LGBT Health is the premier peer-reviewed journal dedicated to promoting optimal healthcare for millions of sexual and gender minority persons worldwide by focusing specifically on health while maintaining sufficient breadth to encompass the full range of relevant biopsychosocial and health policy issues. This Journal aims to promote greater awareness of the health concerns particular to each sexual minority population, and to improve availability and delivery of culturally appropriate healthcare services. LGBT Healthalso encourages further research and increased funding in this critical but currently underserved domain. The Journal provides a much-needed authoritative source and international forum in all areas pertinent to LGBT health and healthcare services. Contributions from all continents are solicited including Asia and Africa which are currently underrepresented in sex research.
LGBT Healthfacilitates and supports the efforts of researchers, clinicians, academics, and policymakers to work toward improved health status and healthcare delivery for all segments of the LGBT community and other sexual or gender minorities. Spanning a broad array of disciplines, the Journal brings together the research, clinical, and health advocacy communities to overcome barriers to healthcare and other current challenges, as well as to expand options for treatment and prevention.
LGBT Health coverage includes:
Health concerns of individual sexual and gender minority populations
Health concerns as impacted by age, race, ethnicity, religion, nationality and geographical region
Health issues in intersex conditions and disorders of sex development
Transgender-specific health issues, including those of transgender children and adolescents
Mental and physical health impact of stigmatization
Healthcare disparities and barriers to care related to sexual and gender minority status
Reproductive health and assisted reproduction
Lifecycle development and aging in sexual and gender minority populations
HIV/AIDS, STDs, at-risk LGBT youth, and risk factors
HIV/AIDS, and other chronic illness
Screening programs and disease prevention
Family concerns involving sexually and gender variant children
Parenting by gender and sexual minority individuals
Best practices and guidelines
Model programs
Professional training and education of physical and mental healthcare providers
Public health policy, healthcare and insurance reform
The Journal publishes original research, reviews, clinical reports, legal and policy perspectives in all of the areas identified above, and select book reviews.
LGBT Healthis under the editorial leadership of Editor-in-Chief William Byne, MD, PHD, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY and other leading researchers. View the entire editorial board.
Audience: All healthcare providers and researchers with an interest in sexual minority health as well as policy makers and advocates for parity in healthcare for sexual minorities. This includes physicians and physician assistants of all disciplines, nurses and nurse practitioners, social workers and psychologists as well as researchers in any relevant area of the health sciences, including basic, translational and clinical studies; population studies; social sciences and medical anthropology.
Watch an important video message from Editor-in-Chief William Byne, MD, PhD:
Please read all the instructions to authors before submitting.
LGBT Health is the quarterly peer-reviewed journal dedicated to promoting optimal healthcare for sexual and gender minority persons worldwide by identifying best practices and removing barriers to care. While focusing narrowly on LGBT health, the Journal maintains sufficient breadth to encompass the full range of biopsychosocial and health policy matters relevant to each sexual and gender minority population under the LGBT umbrella. The Journal provides a much-needed authoritative source and international forum in all areas pertinent to LGBT health and healthcare services. Contributions from all continents are solicited including regions which are currently underrepresented in sexual and gender minority research.
LGBT Healthpublishes original research, reviews, clinical reports, and perspectives in all of the areas identified above, as well select book reviews and letters to the editor.
All articles are peer-reviewed unless otherwise noted. Submissions should not exceed the limits for text, figures/tables, and references listed below.
Original Articles
Original Articles present original quantitative or qualitative basic science, clinical, or psychosocial research.
Original Articles should include the following components:
Title page
Structured Abstract: Purpose; Methods; Results; Conclusion (250 word limit).
Text: Introduction; Methods; Results; Discussion; Conclusion (3000 word limit).
References: Maximum of 100 references.
Figure Legends
Tables and Figures: A maximum of 8 total figures and/or tables is permitted.
Review Articles
Review articles systematically review and analyze recent literature in an area of particular salience to the health of any sexual or gender minority group.
Review articles should include the following components:
Title page
Abstract: Structured headings are not essential (250 word limit).
