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Announcements

Preventing Chronic Disease Seeks Volunteers as Associate Editors and for Editorial Board and Statistics Review Committee

Announcement posted 3/07/24

Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD) is a peer-reviewed public health journal sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and authored by experts worldwide. The journal’s mission is to promote dialogue among researchers, practitioners, and policy makers on the integration and application of research findings and practical experience to address health disparities, advance health equity, and improve population health.

The journal seeks to expand its pool of public health experts by identifying volunteers to serve in 3 capacities: as Associate Editors and as members of its Editorial Board and Statistics Review Committee. A brief description of each volunteer’s role and responsibilities follows. Appointments range from 2 to 3 years. If you would like to volunteer, please submit a current resume to the Editor in Chief at pcdeditor@cdc.gov. Please identify only one volunteer group on which to serve. Resumes are due no later than Monday, March 25, 2024. Notices of selection will be announced on or before Monday, April 15, 2024.

Please visit our website for additional information on the journal (https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/index.htm).

Associate Editors
At PCD, each manuscript determined to be appropriate for peer review undergoes a rigorous review by one of our Associate Editors. These volunteers are independent public health experts who bring a wealth of training, experience, and expertise to the journal. They select manuscripts on the basis of their alignment with the journal’s vision and mission and their scientific and programmatic contributions to advancing the field of chronic disease prevention and control.

Editorial Board
PCD’s Editorial Board consists of a diverse group of independent leaders and experts with experience in various areas of public health research, evaluation, and practice. Board members advise the journal on its policies and identify appropriate and timely topics for publication. They may also serve as peer reviewers and as judges for the journal’s annual Student Paper Contest. In addition, the Editorial Board assists with identifying ways to disseminate the journal’s content throughout the world.

Statistics Review Committee
The goal of the Statistics Review Committee is to advance understanding and dissemination of statistical methods and testing in the public health field and to help practitioners apply statistical knowledge in controlling chronic disease and improving health across the life span. Committee members have training and expertise in statistics and biostatistics and assist the journal with assessing peer-reviewed articles to determine the appropriateness of research and evaluation questions, selection of the study sample, statistical tests used, and analysis of data based on research design, distribution of data, and type of variable under examination.

 

Call for Papers: Community Engagement and Population Health From Practice to Evaluation

Announcement posted 2/22/24

Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD) welcomes submissions for its upcoming collection, “Community Engagement and Population Health From Practice to Evaluation.” The burden of chronic disease continues to exact a tremendous impact on populations around the world. Health is shaped by many factors — psychological, physical, environmental, social, and economic — that cannot be improved by one or a few individuals, groups, and organizations. The complexity of what shapes health makes it important to establish and maintain community and the community’s engagement to increase supportive opportunities to improve health. Several terms and concepts over the years, such as community mobilization, community-based participatory research, and social engagement, have been used to describe the importance of different aspects of community engagement. Regardless of the terminology or concept, working collaboratively with communities to address factors affecting health is central to ameliorating persistent health challenges.

For this collection, PCD encourages submissions that reflect on how and where engagement has successfully occurred, including the populations engaged and geographical locations, types of partners involved, community engagement strategies used, and advances in measuring community engagement. PCD encourages the submission of manuscripts covering diverse topics using various article types. Please refer to the Types of Articles page on the journal’s website for specifications for each article type. PCD is seeking submissions on topics including but not limited to the following:

  • Commentaries on the evolution of community engagement: why it matters, theoretical underpinning, and application in diverse settings
  • Community engagement in data, analytics, and machine learning for chronic disease prevention and control
  • Factors that support and undermine effectiveness and impact of community health workers, champions, change agents, brokers, and/or navigators in community settings
  • Community engagement and artificial intelligence — benefits and risks
  • Innovative examples of how groups have engaged communities to design, implement, and evaluate public health interventions
  • Community and/or patient engagement to address health inequities
  • Building and sustaining community trust and engagement
  • System barriers and system solutions to community engagement
  • Systematic or scoping reviews exploring the use and effectiveness of community engagement in public health interventions
  • Methods and models of community engagement
  • Tools and instruments to measure community engagement
  • Measuring and evaluating community engagement efforts
  • Long-term models and strategies that help sustain community engagement over time beyond funded project periods

Submission Guidelines
Corresponding authors are required to submit an inquiry to the journal to determine suitability in advance of submitting a manuscript. PCD asks that only the corresponding author submit an inquiry to the journal for review. The corresponding author is the person who takes primary responsibility for communication with the journal during the submission, peer-review, and publication process if the manuscript is accepted. The corresponding author’s inquiry should include the following information:

  • Article title
  • Name of the corresponding author
  • Author name(s), degree(s), title(s), and affiliation(s)
  • PCD article type (visit https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/for_authors/types_of_articles.htm)
  • Has the article ever been submitted elsewhere for consideration? If yes, please indicate the name of the journal, the date of that journal’s final decision, and an explanation of the decision
  • Indicate that the inquiry is related to this Call for Papers
  • Abstract (300 words or less)

 

The deadline to submit an inquiry is April 26, 2024. Submit your inquiry to the Editor in Chief at PCDeditor@cdc.gov for consideration. PCD will provide feedback to the corresponding author about the journal’s interest in the proposed manuscript and guidance on what information is needed.

