Coming soon on-line: Health and Human Rights: An International Journal
www.hhrjournal.org
After more than a decade in print, the François-Xavier Bagnoud Center's Health and Human Rights journal will begin its next chapter as an on-line, open-access publication starting with Volume 10, Issue Number 1, in the Spring of 2008. PIH co-founder Paul Farmer assumed editorship of the journal in 2007.
While carrying on the journal’s tradition of critical scholarship, the new Health and Human Rights will provide a vibrant forum for action-oriented dialogue among human rights practitioners. The journal will endeavor to increase access to human rights knowledge in the health field by linking an expanded community of readers and contributors. Following the lead of a growing number of open-access publications, the full text of Health and Human Rights will be freely available to anyone with internet access. This priority will be addressed directly in the first on-line issue in an article entitled "Excluding the poor from accessing biomedical literature: a rights violation that impedes global health," by Gavin Yamey. Yamey is a Senior Editor at PLoS Medicine and an incoming member of the Health and Human Rights Editorial Board.
The new Health and Human Rights includes two sections: "Critical Concepts" and "Health and Human Rights in Practice." Critical Concepts will continue to explore the most pressing global human rights debates. The Practice section hopes to bring new voices to this kind of venue - highlighting the innovative work of groups and individuals in direct engagement with human rights struggles.
Health and Human Rights will be published twice a year, with a goal to move to a more frequent publication schedule over time. Each issue of the journal will have a theme. The theme for Volume 10, Issue Number 1, is: “What is a human rights approach to health and why should we care?” Accountability will be the theme of Volume 10, Issue Number 2, and participation will be the theme of the first issue of Volume 11.
The Health and Human Rights website (www.hhrjournal.org) will include content in addition to the articles published in the journal’s semi-annual print edition. A regularly-updated “perspectives” section will provide space for contributors to share information and express their views on a broad range of topics, including but not limited to the themes of the journal’s print issues. Additionally, a blog feature on the site will allow authors to provide additional insight and background into their articles and readers to post their comments.
The Health and Human Rights journal is currently seeking articles for future issues. See the full call for submissions at: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/fxbcenter/. Accepted contributions will be published in the journal’s open-access electronic and print versions. Articles are invited for Critical Concepts (5,000-7,000 words) and for Health and Human Rights in Practice (500-7,000 words). Submissions are welcomed at any time, however articles that fit into the upcoming themes are due in May and September, 2008.
Issue 10:2 Accountability. Submissions due: July 1, 20080
Issue 11:1 Participation. Submissions due: October 1, 2008
All submissions should be sent to: hhrjournal@hsph.harvard.edu.