Text: Introduction; Methods; Results; Discussion; Conclusion (4500 word limit). Details on the study selection and inclusion process and on the participants in each selected study should be included.
References: Maximum of 250 references.
Figure Legends
Tables and Figures: A maximum of 10 total figures and/or tables is permitted.
Short Reports
Clinical reports, case series, particularly promising preliminary findings, or other research findings that are not suitable for a full Original Article.
Short Reports should include the following components:
Title Page
Abstract: Structured headings (Purpose; Methods; Results; Conclusion) are ONLY required for original research (100 word limit).
Text: An Introduction and a brief Conclusion are mandatory for all articles. If the report is presenting original research, Methods, Results, and a Discussion are also required (2000 word limit). Include a concise literature review and a brief overview of the study and sufficient details on the study's methods and analysis.
References: Maximum of 25 references.
Figure Legends
Tables and Figures: A maximum of 3 total figures and/or tables is permitted.
Perspectives
Perspectives present opinions and insights on a current topic, describe novel hypotheses, or consider controversial issues, including legal, policy, and ethical issues. These articles may provide critical commentary on recent advances and future directions and discuss implications for clinical practice or public health. The perspective and points in the article should be supported by relevant literature.
Perspectives should include the following components:
Title page
Abstract: Structured headings are not required (100 word limit)
Text: Introduction and a Conclusion are mandatory (1500 word limit).
References: Maximum of 25 references.
Figure Legends
Tables and Figures: A maximum of 3 total figures and/or tables is permitted.
Book Reviews
Short reviews of particularly salient books in the field with direct bearing on LGBT health will be considered. Limit 1,000 words. No abstract, figures, or tables. Include book title being reviewed, author and/or editors, publisher information, ISBN number, and number of pages.
Letters to the Editor
Comments on recently published LGBTHealth articles (not peer reviewed).
Letters to the Editor should include the following components:
Title Page: Include a short title related to, but distinct from, the published article being addressed; No running head or keywords.
Text: 500 word limit.
References: Maximum of 5 references, one of which must be the LGBT Health article being discussed.
Figure Legends
Tables and Figures: A maximum of 1 total figure and/or table may be included.
Special Note: The Editors may choose to invite the authors to submit a response to the Letter.
ONLINE MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION
All manuscript files must be uploaded to http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/lgbt Do not submit the manuscript or any of its components in PDF format. All authors on a submitted manuscript must have a Manuscript Central account.
Keywords
To facilitate the peer review process, select 4-6 keywords from the drop-down list when submitting your manuscript.
Suggested Reviewers Authors are encouraged to suggest the names and emails of appropriate reviewers during Manuscript Central submission, though final selection of reviewers is at the discretion of the Editors.
Cover Letter Please include a cover letter from the corresponding author. The cover letter should include the following:
A statement indicating that the article has not been previously published in any form
A statement confirming that the article is not under consideration nor in press elsewhere
Authors are encouraged to detail the significance and uniqueness of the work in a single paragraph
General Formatting and Style
Use of English Language: All submissions must be in English. LGBT Health uses American-style English.
Plagiarism: All submitted manuscripts will be processed through plagiarism detection software. Plagiarized manuscripts will be rejected immediately.
Word limits: Word limits do not include the title page, headings, abstract, acknowledgments, disclaimer, author disclosure statement, references, figures, tables, or legends.
Font: Times New Roman or Arial in 12-point type
Abbreviations: Expand all abbreviations at first mention in the text
Page size: Letter size (8.5 x 11 inches)
Margins: 1 inch
Line and word spacing: Double-space all manuscript pages, including figure legends.
Title Page
The title (first) page of all manuscripts must contain the following information:
1. Exact title (No proprietary names, trade names, or abbreviations should be within the article title) 2. All participating authors should be listed on the manuscript at the time of submission. Changes in authorship will not be permitted after acceptance of an article. 3. For each author:
Full name, including middle initial if applicable
Primary academic degrees (such as MD, DO, PhD, MPH, etc. No undergraduate or honorary degrees, fellowship or society memberships, etc.)
