Submissions

Author Guidelines

These guidelines provide essential information for preparing and submitting manuscripts to the African Journal of Digital Health and Artificial Intelligence (AJDHAI). Please read them carefully before submission to ensure your manuscript meets all journal requirements.

a) Article Types

AJDHAI welcomes submissions within its broad scope at the intersection of digital health and AI in Africa. Please ensure your manuscript aligns with the published Aims and Scope.

The journal considers the following article types:

• Original Research Article: Full-length reports of original, completed research (3,000–6,000 words, excluding abstract and references).
• Review Article: Comprehensive, systematic, or scoping reviews of the literature on a defined topic (4,000–8,000 words).
• Short Communication / Brief Report: Concise articles on preliminary findings, new methods, or small-scale studies (1,500–2,500 words).
• Case Study / Field Report: Detailed analysis of a specific project, implementation, or innovation, emphasizing lessons learned (2,000–4,000 words).
• Perspective / Commentary: Opinion pieces on current trends, policies, or debates (1,500–3,000 words).
• Letter to the Editor: Short comments on articles recently published in AJDHAI (500–1,000 words).

b) Manuscript Preparation

All manuscripts must be written in clear, concise English (British or American style is acceptable, but must be consistent). Submissions should be prepared as a single Microsoft Word (.docx) file.

General Formatting:

• Font: 12-point, Georgia.
• Spacing: 1.5-spaced throughout.
• Margins: 2.5 cm (1 inch) on all sides.
• Page Numbers: Number all pages consecutively in the bottom right corner.
• Line Numbers: Include continuous line numbers for ease of review.

Manuscript Structure:

The required components vary by article type. Below is the structure for an Original Research Article:

1. Title Page (A separate file for blinded review):
• Concise and informative title.
• Full names, institutional affiliations, and email addresses for all authors.
• Name, postal address, and email of the corresponding author.
• A list of 4-6 keywords.
2. Blinded Manuscript File (For peer review, with no author details):
   • Introduction: State the problem, context, and research objectives/hypotheses.
   • Methods: Describe study design, setting, participants, data collection, and analysis in sufficient detail to permit replication. Include an ethical approval statement and registration number if applicable.
   • Results: Present findings logically, using tables and figures as necessary. Do not duplicate data in text and visuals.
   • Discussion: Interpret results, discuss implications in the African context, acknowledge limitations, and suggest future work.
   • Conclusion: Provide a clear summary of the main takeaway message.
• Title
• Structured Abstract (250 words): For research articles, use the headings: Background, Methods, Results, Conclusion.
• Main Text: Should generally follow the IMRaD structure:
• References
• Figure and Table Captions (placed at the end of the manuscript file; figures and tables themselves should be uploaded as separate files).

c) Essential Supplementary Files and Statements

The following must be completed and uploaded during submission:

• Cover Letter: Briefly stating the novelty, significance of the work, and confirming it is not under consideration elsewhere.
• Author Contribution Statement: Using the CRediT taxonomy (e.g., Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing – Original Draft).
• Data Availability Statement: Declaring where the data supporting results can be found (e.g., repository name and link, or "Available upon reasonable request").
• Funding Statement: Listing all sources of financial support.
• Competing Interests Declaration: All authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest. State "The authors declare no competing interests" if applicable.
• Ethics Approval Statement (for studies involving humans or animals): Must include the name of the ethics committee and approval number.

d) References Format

AJDHAI uses the Vancouver (numbered) citation style.

• In-text: Cite references with consecutive superscript Arabic numerals.
• Reference List: Number references in the order they first appear in the text. Format examples:
• Journal Article: Author(s). Title. Journal Abbreviation. Year; Volume(Issue): Page range. DOI.

1. Mwangi P, Adebayo O. A deep learning model for detecting diabetic retinopathy in low-resource clinics. Afr J Digit Health AI. 2023;1(2):45-58. doi:10.xxxx/xxxxxx

• Book: Author(s). Book Title. Edition (if not first). Publisher; Year.
• Website: Author(s) (if any). Page Title. Website Name. URL. Published [Date]. Accessed [Date].

e) Figures and Tables

• Figures: Should be clear, high-resolution (minimum 300 DPI) files (.jpg, .png, .tiff). Charts and graphs should be editable (preferably submitted as Excel or PowerPoint originals in addition to high-res images). They must be cited in the text in numerical order (Fig. 1, Fig. 2).
• Tables: Should be created using the Word table function, placed at the end of the manuscript file after the captions. They must be cited in the text in numerical order (Table 1, Table 2).

f) Submission and Peer Review Process

1. Online Submission: All manuscripts must be submitted via the AJDHAI online submission system on the journal website.
2. Initial Checks: Submissions undergo checks for completeness, formatting, and scope.
3. Peer Review: Manuscripts passing initial checks enter double-anonymized peer review by at least two independent experts.
4. Decision: Authors will be notified of the decision (Accept, Minor/Major Revision, Reject) along with reviewer comments.
5. Revisions: For "revise" decisions, authors must submit a point-by-point response to reviewers and a revised manuscript with changes highlighted.
6. Acceptance and Production: Upon final acceptance, manuscripts are copyedited, typeset, and proofs are sent to the corresponding author for approval before publication.

g) Open Access, Copyright, and Charges

• License: All published articles are distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.
• Article Processing Charge (APC): To support open access publishing, an APC is levied upon acceptance. A full or partial waiver policy is available for authors with genuine financial constraints, particularly those based at African institutions without funding. Requests can be made during submission.
• Copyright: Authors retain copyright and grant the journal a license to publish.

h) Post-Acceptance and Correspondence

• Proofs: The corresponding author will receive a PDF proof for final approval. Only typographical errors may be corrected at this stage.
• Correspondence: All correspondence should be directed to the Editorial Office at: editorial.ajdhai@helina.africa