The Association of Occupational Health and Wellbeing Professionals​

Submission Guidelines

We aim to offer iOH members content that enhances their knowledge and skills and is interesting to read. We are delighted to receive content from both iOH members and non-members for our OH Today online journal or a website blog https://ioh.org.uk/

Our mission is to provide support to the professional community that is evidence-based, relevant and improves the health of the working-age population.

We aim to upload articles to ResearchGate https://www.researchgate.net/ and ensure their quality standards are met.

1. Guidelines for Best Practices

When considering your writing, please keep the following points in mind: 

• Who is my audience?
• What question or angle am I addressing?
• How is my article relevant to the OH and wellbeing community
• Have I answered the question I set out to discuss accurately?
• Have I clearly distinguished between personal beliefs or opinions and evidence-based research facts?
• Can I make my article clearer by rewriting parts or adding better examples?
• If applicable, are my references up to date and have I looked extensively at the field of sources to gain evidence for the issue being discussed? (Please link to the reference in your text wherever possible)

AI use Policy:

Authors may use AI tools for language editing, grammar checks, and reference formatting, provided all outputs are verified for accuracy. AI tools must not be used to generate data, results, or entire articles. Any use of AI must be disclosed. Authors remain fully responsible for the integrity and originality of the work.

AI Use Statement

Please disclose any AI tools used during manuscript preparation:

• Tool Name(s): __________
• Purpose of Use: (e.g., language editing, data analysis)
• Extent of Use: __________
• Verification: Confirm that all AI-generated content was reviewed and validated by the authors.

(Example: “ChatGPT was used for language editing only; all content was verified by the authors.”)

2. Categories of Articles

These are guidelines, not strict rules. For in-depth topics, consider splitting your article into parts for a series.

Features (500, 1000, 1500 or 2000 words)

These articles may be descriptive and focus on the evolution of OH and wellbeing practices, clinical practice, innovations, and research, addressing any issues pertinent to the profession. 

Opinions, Personal perspectives, Blog (500 or 1000 words)

Articles that present an opinion are welcomed and should include references where appropriate. 

3. Style

These are just a few basic points to remember:

• Use UK spelling
• Numbers one to nine should be written as words, while numbers 10 and above should be represented numerically.
• Use % for percentages.
• Number and label tables and figures sequentially. 
• Articles should be logical, and be broken up with headings, bullet points, boxes, tables and figures, as appropriate, to help readers to follow your ideas.
• Writing in plain English helps readers understand easily, allowing them to focus on the content. Further information is available here

Text:

• The text should be in a legible font like Arial, at least 12 points. Use one-and-a-half or double spacing for easier reading.
• Avoid using text formatting like italics, bold, or underlining as they will be lost during file conversion and conflict with our house style. References are exceptions. 
• Tables, diagrams, or illustrations should be correctly numbered and referenced within the text.
• Include a title page for the work including the following details:
• Author name(s)
• Current appointment details (title, company, institution)
• Correspondence/contact address/LinkedIn profile URL

Illustrations:

• Only include illustrations where necessary
• When using or adapting illustrations from another source, authors are responsible for obtaining written permission to reproduce the material and for crediting it appropriately. Assistance is available if needed.

Tables, Graphs and Charts

These must be clearly labelled, and the axes on graphs made clear.

Photographs

• Include where necessary
• Ensure the image is clear and the resolution is high enough (300dpi or about 1MB in size).
• Images should be related to specific subjects and copyright-free, if not provided then iOH will provide a picture based on the article content.

4. References

Correct referencing is crucial. It prevents plagiarism, shows you’ve considered other authors’ views, and lets readers verify your arguments. Authors should check references against the original documents.

References should be included using hyperlinks to the source wherever possible. For example, use a link to a webpage for an electronic resource, a DOI link for a published research article, or a link to somewhere like Google Books, Amazon or AbeBooks for a book.

If it is not possible to hyperlink a source, such as when referencing an interview you conducted or an email exchange, try to refer to it within the article if possible.

If you can neither hyperlink nor adequately refer to the source within the article, footnotes may be considered, however, this is intended to be the exception rather than the norm.

5. Review process

All material is acknowledged, and it is reviewed by the editorial team for suitability for publication. The team may revise the material or return it to the author for amendments before publication.

The material may be amended during production to allow for spacing and layout. This may be several weeks after you have been informed that the article has been accepted.

6. Copyright

All material is accepted for publication on the understanding that it has not been published before, it is not due for publication elsewhere, and it is the author’s original work. The copyright of all material accepted for publication lies with iOH.

7. Further help

The editorial team will be delighted to answer any questions that you may have. Please do not hesitate to contact us about:

• Questions about presenting your article?
• Discussing a potential idea?
• Need help starting writing?
• Need help shortening a longer piece for publication?

8. Ready to submit?

• The material must be submitted electronically via email as a word document attachment to the Editorial TeamPlease mark your email – OH Today Submission
• Please confirm that your submission is your original work and that any additional sources of information have been properly cited. 
• Please fully disclose any financial or personal interests related to the products, technology, or methodologies referenced in your article.