Institutional affiliation(s), including department, institution, city, and state
Email address
Notes:
Group authors (i.e., “…on behalf of the XYZ Study”) are permitted
Co-first authors are also permitted. On the title page, please put an asterisk after each co-first author and note them as such.
4. For theCorresponding author provide:
Full name, including middle initial if applicable
Primary academic degrees (such as MD, DO, PhD, MPH, etc. No undergraduate or honorary degrees, fellowship or society memberships, etc.)
Institutional affiliation(s) including department name
6. Keywords: Provide a list of 4-6 keywords. These keywords will be included in the published article.
7. Word Count/ Number of items: Indicate abstract and main text word counts and number of tables, figures, and appendices (if applicable).
Abstract(must be included within the main article file)
The abstract should appear on a separate page after the title page.
Do not use proprietary or trade names
References are not permitted in the abstract
Headings do not contribute toward abstract word count
Acknowledgments After the Conclusion of the main body of the manuscript, include a separate section acknowledging any contributors who did not meet the requirements for authorship and any science writers or corporate employees who participated in the development of the manuscript. Also include acknowledgments of research support for the study.
Disclaimer After the Acknowledgments section, include a “Disclaimer” section, if needed, for the following:
Detail any important disclaimers (for example, the primary data collection organization for a secondary-analysis article)
Provide all appropriate details if any part of the manuscript was presented previously
Author Disclosure Statement(s)
Following the Acknowledgments section (or Disclaimer if one was included), include a section entitled ‘‘Author Disclosure Statement.’’ Here authors must disclose any commercial associations that might create a conflict of interest in connection with submitted manuscripts. This statement should include appropriate information for EACH author, thereby representing that competing financial interests of all authors have been appropriately disclosed according to the policy of the journal. It is important that all conflicts of interest, whether they are actual or potential, be disclosed. This information will not influence the editorial decision. Please see the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals for further guidance. If no conflicts exist, the authors must state ‘‘No competing financial interests exist.’’
PUBLICATION ETHICS AND MALPRACTICE STATEMENT
Study Design and Ethics
Documented review and approval from a formally constituted review board (Institutional Review Board or Ethics committee) should be required for all studies involving people, medical records, and human tissues. For those investigators who do not have access to formal ethics review committees, the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki should be followed. If the study is judged exempt from review, a statement from the committee should be required. Informed consent by participants should always be secured. If not possible, an institutional review board must decide if this is ethically acceptable. This information should be outlined in the cover letter accompanying the submission, and a sentence declaring adherence should be included in the acknowledgment section of the manuscript.
Animal experiments should require full compliance with local, national, ethical, and regulatory principles, and local licensing arrangements.
Definitions of Scientific Misconduct
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers generally follows the guidelines and rules regarding scientific misconduct put forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and the Office of Research Integrity (ORI).
Scientific misconduct and violation of publishing ethics vary and can be intentionally or unintentionally perpetrated. Some examples of misconduct and violations include, but are not limited to, the following:
Scientific Misconduct: Fabrication, falsification, concealment, deceptive reporting, or misrepresentation of any data constitutes misconduct and/or fraud.
Authorship Disputes: Deliberate misrepresentation of a scientist’s contribution to the published work, or purposefully omitting the contributions of a scientist.
Misappropriation of the ideas of others: Improper use of scholarly exchange and activity may constitute fraud. Wholesale appropriation of such material constitutes misconduct.
Violation of generally accepted research practices: Serious deviation from accepted practices in proposing or carrying out research, improper manipulation of experiments to obtain biased results, deceptive statistical or analytical manipulations, or improper reporting of results constitutes misconduct and/or fraud.
Material failure to comply with legislative and regulatory requirements affecting research: Including but not limited to serious or substantial, repeated, willful violations of applicable local regulations and law involving the use of funds, care of animals, human subjects, investigational drugs, recombinant products, new devices, or radioactive, biologic, or chemical materials constitutes misconduct.
Conflict of Interest: Nondisclosure of any conflicts, direct or indirect, to the Journal which prevents you from being unbiased constitutes misconduct.
