Skip to main content
Log in

Aims and scope

Occupational Health Science is a peer-reviewed journal dedicated to publishing leading edge scholarship on behavioral, social, and psychological aspects of occupational health. Occupational Health Science publishes papers that represent important empirical and/or theoretical contributions to understanding of phenomena related to worker safety, health, and well-being. The distinctive features of this journal include a multidisciplinary orientation, an international perspective, a translational/evidence-based practice focus, and a flexible approach that allows for both deductive and inductive approaches. Please note that the journal does not publish purely descriptive research and that all contributions should demonstrate how they extend prior literature on behavioral and social factors in the workplace.

As a multidisciplinary journal, Occupational Health Science publishes articles of interest to academics as well as practitioners in the fields of occupational health psychology, applied psychology, public health, industrial hygiene, occupational medicine, nursing, occupational safety, epidemiology, ergonomics, sociology, human resource management, organizational behavior, and economics.  

Occupational Health Science is open to a diverse array of submissions including:

·       Review Articles that provide quantitative (i.e., meta-analytic) or qualitative summaries of the state of the literature and critically assess gaps and issues in past research, thereby directing future research on topics related to occupational health.  Review articles will typically be approximately 9,000 words long.

 

·       Major Empirical Contributions that extend understanding of worker safety, health and well-being. These contributions will typically be 6,000-8,000 words long. Examples of include:

o   Theoretically-driven empirical investigations testing specific hypotheses.

o   Inductive research on occupational health phenomena where basic knowledge is needed as a foundation for future deductive hypothesis generation (these articles should clearly justify the need for an inductive approach).

o   Methods-focused articles devoted to the development and dissemination of innovative methods for collecting, analyzing, understanding, and interpreting occupational health-related data.  Examples include studies describing the development of new measures of occupational health constructs and articles describing/applying new techniques for gathering/analyzing scientific data.

o   Qualitative studies.

 

·       Brief Research Reports that offer new insights on occupational health topics, but with a narrower focus than major empirical contributions. Brief Research Reports will typically be approximately 3,000 words in length. Such studies typically have less emphasis on theory and can include replication studies aimed at accumulating evidence on previously studied topics. Prospective authors of replication studies are encouraged to consult with the editor prior to submitting their article.

 

·       Practitioner Reports that are aimed at improving the application of occupational health science to workplaces. Practitioner reports will typically be approximately 3,000 words in length. Article formats can include:

o   Intervention studies that provide data evaluating the effectiveness of occupational health interventions. Such studies can include either successful or unsuccessful interventions; in each case the study will be evaluated primarily on its contribution to occupational health practice (although interventions should still maintain sufficient scientific rigor to support their conclusions).

o   Review of evidence-based recommendations for professional practice such as the description of an intervention program in practice or that illustrate current usage patterns of various stress-management techniques or family supportive programs.

 

·       Alternate Formats. Occupational Health Science will be open to proposals for alternate formats of submissions (prospective authors should consult with the editor before submitting such articles). Alternate format articles will typically be 6,000-8,000 words although shorter and longer submissions will be considered as appropriate to the aims of the contribution (authors are encouraged to contact the editor with inquiries). Examples of alternate format articles could include:

o   Dialogues/Debates over contemporary theoretical/practical/methodological issues.

o   Discussion of issues related to the improvement of training and education in occupational health science.

o   Special issues consisting of multiple articles sharing a common theme.

 

Navigation