Promoting Health, Protecting the Environment, Advancing Justice and Sustainability in Africa
The Africa Journal of Health and Environmental Law (AJHEL) welcomes original, rigorous and high-quality scholarly contributions addressing contemporary issues at the intersection of health, environmental protection, law, human rights, public policy and sustainable development in Africa.
AJHEL provides a scholarly platform for academics, legal practitioners, researchers, health professionals, environmental experts, policymakers and development specialists.
AJHEL welcomes:
Original Research Articles
Doctrinal and Legal Analysis
Empirical Research Articles
Comparative Legal Studies
Policy and Regulatory Analysis
Interdisciplinary Research
Systematic and Scholarly Reviews
Case Commentaries
Legislative Commentaries
Policy and Practice Papers
Short Research Communications
Scholarly Book Reviews
Manuscripts submitted to AJHEL must be original and must not have been previously published in substantially the same form.
Manuscripts must not be simultaneously under consideration by another journal or publication.
Authors must disclose any previous or forthcoming publication that substantially overlaps with the submitted manuscript.
Standard research articles should generally contain 5,000–8,000 words, excluding references, tables, figures and appendices.
The Editorial Board may consider longer manuscripts where additional length is justified by the subject matter.
Shorter contributions may be accepted for commentaries, case notes, policy papers and other designated categories.
Manuscripts should comply with the following:
Paper size: A4
Font: Times New Roman
Font size: 12 pt
Line spacing: 1.5
Alignment: Justified
Margins: 1 inch on all sides
File format: Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx)
Page numbering: Consecutive Arabic numerals
Tables and figures: Numbered consecutively
Table/figure titles: Clearly stated
Language: English
Authors should maintain consistent formatting throughout the manuscript.
The title page should contain:
Full title of the manuscript
Full name of each author
Institutional affiliation
Department, faculty or unit
Country
ORCID iD, where available
Email address of the corresponding author
Corresponding author's contact information
The title should be concise, informative and accurately reflect the subject of the manuscript.
Research articles should contain an abstract of approximately 150–250 words.
The abstract should briefly present:
Background
Research problem
Purpose/objectives
Methodology or research approach
Principal findings
Conclusion
Major contribution or implication
The abstract should be understandable independently of the main manuscript.
Authors should provide 4–8 keywords immediately after the abstract.
Example:
Health law; environmental law; environmental justice; public health; human rights; climate change; sustainable development; Africa.
Depending on the type of manuscript, authors may use the following structure:
Establishes the research problem, background, objectives, research questions and significance.
Critically examines relevant existing scholarship and identifies gaps addressed by the research.
Presents relevant legal principles, theories, legislation, policies, conceptual models or regulatory frameworks.
For empirical and interdisciplinary studies, describes research design, population, sampling, data sources, data collection, analytical methods and ethical procedures.
Presents the principal research findings clearly and systematically.
Interprets the findings in relation to existing literature, legal frameworks, health systems, environmental realities and African contexts.
Summarises the major findings and their scholarly significance.
Where appropriate, provides practical recommendations for legislation, regulation, health systems, environmental governance, policy and future research.
Lists all sources cited in the manuscript.
Legal and doctrinal articles may adopt an alternative structure appropriate to the nature of the research.
Research involving health, medicine, patients, healthcare systems or public health should provide sufficient information about:
Research design
Study population
Sampling procedures
Data sources
Data collection
Analytical methods
Ethical approval
Informed consent, where applicable
Confidentiality
Data protection
Study limitations
Authors must ensure that personal health information is appropriately protected.
Environmental research should, where applicable, identify:
Study area
Environmental indicators
Data sources
Sampling procedures
Measurement techniques
Analytical methods
Relevant environmental legislation
Environmental permits or approvals where required
Ethical and environmental considerations
Study limitations
Authors should ensure that environmental research is conducted in accordance with applicable laws and institutional requirements.
Legal scholarship should accurately reference relevant:
Constitutions
Legislation
Regulations
Judicial decisions
Treaties
International conventions
African Union instruments
Regional instruments
Government policies
Regulatory decisions
International legal frameworks
Authors should clearly identify the jurisdiction and legal context of cited authorities.
AJHEL particularly welcomes research examining:
Right to health
Right to a clean and healthy environment
Environmental justice
Health inequalities
Social justice
Vulnerable populations
Indigenous communities
Children's rights
Gender and environmental justice
Access to essential services
Participation in environmental decision-making
Where relevant, authors should engage with both African and international human-rights frameworks.
AJHEL places African realities at the centre of its scholarly mission.
Authors are encouraged to engage with:
African national legal systems
African Union frameworks
Regional economic communities
African courts and tribunals
National health systems
Environmental institutions
Local communities
Indigenous peoples
African public-health challenges
Environmental and climate realities
Socioeconomic conditions
Comparative research across African countries is particularly welcome.