Deliberate misrepresentation: of qualifications, experience, or research accomplishments to advance the research program, to obtain external funding, or for other professional advancement constitutes misconduct and/or fraud.
Plagiarism: Purposely claiming another’s work or idea as your own constitutes misconduct and/or fraud.
Simultaneous Submission: Submitting a paper to more than one publication at the same time constitutes misconduct.
Responding to Allegations of Possible Misconduct
The Publisher is committed to helping protect the integrity of the public scientific record by sharing reasonable concerns with authorities who are in the position to conduct an appropriate investigation into an allegation. As such, all allegations of misconduct will be referred to the Editor-In-Chief of the Journal who in turn will review the circumstances, possibly in consultation with associate editors and/or members of the editorial board. Initial fact-finding will usually include a request to all the involved parties to state their case and explain the circumstances in writing. In questions of research misconduct centering on methods or technical issues, the Editor-In-Chief may confidentially consult experts who are blinded to the identity of the individuals, or if the allegation is against an editor, an outside expert. The Editor-In-Chief will arrive at a conclusion as to whether there is enough reasonable evidence that the possibility of misconduct occurred.
When allegations concern authors, the peer review and publication process for the manuscript in question will cease while the process described herein is researched. The investigation will be taken to completion even if the authors withdraw their paper. In the case of allegations against reviewers or editors, they will be replaced in the review process while the matter is investigated.
Editors or reviewers who are found to have engaged in scientific misconduct will be removed from further association with the Journal, and reported to their institution.
If an inquiry concludes there is a reasonable possibility of misconduct, the Editor-in-Chief will retract the paper from the Journal and the scientific record. If the paper is still under peer review, the Editor-in-Chief will withdraw the paper from consideration to the Journal.
All allegations will be kept confidential.
Protection of Research Participants
Informed Consent, Study Ethics Approval, and Subject Confidentiality
All manuscripts must comply with the recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly work in Medical Journals. For more information, visit http://www.icmje.org
When reporting research involving human data, authors should indicate whether the procedures followed have been assessed by the responsible review committee (institutional and national), or if no formal ethics committee is available, were in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration as revised in 2013. If doubt exists whether the research was conducted in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration, the authors must explain the rationale for their approach and demonstrate that the institutional review body explicitly approved the doubtful aspects of the study. Approval by a responsible review committee does not preclude editors from forming their own judgment whether the conduct of the research was appropriate.* In the Methods section of the article, authors must state that informed consent was obtained from subjects (specify written or verbal).
Patients have a right to privacy that should not be violated without informed consent. Identifying information, including names, initials, or hospital numbers, should not be published in written descriptions, photographs, or pedigrees unless the information is essential for scientific purposes and the patient (or parent or guardian) gives written informed consent for publication. Nonessential identifying details should be omitted. Informed consent should be obtained if there is any doubt that anonymity can be maintained. For example, masking the eye region in photographs of patients is inadequate protection of anonymity. If identifying characteristics are de-identified, authors should provide assurance, and editors should so note, that such changes do not distort scientific meaning.*
When reporting experiments on animals, authors should indicate whether institutional and national standards for the care and use of laboratory animals were followed.*
*These sections of LGBT Health’s Instructions for Authors have been quoted directly from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors website. For more information, visit www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/protection-of-research-participants.html
References Authors are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of their references. Number references in the order they are cited in the text; do not alphabetize. In-text citations should be in sequential numerical order, superscripted, not contained within parentheses or brackets, and placed after punctuation.
Begin the Reference section on a separate page after the Author Disclosure Statement section
Double-space all lines and single-space between words
Articles accepted and in press are included in the Reference section
Personal communications, unpublished data, or manuscripts “in preparation” or “submitted for publication” should not be included in the Reference section. If necessary, these should be included at the appropriate place in the body of the text. Personal communications should include the contact’s first initial and last name, and the month and year of the communication
List all authors and/or editors if there are up to 4; for 5 or more, list the first 3 followed by et al.
