Manuscript Formatting Requirements and Submission Procedures

1. General Provisions

The scientific journal Environment & Health accepts manuscripts in Ukrainian and English. The main article categories are:

• Original Research Articles – articles presenting new scientific findings.

• Review and Analytical Articles – systematic reviews, scoping reviews, narrative reviews, other scholarly reviews, and analytical studies.

Submitted manuscripts must align with the journal's aims and scope. No preference is given in scientific evaluation on the basis of manuscript language, institutional affiliation, or country of origin.

2. General Technical Requirements

The main manuscript is submitted in Microsoft Word (.docx) format.

• Page format: A4.

• Font: Times New Roman, 14 pt.

• Line spacing: single.

• Margins: 2 cm on each side.

• Pages: numbered consecutively.

• Tables: editable, created in Microsoft Word.

• Equations: editable and numbered where necessary.

• Figures: of adequate quality, with sequential numbering and captions.

• Automatic hyphenation, decorative headers and footers, and unnecessarily complex formatting must not be used.

The manuscript must not exceed 23,000 characters, including spaces, encompassing the main text, table contents, captions, and REFERENCES. For systematic reviews, meta-analyses, scoping reviews, and other methodologically complex studies, a longer manuscript may be agreed with the Editorial Office in advance. Scientific completeness of methods and findings must not be compromised merely to comply with the formal length limit.

3. Documents Required at Initial Submission

At initial submission, authors upload only TWO documents through OJS: (1) a single manuscript file and (2) a Cover Letter. No separate Title Page, separate anonymized manuscript, or separate CRediT form is required.

3.1. Single Manuscript File

The single manuscript file contains two successive parts.

A. Editorial author-information section at the beginning of the manuscript:

• UDC number;

• Article titles in Ukrainian and English;

• Full names of all authors in Ukrainian and English, in the agreed authorship order;

• Official institutional and departmental affiliations in Ukrainian and English, including city and country;

• Academic degrees, academic titles, and positions;

• ORCID iDs and email addresses of all authors;

• Identification of the Corresponding Author and their telephone number (for editorial use only; not for publication);

• Individual author contributions specified using the CRediT taxonomy.

B. Scientific manuscript content:

• Article title, abstracts, and keywords in Ukrainian and English;

• Main text organized according to article type;

• Tables, figures, the required editorial declarations, and REFERENCES;

• Where possible, appendices included in the same manuscript file, or links to relevant scientific repositories.

The author-information section remains in the originally submitted manuscript file but is NOT disclosed to reviewers. To ensure double-blind peer review, the Editorial Office independently prepares an anonymized reviewer copy by concealing author information and identifiable details in the body text, filename, Word document properties, comments, and other metadata. The original file is retained in OJS with restricted access. Reviewers are given access only to the verified anonymized copy. Editors may request clarifications from authors when needed for anonymization.

Publicly posted preprints may compromise complete author anonymity; this does not, in itself, justify manuscript rejection.

3.2. Cover Letter

The Cover Letter must include:

• The manuscript title and article type;

• A brief explanation of scientific novelty and alignment with the journal's aims and scope;

• Confirmation that the manuscript has not previously been published as a journal article and is not under simultaneous consideration elsewhere;

• Confirmation that all authors agree to the submission, authorship order, and final manuscript version;

• Disclosure of preprints, conference materials, and related publications, where applicable;

• Confirmation that the authors have reviewed the journal's editorial policies.

The Cover Letter is intended exclusively for editorial use and is not provided to reviewers.

3.3. Supplementary Research Materials

Additional tables, figures, protocols, search strategies, statistical code, reporting checklists, and other materials necessary to assess the study should, where feasible, be included in the manuscript file as appendices or made accessible through verified repository links. Where justified, the Editorial Office may request separate materials later during the assessment process. This does not change the two-document initial submission requirement.

4. Article Title, Abstract, and Keywords

Title: Titles must be concise, informative, scientifically accurate, and representative of the study. Ukrainian and English titles must be equivalent in meaning; indicate the study design where appropriate.

Abstract: Abstracts are mandatory in BOTH Ukrainian and English and must contain 150–300 words EACH. The structured abstract headings are OBJECTIVE, MATERIALS AND METHODS, RESULTS, and CONCLUSIONS. For review articles, the content under these headings is adapted to the type of review. Abstracts must accurately report the research objective, actual methods, main findings, and evidence-supported conclusions; they must not introduce findings absent from the article.

Keywords: Supply 3–8 keywords or phrases in BOTH languages. The use of Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) for English keywords is recommended where suitable terms exist.

