Welcome to the Health Sciences Investigations Journal
Health Sciences Investigation (HSI) Journal is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal dedicated to disseminating research findings in the health sciences. The HSI Journal is published by the University of Ghana College of Health Sciences.
Aim
Our aim is to advance knowledge in health-related sciences and promote equitable access to scientific reporting, particularly for researchers in resource-limited settings.
Mission
Our mission is to serve as a premier journal for advancing high-quality reporting of health and allied health sciences research in resource-limited settings and globally. We publish peer-reviewed research findings and policy analyses that impact local populations and inform the global scientific community.
Licensing
- Certified name: Health Sciences Investigations Journal
- Abbreviation: HSI Journal
- Electronic ISSN: 2704-4890 (ONLINE)
- Print ISSN: 2720-7609 (PRINT)
- Website: www.hsijournal.edu.gh
- Language of Publication: British English
Journal Address:
- Office: University of Ghana College of Health Sciences, Charles Easmon Building, 2nd floor, Room 29, P.O Box k52, Korle-Bu, Accra, Ghana.
- Contact email: hsijournal@ug.edu.gh
- Contact numbers (Phone/WhatsApp):
- Yvonne Okantey: +233 0244156175
- Amin Agongo: +233 558005106
Frequency of publication:
The HSI journal provides online first publications (E-Publication FirstTM).
All accepted papers are published online soon after completion of the peer-review and editorial processes. All published articles are subsequently compiled in final printed editions that are produced in volumes in the course of the reference year.
To Advertise
To advertise or reproduce content in HSI Journal, please send an email hsijournal@ug.edu.gh.
All content is published by the University of Ghana on behalf of the College of Health Sciences, for the Health Science Investigations Journal.
All rights reserved. The HSI Journal acknowledges support provided by the University of Ghana Office for Research and Development (ORID).
Publication Scope
The HSI Journal welcomes submissions across a broad range of health sciences disciplines, including medical sciences, pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences, nursing, physical therapy, medical laboratory science, environmental and occupational health, public health, medical imaging and radiation sciences, and related fields. We publish diverse manuscript types ranging from original research articles and protocols to evidence syntheses, including systematic, scoping, and narrative reviews. Additionally, we accept case reports, medical images, brief communications, commentaries, and letters to the editor. Beyond standard issues, the Journal publishes special supplements and Books of Abstracts from scientific symposia. Authors may consult the Journal’s Article Types [insert URL] page for detailed descriptions of submission categories and requirements. Authors interested in proposing special issues or additional publication lines are encouraged to contact the editorial office at hsijournal.ug.edu.gh.
Publishing Model
The Journal operates a fully open access publishing model in accordance with the international standards set by the Budapest, Bethesda, and Berlin Declarations on Open Access,. All articles are freely available immediately upon publication without subscription or access barriers. Content is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, including for commercial purposes, provided the original work is properly cited. The Journal charges an Article Processing Charge (APC) to support the costs of editorial processing and publication; details are available on the Journal’s APC page [insert URL].
Waiver Policy
The Journal is committed to equitable access to scientific reporting through its APC waiver programme [insert URL].
Submissions and Publication Process
We invite authors to submit manuscripts exclusively through our online submission system. Please use the Login tab [insert URL] available on the journal's homepage at hsijournal.ug.edu.gh to access the system. All submissions must represent original work that has not been previously published and is not simultaneously under consideration by any other journal.
- We invite authors to submit manuscripts exclusively through our online submission system. Please use the Login tab [insert URL] available on the journal's homepage at hsijournal.ug.edu.gh to access the system. All submissions must represent original work that has not been previously published and is not simultaneously under consideration by any other journal.
i. Editorial Assessment and Peer Review. Once a manuscript is submitted, it immediately enters the editorial workflow.
- Initial Check: The Editorial Office first screens the manuscript for relevance, completeness, and adherence to journal guidelines.
- Peer Review: Submissions that pass the initial check are sent for a peer-review process. At least two independent experts evaluate the scientific quality, originality, and clarity of the work.
- Revision: Based on the reviewers' reports, the Editor-in-Chief issues a decision (Accept, Reject, or Revise). If a revision is requested, authors must comprehensively address all reviewer comments. This includes providing a detailed point-by-point response to every concern raised, which must be uploaded alongside the revised manuscript within the specified timeframe.
ii. Acceptance, Licensing, and Production: Revised manuscripts are re-evaluated by the reviewers — and, when necessary, by editors — to ensure that all concerns have been satisfactorily addressed.
- Acceptance: After final approval by the Editorial Board, the Editor-in-Chief issues an official acceptance letter.
- APC Invoicing: Following acceptance, an invoice for the Article Processing Charge will be issued to the corresponding author.
- Copyediting and Proofing: The manuscript proceeds to copyediting and typesetting. Authors receive proofs for final review before online publication.
iii. Final Publication and Archiving: Once proofreading is completed and all final revisions have been incorporated, the manuscript is moved to the publication queue. Please note that APC payment must be completed or a waiver granted before the article is officially published.
- Online First: The article is published online as an 'Online First' article, maximizing its visibility and timely dissemination.
- Tracking: Authors can monitor the current stage of their submission, including peer review status and editorial decisions, directly through their user account platform on the HSI Journal website.
- Digital Object Identifier (DOI® number): Each paper published in HSI Journal is assigned a DOI® number (from CrossRef® ) which appears alongside the citation reference for that article. The DOI is a string of numbers, letters and symbols used to permanently identify an article or document and link to it on the web.
- Published articles are assigned to specific Volumes and Issues. The Journal publishes two Issues per Volume with multiple Volumes completed annually. Each issue is compiled into a printed edition during the calendar year.
iv. After Publication: The HSI Journal hosts all published manuscripts online and deposits its archives with affiliated research databases, to ensure that published research remains readily accessible and citable by the global scientific community.
Advertisements
To advertise or reproduce content in HSI Journal, please send an email hsijournal@ug.edu.gh. Print Subscriptions & Offprints
While all articles are freely available online under Open Access, printed copies of the Journal may be requested by Volume or Issue. Applicable postage charges apply, with freight costs added for deliveries outside Ghana. For print orders and offprints, please contact the Journal office at hsijournal@ug.edu.gh.
Article Processing Charges (APC)
The HSI Journal operates under a Gold Open Access publishing model, which ensures that all published articles are freely and immediately available to readers worldwide without subscription barriers. To sustain this model (covering costs such as digital hosting, manuscript submission and tracking systems, copyediting, typesetting, DOI registration, plagiarism screening, editorial management, and long-term archiving) the Journal applies a standard APC of USD 300 for all accepted manuscripts. This fee is default for every accepted submission, regardless of the author's geographic location or institutional affiliation. It is charged only after a manuscript has been accepted following peer review, and editorial decisions are made independently of an author's ability to pay. The APC invoice is issued to the corresponding author upon acceptance and must be settled before the article is officially published online. However, in alignment with the Journal’s commitment to inclusivity and equitable access, we provide a waiver programme [insert URL] to support authors from diverse financial backgrounds and institutional affiliations.