The deadline to receive your final manuscript is September 16, 2024.
If your inquiry is approved, your final manuscript will undergo internal review and external peer review. Manuscripts accepted for publication will be published on a rolling basis. Articles will be assembled into a PDF collection accessible on the PCD website after all accepted papers have been published. Cover letters to the Editor in Chief are required and must state that the submission is for consideration in the PCD collection, “Community Engagement and Population Health From Practice to Evaluation.”

About the Journal
PCD is a peer-reviewed public health journal published by CDC and authored by experts worldwide. PCD was established in 2004 by the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion with a mission to promote dialogue among researchers, practitioners, and policy makers worldwide on the integration and application of research findings and practical experience to improve population health. PCD has a current Impact Factor of 5.5 (2022) and is ranked 21st of 180 journals in Journal Citation Reports (JCR). For more information about the journal, please visit https://www.cdc.gov/pcd.

Call for Papers: Screen-Time Effects on Mental Health, Physical Activity, Nutrition, and Sleep Across the Lifespan

Announcement posted 2/22/24

Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD) welcomes submissions for its upcoming collection, “Screen-Time Effects on Mental Health, Physical Activity, Nutrition, and Sleep Across the Lifespan.” According to the Sedentary Behavior Research Network, screen time is defined as the amount of time spent engaging with screens — tablets, computers, or smart phones — while sitting, standing, or being physically active. Increased exposure to screen time has become an important public health concern for several reasons. Excessive screen-time exposure has been linked to poor health outcomes ranging from weight gain, physical inactivity, reduced sleep quality, poor body image perception, poor nutrition, and mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. Research indicates that the relationship between screen-time use and poor health outcomes exists among children through adulthood.

For this collection, PCD encourages the submission of manuscripts covering diverse topics using various article types. Please refer to the Types of Articles page on the journal’s website for specifications for each article type. PCD is seeking submissions on topics including but not limited to the following:

  • Epidemiological prevalence of excessive screen-time exposure on various health outcomes according to race, ethnicity, sex, geographical location, and level of education
  • Family-centered interventions to reduce excessive exposure to screen time among children, adolescents, and/or adults
  • Identification of signs indicating excessive screen time is occurring and strategies on prevention and early intervention strategies to eliminate excessive use
  • School system approaches to identify and reduce excessive screen-time exposure in school settings from elementary to high school
  • Clinical and health care interventions to treat excessive screen-time exposure among children, adolescents, young adults, adults, and/or older adults
  • Evidence-based strategies to prevent or reduce use towards improving mental health outcomes
  • The influence of social networks on excessive screen-time use and the role of social networks to address it
  • Clinical and/or public health interventions seeking to improve multiple health outcomes (eg, physical activity, nutrition, sleep quality, and/or mental health)
  • Strategies to disseminate and scale effective screen-time reduction interventions to increase diffusion to other settings and geographic locations
  • Strategies to sustain implementation of effective screen-time reduction interventions
  • Systematic reviews or scoping reviews examining the effectiveness of clinical, family-centered, or public health interventions related to the following:
    • Longitudinal impact of social media on mental health
    • Components of effective interventions to reduce screen time
    • Evidence-based interventions to reduce screen-time exposure to increase levels of physical activity, improve nutrition, and improve sleep quality

Submission Guidelines
Authors are required to submit an inquiry to the journal to determine suitability in advance of submitting a manuscript. PCD asks that only the corresponding author submit an inquiry to the journal for review. The corresponding author is the person who takes primary responsibility for communication with the journal during the submission, peer-review, and publication process if the manuscript is accepted. The corresponding author’s inquiry should include the following information:

  • Article title
  • Name of the corresponding author
  • Author name(s), degree(s), title(s), and affiliation(s)
  • PCD article type (visit https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/for_authors/types_of_articles.htm)
  • Has the article ever been submitted elsewhere for consideration? If yes, please indicate the name of the journal, the date of its final decision, and an explanation of the decision
  • Indicate that the inquiry is related to this Call for Papers
  • Abstract (300 words or less)

The deadline to submit an inquiry is May 24, 2024. Submit your inquiry to the Editor in Chief at PCDeditor@cdc.gov for consideration. PCD will provide feedback to the corresponding author about the journal’s interest in the proposed manuscript and guidance on what information is needed.