5. Structure of Original Research Articles

INTRODUCTION – Define the research problem, explain its relevance, summarize the current evidence, and identify the knowledge gap.

OBJECTIVE – State a specific objective consistent with the design, methods, and findings.

MATERIALS AND METHODS – Provide sufficient methodological detail for critical evaluation, verification, or replication. Depending on study design, report:

• Design, setting, and study period;

• Study objects/participants, sampling, and eligibility criteria;

• Data collection methods;

• Equipment specifications and measurement procedures;

• Measurement or laboratory conditions;

• Quality assurance, calibration, and metrological support where applicable;

• Statistical analyses and software;

• Assessment of uncertainty, measurement error, and potential bias;

• Applicable research ethics considerations.

Epidemiological studies must adequately describe exposure assessment, health outcomes, and potential confounding. Environmental health studies must report exposure characteristics, measurement conditions, and methods used to assess effects or health risks.

RESULTS – Present findings objectively and logically. Where relevant, include absolute and relative measures, effect sizes, confidence intervals, and statistical significance indicators. Text, figures, and tables must be mutually consistent.

DISCUSSION – Interpret principal findings, compare them with current relevant evidence, explain observed patterns, discuss scientific/practical implications, and disclose study limitations. Distinguish association from demonstrated causation. Results and Discussion may be combined where scientifically justified.

CONCLUSIONS – Base all conclusions directly on reported results and the stated objective; avoid claims beyond the evidence or study design.

6. Structure of Review and Analytical Articles

Review articles must include an introduction and rationale; a clearly stated objective or review question; an appropriate account of literature searches, selection, and analysis; a structured presentation of findings; critical evaluation of the evidence; review limitations; and conclusions.

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses must follow PRISMA recommendations; scoping reviews must follow PRISMA-ScR. For narrative reviews, justify literature selection and provide critical synthesis rather than a sequential description of individual publications. If a review protocol has been registered or published, specify the repository/registry and registration identifier or DOI.

7. International Research Reporting Standards

Authors are encouraged to follow applicable EQUATOR Network guidelines:

• STROBE – observational studies;

• CONSORT – randomized clinical trials;

• PRISMA – systematic reviews and meta-analyses;

• PRISMA-ScR – scoping reviews;

• STARD – diagnostic accuracy studies;

• CARE – case reports;

• COREQ – qualitative studies;

• ARRIVE – animal research;

• SAGER – appropriate consideration of sex and gender in research.

The Editorial Office may request a completed reporting checklist and other supplementary material needed to assess a manuscript.

8. Tables, Figures, and Statistical Reporting

Tables and figures must be consecutively numbered, have informative titles or captions, and explain abbreviations and measurement units. All tables and figures must be referred to in the text. Tables must be editable; figures must be suitable for high-quality publication. After initial submission, the Editorial Office may request separate JPG, PNG, or TIFF images if needed for production.

Previously published material may be reused only under applicable license conditions and with necessary permissions. Statistical methods must be appropriate to the study design and data type; where applicable, statistical significance claims must be supported by relevant quantitative indicators.

9. REFERENCES Formatting Requirements

Each manuscript must contain exactly ONE reference list headed REFERENCES. References must be in the Latin alphabet and follow the Vancouver style and National Library of Medicine (NLM) recommendations. A separate list following DSTU 8302:2015 must not be submitted.

1. Number references in the order of their first citation.

2. Use square-bracket citations: [1], [2, 3], [4–6].

3. Present all bibliographic entries in the Latin alphabet.

4. For Cyrillic sources, use correct transliteration or verified official English-language metadata.

5. Where necessary, provide an English translation of a non-English title in square brackets.

6. Identify the language of non-English sources.

7. Use NLM journal title abbreviations where officially available.

8. Give publication year, volume, issue, page range or article number as appropriate.

9. Where possible, abbreviate repeated digits in page ranges according to Vancouver conventions.

10. Provide every available DOI on a NEW LINE using https://doi.org/....

11. When no DOI exists, provide a verified URL and other required details for online sources.

12. Verify every DOI and URL against the actual cited source.

Fabricated sources, incorrect DOIs, and links to unrelated publications are prohibited. The journal imposes no universal quotas for foreign sources, references from the past five years, or total reference count irrespective of study type. Choose sources for reliability and scientific relevance. Dissertations, international organization documents, regulations, and preprints may be cited where scientifically justified and correctly described; identify the status of preprints.

Official NLM guidance: Citing Medicine – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK7256/

10. Authorship and Author Contributions

Authorship is determined under the four ICMJE criteria. Each author's contribution must be indicated using the CRediT taxonomy; CRediT complements but does not replace ICMJE authorship requirements. All authors must agree to submission, authorship order, and the final version.