Tables and figures should be used where they contribute meaningfully to the presentation of the research.
Each table or figure should:
Be numbered consecutively;
Have a clear title;
Be referred to in the manuscript;
Identify its source where applicable; and
Be sufficiently clear for publication.
Authors are responsible for obtaining permission where copyrighted material is reproduced.
AJHEL generally recommends APA 7th edition for interdisciplinary and empirical research.
Recognised legal citation systems may be used where appropriate for legal and doctrinal scholarship.
Authors should:
Cite all sources accurately;
Ensure that every cited source appears in the reference list;
Ensure that every reference listed is cited in the manuscript;
Provide DOI information where available; and
Use authoritative sources for legislation, cases, regulations and official documents.
Authors should engage with relevant contemporary scholarship, particularly in rapidly changing areas such as:
Climate change
Public-health emergencies
Pandemic governance
Environmental health
Healthcare regulation
Pharmaceutical regulation
Environmental justice
Sustainable development
Health technologies
Emerging environmental regulation
Foundational theories, landmark cases, major legislation and seminal scholarship should also be included where relevant.
Research involving human participants, patients, personal health information, interviews, surveys or vulnerable populations must comply with applicable ethical requirements.
Where required, authors should provide information concerning:
Ethical approval
Informed consent
Participant confidentiality
Anonymisation
Data protection
Institutional approval
Relevant national ethical requirements
AJHEL may request evidence of ethical approval where appropriate.
Authors should disclose financial support received for the research.
The disclosure should identify the funding organisation and, where applicable, the grant or project number.
Where no external funding was received, authors may state:
"This research received no external funding."
Authors must disclose any financial, professional, institutional or personal relationship that could influence the research or its interpretation.
Where no conflict exists, authors may state:
"The authors declare no conflict of interest."
Where appropriate, authors should provide information concerning the availability of:
Research datasets
Research instruments
Analytical procedures
Software or code
Supporting materials
Data involving patients, human participants, confidential information or protected environmental resources must only be shared where legally and ethically permissible.
Authors may use generative AI responsibly for appropriate research-support purposes, subject to AJHEL's Generative AI Policy.
AI systems cannot be listed as authors.
Authors remain responsible for verifying all:
Medical claims
Environmental claims
Legal authorities
References
Data
Statistical results
Research findings
Substantive AI use should be disclosed where required by the Journal's policy.
AJHEL maintains strict standards against plagiarism and academic misconduct.
Submitted manuscripts may undergo originality screening.
Authors must properly acknowledge:
Direct quotations
Ideas
Arguments
Data
Research findings
Figures
Tables
Other intellectual contributions
The use of AI to disguise copied material or evade originality checks is prohibited.
Authors should have made substantive intellectual contributions to the research and manuscript.
All authors should:
Approve the final manuscript;
Agree to submission;
Accept responsibility for their contributions; and
Disclose relevant conflicts.
Gift, honorary and guest authorship are discouraged.
The corresponding author is responsible for communication with the Editorial Office and should ensure that:
All authors approve the manuscript;
Author details are accurate;
Required declarations are provided;
Reviewer comments are communicated to co-authors; and
The final version is approved before publication.
Before submission, authors should confirm:
The manuscript is original.
The manuscript falls within AJHEL's scope.
The manuscript is not under consideration elsewhere.
All authors have approved the submission.
The title is appropriate.
The abstract is included.
Keywords are provided.
The manuscript follows the required formatting.
Tables and figures are properly labelled.
All sources are correctly cited.
References are complete.
DOI information is included where available.
Ethical approval is disclosed where applicable.
Funding is disclosed.
Conflicts of interest are disclosed.
AI use is disclosed where applicable.
The manuscript meets AJHEL's originality requirements.
Manuscripts should be submitted through AJHEL's designated submission platform or official editorial submission channel.
Authors should ensure that manuscripts are professionally prepared and comply with these guidelines before submission.
The Editorial Board reserves the right to:
Reject manuscripts outside the Journal's scope;
Return manuscripts that do not meet submission requirements;
Request revisions;
Determine article categories;
Make appropriate editorial and formatting adjustments; and
Withdraw manuscripts where serious ethical or publication concerns arise.
Africa Journal of Health and Environmental Law (AJHEL)
Published by Prime Crest Publishers
Promoting Health, Protecting the Environment, Advancing Justice and Sustainability in Africa
Africa Journal of Health and Environmental Law (AJHEL) | ISSN: XXXX-XXXX | © PrimeCrest Publisher
Email: primecrestpublisher@gmail.com
AJHEL is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.