  Generic names should be used for all pharmaceuticals mentioned.