For the Authors

Guidelines

Case studies submitted to Cases should examine a public health communication or marketing program, or a broader public health initiative in which communication or marketing methods played (or should have played) an important role.

The objective of Cases is to contribute to the advancement of practice-oriented learning in the field of public health communication and marketing. All submissions that have the potential to advance that objective by illuminating important principles of effective program management will be considered for publication.

We recognize that people from many professional disciplines contribute to the field of public health communication and marketing. Authors from any professional discipline and from any region of the world are encouraged to submit relevant cases.

We are specifically seeking cases that offer insight into how to effectively create and manage a public health communication or marketing program (or component of a larger multi-component public health program). We will NOT accept, however, manuscripts that report stand-alone research findings (i.e., research that has implications for effective program practice but was NOT conducted in the context of developing or improving an actual public health program).

Manuscripts submitted:

• Should critically analyze one or more of the following aspects of program management:
  • developing the initial strategic plan;
  • conducting consumer research;
  • developing program materials, products or services;
  • implementing the communication program or developing and activating the marketing distribution channel;
  • on-going monitoring and improvement of the program;
  • renewing or revising the program's strategic plan;
  • evaluating the outcome or impact of the initiative vis-á-vis its stated objectives
  • all of the above (i.e., examine a full program cycle from initial strategic planning to full implementation and evaluation).
• Should be clear about the nature of changes sought as a result of the program (i.e., its program objectives). Does the program seek to changes or reinforce:
  • individual-level attributes (e.g., cognitions, skills, motivation, intentions, behavior);
  • social network-level attributes (e.g., social support, opinion leadership, social connectedness);
  • group or population-level attributes (e.g., social capital, social norms, collective efficacy, social cohesion, culture);
  • environment or place-based attributes (e.g., laws and policies, physical structures,the availability of products or services, cultural and media messages in the environment) at the local, state, national or international level.
• Should NOT be:
  • promotional in nature
  • solely descriptive (i.e., critical analysis is a necessary component)
  • based on stand along research (i.e., research not conducted in the context of developing or improving an actual public health program)

Cases requires the first author of each case study to be a graduate student of advanced standing or a recent graduate. Please see the Eligibility Guidelines below for additional details about the required structure of authorship teams.

Cases will be published on an annual basis. The deadline for submission to Volume 2 is January 18, 2008; the journal will be published in June, 2008.

One $1,000 cash award will be given to the lead author of the best peer-reviewed case upon publication of Volume 2.

Publication decisions will be made based on the following criteria:

• Value in illuminating one or more important principles in effective management of public health communication or marketing programs
• Clear and engaging writing style
• Insightful and critical analysis of the work
• Practical discussion/conclusions
• Timeliness and relevance of the initiative being documented in the case

Peer-review scores, and the judgments of Cases editors, will be used to determine award recipients.