Complete author information and individual CRediT contributions are included at the beginning of the SINGLE submitted manuscript file in an editorial information section. Editorial staff remove these details from the reviewer copy and restore them in the final published article after acceptance. No separate author contribution file is required.

11. Research Ethics

Studies involving human participants or animals must meet applicable legal and ethical standards. Where required, report ethics committee name, approval date and number, and informed consent. If approval or consent was not required or a waiver was granted, provide appropriate justification. Clinical trial manuscripts must identify the trial registry and registration number in accordance with applicable ICMJE recommendations. Confidential and personal data must not be disclosed to reviewers without a valid justification and appropriate protections.

12. Required Editorial Declarations

Relevant declarations must appear after the main article text and before REFERENCES.

FUNDING – Identify funding bodies, grants, and other targeted support, or provide a truthful statement that none was received.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST – Disclose actual and potential financial and non-financial conflicts, or state their absence.

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT – Mandatory for original research. Identify whether supporting data are available; provide storage information, repository DOI/URL or justified access conditions/restrictions. Public disclosure of personal, medical, or other confidential data is not required. See the journal's Research Data Availability Policy.

DECLARATION ON THE USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) – Declare whether generative AI was used. Where used, specify the tool, purpose, and nature of use. Describe research-method applications additionally in Materials and Methods. Authors remain fully accountable for content, data, references, and conclusions.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy – https://dovkil-zdorov.kiev.ua/journal/en/AI

ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS – Where applicable, indicate ethics approval, informed consent, or a justification explaining why the requirements do not apply.

AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS – Record each author's CRediT contributions in the editorial author-information section of the SAME manuscript file. The Editorial Office removes them from the anonymized reviewer copy and includes them in the final published version. A separate CRediT document is not required.

13. Preprints and Prior Dissemination

Manuscripts already available on scientific preprint servers are eligible for submission; a preprint alone does not constitute prior journal publication. Authors must disclose its DOI/URL and substantial updates. Authors may update their preprints according to repository rules and journal policies but must not disclose confidential reviewer reports, editorial correspondence, or reviewer personal data without appropriate authorization.

14. Manuscript Submission and Editorial Review

Initial submission is made through OJS using TWO documents: one manuscript file (including author information and CRediT contributions) and one Cover Letter. The Corresponding Author enters complete Ukrainian- and English-language metadata, identifies all authors, uploads both documents, and communicates with the editorial office.

Initial editorial screening assesses scope alignment, completeness of the manuscript and Cover Letter, scientific and methodological rigor, and compliance with research integrity and publication ethics. Manuscripts outside the journal's scope may be rejected without external peer review.

For manuscripts passing initial screening, the Editorial Office prepares and verifies an anonymized reviewer copy and sends it for independent double-blind peer review, normally by at least two independent experts. Reviewers receive no access to the original file containing author details.

Editorial outcomes: Accept; Minor Revision; Major Revision; Reject. After a revision request, authors submit a revised manuscript and a point-by-point Response to Reviewers. These are submitted at the revision stage, not as part of the two-document initial submission.

The final decision is made by the Editor-in-Chief or another authorized editor who has no conflict of interest.

Peer Review Process – https://dovkil-zdorov.kiev.ua/journal/en/peer_review_process

15. Copyright and Open Access

Authors retain copyright and grant the journal a non-exclusive right of first publication. Articles accepted for publication are distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license. Full copyright transfer to the Editorial Office is not required.

Licensing and Copyright – https://dovkil-zdorov.kiev.ua/journal/en/licensing_and_copyright

16. Article Processing Charges

Manuscript submission and independent scientific peer review require no advance payment. An APC is payable only after final acceptance. Standard rates, reduced rates, and waiver eligibility are specified in the journal's separate policies.

Article Processing Charges – https://dovkil-zdorov.kiev.ua/journal/en/article_processing_charge

Fee Waivers – https://dovkil-zdorov.kiev.ua/journal/en/exemption_from_charges

17. Templates and Contact Information

Use one of the official editable Word manuscript templates: Original Research Manuscript OR Review and Analytical Article Manuscript, together with the Cover Letter template. Upload only TWO files through OJS.

Authors must not submit a separate Title Page, separate author contribution form, or separate anonymized manuscript. The Editorial Office prepares the reviewer copy.

Manuscript Submission Templates – https://dovkil-zdorov.kiev.ua/journal/en/template

For submission enquiries: environ.and.health@health.gov.ua

Editorial Office Contact Information – https://dovkil-zdorov.kiev.ua/journal/en/editorial_contacts