Call for Papers: “Field Epidemiology: The Complex Science Behind Battling Acute Health Threats”

A Special Supplement to the International Journal of Infectious Diseases (IJID) in Honor of World Field Epidemiology Day

Note: The deadline for submissions has passed. Thank you for your submissions! We invite you to support this initiative by reading and sharing the published supplement in September 2021.
About World Field Epidemiology Day

The past year has brought unprecedented visibility to the work of field epidemiologists as the world has fought COVID-19, but this visibility has not always resulted in understanding the importance of field epidemiology, nor in the increased support needed to strengthen public health systems around the globe to better detect and respond to outbreaks.

Coordinated by TEPHINET, World Field Epidemiology Day is a global movement to recognize and raise awareness of the vital role of field epidemiologists in protecting the health of populations. The purpose of this movement is to advance global health security and to advocate for increased investment in field epidemiology training, research, and professionals. The first World Field Epidemiology Day will be celebrated on September 7, 2021.

About TEPHINET

Formed in 1997, Training Programs in Epidemiology and Public Health Interventions Network (TEPHINET) is a professional network of 75 Field Epidemiology Training Programs (FETPs) working across more than 100 countries. TEPHINET’s mission is to develop, connect, and mobilize a global field epidemiology workforce to strengthen public health systems and advance health security.

About the Supplement

The purpose of this supplement is threefold:

  1. To provide a venue for FETP fellows and graduates to publish their work;
  2. To raise awareness of field epidemiology’s unique methodologies; and
  3. To commemorate the first World Field Epidemiology Day.
Article Characteristics

As such, TEPHINET is seeking submissions of:

  • Outbreak investigations,
  • Evaluations of surveillance systems,
  • Original research articles, and
  • Articles describing innovations and new methodologies in field epidemiology.

Topics should include, but may not be limited to:

  • Infectious or Communicable Diseases: Food or waterborne diseases, vector-borne diseases, blood-borne diseases, sexually transmitted diseases, zoonoses, vaccine-preventable diseases, respiratory diseases, healthcare-acquired or nosocomial infections, antimicrobial resistance, or other infectious diseases.
  • Non-Infectious or Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs): Cancer, injuries, cardiovascular diseases, neurologic diseases, musculoskeletal diseases, dermatological conditions, disabilities (blindness, deafness, etc.), other NCDs.
  • Other Topics: Animal health, health information systems (including surveillance), technology innovations for health, program monitoring and evaluation, toxicology, mental health, environmental health including water and sanitation, maternal and child health, nutrition, reproductive health, occupational health, health promotion, health economics, one health, biosecurity and biosafety, planetary health, and climate change.
IMPORTANT: Pre-Submission Enquiries

If you are interested in submitting a manuscript for this supplement, please verify the suitability of your manuscript by sending a pre-submission enquiry. NOTE: The deadline for submissions has passed. Thank you for your submissions!

Guest Editors provided guidance on the scope of this collection and advised on commissioned content. However, they are not involved in editorial decision-making on papers submitted to this collection. All final editorial decisions are with the Editor-in-Chief.​

Important Dates
  • Deadline for pre-submission enquiries: January 11
  • Response from guest editor regarding suitability of your paper: January 15
  • Deadline to submit a full paper: March 1. We will be providing authors with more information on the submission portal once we have it ready.
  • Peer review start date: April 15
  • Supplement publication date: September 7
Journal Information

The International Journal of Infectious Diseases (IJID) is published monthly by the International Society for Infectious Diseases. IJID is a peer-reviewed, open access journal ranked 38/93 of Infectious Diseases Journals and with a 5-year impact factor of 3.315. The interest areas of the IJID are epidemiology, clinical diagnosis, treatment, and control of infectious diseases with particular emphasis placed on under-resourced countries.

The IJID typically charges an article processing fee for open access; this fee will be waived for all authors of this supplement (publishing an article with the Field Epidemiology Supplement will be free of charge for all authors).

Structuring and Formatting Your Article

Please read more about how to correctly structure and format your article for submission to the IJID here: https://www.ijidonline.com/content/authorinfo

Target Audience

Readers will be drawn from both the field epidemiology community and from the general public. Readers from the field epidemiology community will include FETP trainees/fellows and alumni, program support staff, and affiliates. FETP trainees and graduates have high levels of interest in reading outbreak investigations, evaluation of surveillance systems, original research articles, and reports on innovations and new methodologies in field epidemiology.

Other readers will include those from the broader fields of public health, health security, epidemiology, and adjacent fields. Additionally, this supplement is expected to be shared widely with the general public, and, as such, should be written in such a way to allow the content to be understood by a lay audience.