The deadline to receive your final manuscript is November 29, 2024.
If your inquiry is approved, your final manuscript will undergo internal review and external peer review. Manuscripts accepted for publication will be published on a rolling basis. Articles will be assembled into a PDF collection, accessible on the PCD website after all accepted papers have been published. Cover letters to the Editor in Chief are required and must state that the submission is for consideration in the PCD collection, “Screen-Time Effects on Mental Health, Physical Activity, Nutrition, and Sleep Across the Lifespan.”

About the Journal
PCD is a peer-reviewed public health journal published by CDC and authored by experts worldwide. PCD was established in 2004 by the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion with a mission to promote dialogue among researchers, practitioners, and policy makers worldwide on the integration and application of research findings and practical experience to improve population health. PCD has a current Impact Factor of 5.5 (2022) and is ranked 21st of 180 journals in Journal Citation Reports (JCR). For more information about the journal, please visit https://www.cdc.gov/pcd.

 

Call for Applicants: PCD Student Scientific Writing and Review Training Committee

Announcement posted 2/16/24

Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD) is committed to providing learning and practice opportunities for students ranging from high school to postdoctoral levels to not only build capacity to review published research and evaluation but also to generate scholarly publications capable of successfully completing the rigorous peer-review process. Students appointed to this committee are 1) exposed to cutting-edge research and evaluation from around the country; 2) taught how to carefully critique strengths and weaknesses of scientific research, evaluation, and practice; and 3) familiarized with a journal’s review processes in selecting manuscripts for publication.

PCD was pleased to launch its inaugural Student Scientific Writing and Review Training Committee last year. Based on the success of that inaugural year, the journal is now seeking applicants for its next class of students to be appointed to the committee.

Students must meet 2 criteria to be eligible:

  • Have a current academic mentor or advisor
  • Be a matriculating high school, undergraduate, master’s, doctoral, or postdoctoral student

PCD will appoint no more than 15 students to the committee. Committee appointments will run from October 7, 2024 – April 30, 2025. During that time, students will be required to attend 6 1-hour sessions related to scholarly writing, review, and publication. Upon successfully attending all sessions and submitting the required assignments during the appointment period, students will receive a Certificate of Completion.

Interested students should submit the following information to PCDEditor@cdc.gov no later than Friday, March 29, 2024:

  1. Cover letter with the following information:
  • Full name
  • Year of study
  • Description of health topics/areas of interest (and why)
  • Explanation of interest in the committee and what you hope to gain from participation
  • Confirmation that you will be able to commit to meeting the requirements as outlined above to successfully complete the training
  1. Current resume
  2. Name and contact information (email and phone number) of mentor or advisor
  3. Mentor/advisor statement of support (on letterhead and signature) for student (500 word or less)

 

 

 

PCD Celebrates 20th Anniversary in 2024

Announcement posted 12/19/23

Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD) is excited to celebrate 20 years of bringing you rigorous, timely, and relevant peer-reviewed chronic disease research. Over the past 2 decades, the journal has brought its diverse group of readers articles that have influenced policy changes, guided health care professionals in their fields of work, and informed the public on important chronic disease-related findings while offering actionable ways to make improvements in personal behaviors and foster community change. PCD is honored to be able to continue to provide its readers with articles that matter and help authors put their work into action.

PCD relies on the contribution of experts working in multiple fields who contribute their time and expertise to the journal as associate editors, editorial board members, Statistics Review Committee members, and most recently as members of the Student Scientific Writing and Review Training Committee. We look forward to recognizing these members, both past and present, and hearing what PCD has meant to them as part of our anniversary celebrations.

As we move into the new year, we will establish the “Dr. Lynne Wilcox Paper of the Year” honoring PCD’s founding editor. We look forward to announcing the winning paper in September 2024 and celebrating with a special ceremony. In addition, the journal will share the many transformations and successes it has seen and achieved over the past 2 decades, publish several important collections, including a special anniversary collection, and more. We hope you’ll join us here on our website and on our social media channels as we celebrate this milestone over the coming months.

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Call for Papers: PCD 2024 Student Paper Contest

Announcement posted 3/30/23

2024 student research paper

Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD) welcomes submissions from students at the high school, undergraduate, and graduate levels, recent postgraduates, and medical residents for PCD’s annual Student Paper Contest. PCD is interested in publishing papers relevant to the prevention, screening, surveillance, and population-based intervention of chronic diseases, including but not limited to arthritis, asthma, cancer, depression, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and COVID-19 and chronic conditions. The journal is also interested in research examining the role that social determinants exact on health, including the less explored determinant of racism.

