AFT Health Care Peer Review Board Application

AFT Health Care publishes the highest quality research and ideas related to healthcare, public health, and the social, economic, and environmental factors that affect individuals’ and communities’ health and well-being. A biannual peer-reviewed journal, AFT Health Care is committed to advancing equity and promoting wellness.

We invite articles on a wide range of topics; for details on topics and types of articles, please see our submission guidelines.

The peer reviewer’s role

To accomplish our goal of publishing the highest-quality research and ideas in our field, we rely on professionals like you to serve as peer reviewers. Our peer reviewers greatly contribute to AFT Health Care by ensuring that it is engaging and useful for our membership and our readers.

Becoming a peer reviewer is a competitive process. We are seeking professionals with relevant experience and expertise to guide our manuscript selection and editing processes. Although we provide a feedback form with several detailed questions to guide your review, it is still a challenging task. Only strong submissions that are being seriously considered for publication are sent for review, so the task requires a careful critique and a dedication to helping authors improve their manuscripts.

Reviewers are asked to comment on a submission’s suitability for the journal, the research base, and other strengths and areas for improvement, including making a recommendation on whether the article should be published. While final determinations about publication are made by AFT Health Care editors, peer reviewers’ recommendations play a significant role in the decision process.

Serving as a peer reviewer is rewarding. Your expertise and experience help determine which submissions are published and then enhance those that are selected. Ultimately, your review influences the extent to which the journal enriches the field.

Becoming a peer reviewer

To apply to be a peer reviewer, please send your resume or CV and a cover letter to hc@aft.org with the subject line “Peer Review.” If you have written for healthcare professionals, please also send a sample (preferably a journal article).

Your cover letter should identify your areas of expertise and explain why you want to be a reviewer. It should also describe your relevant experience, including specific examples showing how your experience has helped you build your areas of expertise. Some examples of what that might look like for you:

• Publishing articles on racial disparities in prenatal counseling and how to improve maternal mortality rates in the United States
• Working as a nurse in a Level I Trauma Center for the last five years
• Partnering with a local organization to promote nutrition education programs and outreach in your community
• Leading or contributing to the development of professional learning opportunities for your colleagues
• Advocating for the safety and well-being of home health providers, nursing home aides, and other vulnerable healthcare workers
• Developing local, state, or federal policies that focus on building health through investments in safe housing, access to healthy food, clean drinking water, and a living wage

Selected applications will be sent the peer review form and a sample article to review. We will also request additional information about schedule and availability.

Serving as a peer reviewer

You will be invited to evaluate articles periodically, in accordance with your areas of expertise and availability. Upon accepting an article for review, you’ll be expected to return the article with feedback by the stated deadline, typically within two to four weeks. Our review process is anonymized—neither author(s) nor reviewers are identified to one another.