Aim and Scope
Aim of the Journal
The aim of the scientific journal Environment & Health is to disseminate high-quality scientific research investigating the relationships between environmental, occupational, and social factors and population health; assessing health risks; providing a scientific basis for preventive interventions; and advancing public health.
The journal is an interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed, open-access scholarly publication that publishes original research articles, review articles, and analytical papers addressing hygiene, epidemiology, environmental and occupational medicine, public health, disease prevention, and the assessment of environmental influences on human health.
Particular emphasis is placed on research with scientific and practical relevance to protecting population health, preventing disease, reducing exposure to harmful factors, and informing evidence-based policies in public health and environmental protection.
Main Objectives of the Journal
- To disseminate findings from contemporary scientific research on the effects of environmental factors and living conditions on population health.
- To advance scientific research in public and occupational health, hygiene, epidemiology, and preventive medicine.
- To improve methods for exposure assessment, health risk assessment, and the evaluation of environmental health effects.
- To provide a scientific basis for disease prevention strategies and interventions aimed at reducing the adverse effects of environmental and occupational factors.
- To promote the integration of evidence-based approaches into public health practice and the development and implementation of public policies informed by scientific evidence on the effects of environmental, social, and other determinants of population health.
- To foster international scientific collaboration, facilitate the exchange of research findings, and promote the integration of Ukrainian research into the global scientific community.
Main Subject Areas
1. Environmental Health
Research on the effects of physical, chemical, and biological environmental factors on population health, including air, water, and soil pollution; exposure to noise, vibration, solar radiation, electromagnetic fields, other forms of non-ionizing radiation, and ionizing radiation; microclimatic conditions; and other environmental factors.
2. Public Health and Preventive Medicine
Research on population health, environmental and social determinants of health, disease prevention, health promotion, health inequalities, and the evaluation of the effectiveness of preventive programmes and public health interventions.
3. Occupational Health and Hygiene
Research on the effects of harmful and hazardous occupational factors on workers' health, occupational risks, working conditions, occupational morbidity, methods of occupational exposure assessment, and measures to prevent occupational and work-related diseases.
4. Hygiene and Environmental Safety
Scientific research and hygienic assessment of living, working, educational, and other conditions affecting human health; the quality of drinking water, food, and the human environment; and the scientific development and justification of hygiene standards and preventive measures.
5. Epidemiology and Population Health Studies
Epidemiological research on the effects of environmental, occupational, and social factors on morbidity, mortality, and other population health indicators; investigations of causal relationships and risk factors; analyses of spatial and temporal patterns of disease occurrence and distribution; and evaluations of preventive interventions.
6. Exposure and Health Risk Assessment
Development and application of methods for assessing the effects of environmental factors on human health, health risk analysis and characterization, exposure modelling, exposure–response assessment, risk factor monitoring, and health impact assessment at the population level.
7. Climate Change, Emergencies and Health
Research on the effects of climate change, extreme weather events, technological disasters, armed conflicts, and associated environmental pollution on population health, as well as the scientific development and justification of measures to reduce health risks and protect public health.
Topics Outside the Journal's Scope
The journal does not consider manuscripts that lack a clearly established and scientifically substantiated connection to population health, environmental factors, occupational conditions, hygiene, epidemiology, disease prevention, or health risk assessment.
In particular, the following types of research fall outside the journal's scope:
- Purely clinical studies focusing on the diagnosis, pharmacological or surgical treatment, or rehabilitation of individual patients without a sufficiently substantiated connection to public or occupational health, disease prevention, or population-level health risks.
- Basic research in biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, and biotechnology whose findings have no clearly justified relevance to the assessment of environmental health effects, disease prevention, or population health protection.
- Studies of ecosystems, flora, fauna, environmental remediation technologies, and engineering processes that neither assess nor substantiate the implications of their findings for human health or health risk assessment.
- Research in pedagogy, language education, teaching methodology, and educational management that lacks direct scientific relevance to public health.
- Studies of pharmaceutical products, medical devices, and laboratory technologies that are unrelated to disease prevention, exposure assessment, or population health risk assessment.
- Predominantly descriptive, informational, or journalistic materials that lack adequate scientific analysis or do not align with the journal's scientific scope.
Interdisciplinary research in medicine, biology, psychology, social sciences, and related disciplines may be considered for publication provided that it clearly aligns with one or more of the journal's main subject areas.
Initial Editorial Screening for Scope Alignment
All submitted manuscripts undergo initial editorial screening to assess their alignment with the journal's aims, objectives, and scope.
During this initial assessment, the editorial team considers the following criteria:
1. Alignment with the Journal's Scope
The extent to which the research demonstrates a clear connection to population health, environmental factors, occupational risks, hygiene, epidemiology, or preventive medicine.
2. Scientific Significance
The relevance of the research problem, the justification of the study objectives, and the potential scientific contribution of the research to the relevant field of knowledge.
3. Methodological Appropriateness
The suitability of the study design, research methods, and outcome measures for addressing the stated scientific problem.
4. Scientific or Practical Value
The contribution of the findings to understanding risk factors, assessing health effects, preventing disease, or improving measures to protect population health.
Alignment with the journal's scope must be demonstrated through the study objectives, methodology, and results. Merely referring to public health, the environment, or disease prevention without adequate scientific justification is insufficient for a manuscript to proceed to peer review.
Manuscripts that do not align with the journal's scientific scope may be rejected during initial editorial screening without being sent for external peer review. Authors are notified of the reasons for such editorial decisions.
Decisions regarding a manuscript's alignment with the journal's scope are based on its actual scientific content, irrespective of the authors' academic discipline, academic qualifications, country, or institutional affiliation.