For books, volume and edition numbers should be included when appropriate
References that are abstracts should be indicated as such, with the abstract number included, if applicable
Citation formats are based on NLM style; please see below for specific LGBT Health format examples.
Reference Samples
Journal Article Erchull MJ, Liss M: Clinical outcomes of enjoying sexualization among lesbian women. J Homosex 2015;62:340-352.
Hembree WC, Cohen-Kettenis P, Delemarre-van de Waal HA, et al.: Endocrine treatment of transsexual persons: An Endocrine Society clinical practice guideline. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2009;94:3132-3154.
Chapter in edited volume Pleak RR: Ethical issues in diagnosing and treating of gender-dysphoric children and adolescents. In: Sissies and Tomboys: Gender Nonconformity and Homosexual Childhood. Edited by Rottnek M. New York: New York University Press, 1999, pp 34-51.
Book Bagemihl B: Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity, 1st ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1999.
Chapter in single authored book Bagemihl B: The birds and the bees. In: Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity, 1st ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1999, pp 9-42.
Resolution by professional association American Medical Association House of Delegates. Resolution 122 (A-08). 122. 2008.
Task Force Report American Psychological Association Task Force on Gender Identity and Gender Variance. Report of the Task Force on Gender Identity and Gender Variance. 2009. Washington, DC, American Psychological Association.
Independent publisher Consortium on the management of disorders of sex development: Handbook for Parents Rohnert Park, CA., Intersex Society of North America, 2006.
Publication by an association American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed., text revision. DSM-IV-TR ed. Washington, DC, 2000.
Website
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. HIV/AIDS among men who have sex with men. 2007. Available at www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/msm/resources/factsheets/pdf/msm.pdf Accessed June 12, 2015.
Tables Within the text, cite tables in the order in which they appear using Arabic numerals. Tables in accepted articles will be typeset and placed near the first mention of the table in the text; do not include separate lines indicating table placement.
Table guidelines:
Prepare all tables in one separate Word file. Do not include them in the main article file and do not embed them in the text where they are cited.
Provide a brief but descriptive title for each table. Avoid abbreviations in the table title when possible
Table footnote(s) should include any essential notes and must include definitions of all abbreviations and acronyms used in the table
Figures Within the text, cite figures in the order in which they appear using Arabic numerals. Figures in accepted articles will be typeset and placed near the first mention of the figure in the text; do not include separate lines indicating figure placement.
Figure guidelines:
Figures include graphs, charts, diagrams, illustrations, and photographic images
All figures must be submitted as separate picture files. Do not embed figures in the main article Word file.
Do not submit figures as PDFs, PowerPoint, or Excel files
To ensure proper print quality, please submit only TIFF or EPS files. JPEG files are for screen representation-quality only and will print very poorly during the printing process
Line illustrations should be submitted at 900 DPI. Halftones and color should be submitted at a minimum of 300 DPI
Color art must be saved as CYMK, not RGB. (Note: If RGB files are submitted, the files will be converted to CYMK and some color variation will occur)
Figure legends:
After the Reference section of the article in the main Word document include a separate page with the following information for each figure: - A brief but descriptive title for each figure. Avoid abbreviations in the figure title when possible - Define all relevant information in figures, including figure part labels, footnotes, abbreviations, acronyms, arrows, and levels of magnification in insets
Online-Only Materials Appendices and other supplementary materials should be included only when they are pertinent to the submitted manuscript but beyond the word or table/figure limits.
Appendix and supplementary material guidelines:
Published only with the online version of an accepted article
The print version of the article will include a URL directing readers to the online-only materials
Should be important to understanding or interpretation of the manuscript and limited in length
Should be original and not previously published
Acceptance of online-only materials is separate from acceptance of the manuscript and at the Editors’ discretion
Authors are encouraged to contact the Editor prior to submission of online-only materials
Post-Submission Information
Submission-Related Emails and Online Status The Manuscript Central system sends emails only to the corresponding author (except for copyright release emails for accepted articles). Submitted manuscripts will show in the Manuscript Central Author Center of only the corresponding author.