PCD’s 5 primary goals for this publication opportunity are to:

  • Provide applicants with an opportunity to become familiar with a journal’s manuscript submission requirements and peer-review process;
  • Assist applicants to connect their knowledge and training on conducting quality research with a journal’s publication expectations;
  • Develop applicants’ research and scientific writing skills to become producers of knowledge in addition to consumers of knowledge;
  • Provide applicants with an opportunity to become first author on a peer-reviewed paper;
  • Promote supportive, respectful, and mutually beneficial author―mentor relationships that result in strengthening applicants’ ability to generate and submit future scholarly manuscripts.


Submission Requirements

PCD uses PCD ScholarOne Manuscripts for manuscript submission and tracking. Before submitting your manuscript, please read the instructions below in addition to the information provided on the PCD website under Manuscript Requirements.


Eligibility

  • Student applicants must be currently enrolled in a high school, undergraduate, or graduate degree program. Postgraduate applicants must have received their graduate degree within the past 12 months and be participating in a medical residency, postdoctoral fellowship, or similar training program under the supervision of a mentor, advisor, or principal investigator.
  • Applicants should meet the standard to serve as first author. The first author is the person who conducted or led the topic being presented and prepared the first draft of the manuscript. The first author must also ensure that all other authors meet the criteria for authorship.
  • Applicants and coauthors are expected to demonstrate the highest ethical standards in submitting scholarly work to the journal for consideration. Applicants and coauthors should become familiar with the journal’s Editorial Policy.
  • Applicants (not mentors) must serve as the corresponding author for manuscripts submitted in conjunction with the student research collection. No exceptions will be allowed.
  • Manuscripts must report on research done while in one of the qualifying student or postgraduate categories listed above.
  • The research must have been completed within the last 12 months.
  • Manuscripts must not be published previously or submitted elsewhere for publication.
  • Manuscripts must represent original research submitted as Original Research or GIS Snapshots article types. Other article types will not be considered. For a detailed explanation, see information on Original Research and GIS Snapshots articles on PCD’s Types of Articles page.
  • Students and recent postgraduates must submit a cover letter indicating their interest in being considered for the Student Paper Collection and the name and contact information of their advisor. The cover letter must also indicate current level of academic enrollment: high school, undergraduate, or graduate degree, or applicable postgraduate residency, fellowship, or other training program. In addition, applicants should address all routinely required disclosures in the cover letter. Learn more about general cover letter requirements on PCD’s How to Submit a Manuscript page.
  • Applicants must provide a letter of recommendation from their advisor confirming either the student’s enrollment in a degree program or the postgraduate candidate’s residency or fellowship. The advisor must confirm that the research was conducted while in training under the advisor’s supervision. The advisor’s letter must confirm that the applicant conceptualized the analysis and was the primary author of the manuscript. The advisor’s letter must also acknowledge that the advisor recognizes that no one other than the applicant can serve as corresponding author.
  • Applicants should submit the cover letter and advisor letter when they submit the manuscript.


Deadline

Manuscripts must be received electronically no later than 5:00 PM EST on Monday, March 25, 2024.


Manuscript Review Process

  • Not all manuscripts submitted for consideration will undergo peer review. The Editor in Chief will screen and determine which manuscripts advance to peer review. The decision to advance papers to peer review will be made based on fit, quality, and available human capital to handle submission volume.
  • Applicants and advisors must understand that the decision-making process to identify which manuscripts will advance through the various stages of review is a lengthy process. Therefore, applicants and advisors must have patience as the decision-making process moves through review stages.
  • An applicant receiving comments and suggestions on a manuscript does not mean the manuscript will be accepted for publication.
  • Applicants interested in getting a sense of where manuscripts are in the review process are encouraged to contact the journal. Such inquiries should come directly from the applicant serving as corresponding author.

 

Winners in each category will receive the following recognition:

  • Acknowledgment in the Editor in Chief’s collection editorial
  • Special promotion on the journal’s social media platforms
  • Accompanying podcast to discuss the paper
  • Potential selection as a peer reviewer to determine next year’s winner


Helpful Hints

Please be sure to visit the Author’s Corner section of PCD’s website for important information on what to avoid when developing the manuscript, tables, and figures. Students and mentors are encouraged to review previous collections of student papers, by visiting the PCD website at CDC – Preventing Chronic Disease: PCD Collections.

About the Journal

PCD is a peer-reviewed electronic journal established to provide a forum for researchers and practitioners in chronic disease prevention and health promotion. The journal is published weekly by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.

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The opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors’ affiliated institutions.