Manuscript Decisions Manuscripts may receive decisions of Reject, Major Revision, Minor Revision, or Accept. A manuscript decision of Major Revision or Minor Revision does not guarantee the manuscript will ultimately be accepted. Article type word limits apply to revisions as well as initial submissions. A manuscript with a decision of Accept with Edits will not receive a formal Accept decision until all requested edits are satisfactorily completed.
Authorship It is the submitting author’s responsibility to ensure the accuracy and inclusion of all contributing authors’ names and affiliations upon submission. Once an article is accepted for publication, changes in authorship while the article is in production – including page proofs – are NOT permitted. Changes in authorship after publication are strictly prohibited.
Permissions
Authors are responsible for procuring permissions to reproduce illustrations or tables taken from other publications and must be acknowledged by a complete credit line in the figure legend. The original publisher’s letter of permission should be available for submission to LGBT Health if requested by the Editors or the Publisher. A full citation should also be included in the Reference section.
Page Proofs
An email containing a link to the PDF file of the page proof is sent to the corresponding author. The proof should be read carefully and returned within 3 business days to the Publisher with the author’s/authors’ approval or corrections.
Reprints
Reprints may be ordered by following the special instructions that accompany page proofs and should be ordered at the time the corresponding author returns the corrected page proofs. Reprints ordered after an issue is printed will be charged at a substantially higher rate.
Publisher
LGBT Health is published quarterly by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., 140 Huguenot Street, New Rochelle, NY 10801-5215, Tel: (914) 740-2100; Fax: (914) 740-2101; Email: info@liebertpub.com; Website: www.liebertpub.com/LGBT
George R. Brown, MD, DFAPA Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Center Psychiatrist James H. Quillen VAMC Professor and Associate Chairman of Psychiatry Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Quillen College of Medicine East Tennessee State University Johnson City, TN
Michael Kauth, PhD Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, TX Patient Care Services, Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington DC Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX http://www.bcm.edu/psychiatry/?PMID=8993
Jillian Shipherd, PhD National Center for PTSD-Women's Health Sciences Division VA Boston Healthcare System Associate Professor of Psychiatry- Boston University School of Medicine VA Central Office: LGBT Program Coordinator, Patient Care Services Boston, MA
Seishi Terada, MD, PhD Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Okayama, Japan
Veriano Terto, MD, PhD Brazilian Interdisciplinary AIDS Association Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
William Byne, MD, PhD
Judith Bradford, PhD 
Brian de Vries, PhD 
Jack Drescher, MD
A. Evan Eyler, MD, MPH 
Louis Gooren, MD, PhD
Harvey J. Makadon, MD
Ulrike Boehmer, PhD
Madeline Deutsch, MD, MPH 
Henry Ng, MD, MPH 
Conall O’Cleirigh, PhD 
Bobbie A. Berkowitz, PhD, RN, CNAA, FAAN 
Walter Bockting, PhD
Lisa Bowleg, PhD
George R. Brown, MD, DFAPA
Sean Cahill, PhD
Demetre Daskalakis, MD, MPH
Griet De Cuypere MD, PhD 
Annelou L.C. de Vries, MD, PhD
Omar Fattal, MD, MPH
Jamie Feldman MD, PhD 
Karen I. Fredriksen-Goldsen, PhD 
Robert Garofalo, MD, MPH
Geoffrey Jobson, MA
Tiffany Jones, PhD
Michael Kauth, PhD
Deborah J. Kayman, MSW, PhD
Jennifer Levi, Esq
Ntlotleng Mabena, MD
Ilan H. Meyer, PhD 
Brian Mustanski, PhD
Vinit P. Nair, BPharm, MS, Rph
Jeffrey T. Parsons, PhD
Charlotte J. Patterson, PhD
Tonia C. Poteat, PhD, MPH, MMSc 
Garrett Prestage, PhD
Patricia Robertson, MD
David Eric Sandberg, PhD
Theo Sandfort, PhD 
Jillian Shipherd, PhD
Milton L. Wainberg, MD 
Claudia Wiesemann 
Sam Winter, PhD 
Tarynn M. Witten, PhD, LCSW, FGSA 
Ruth Enid Zambrana, PhD