About the Journal

The Utkarsh Journal of Health Sciences and Environment (UJHSE) is an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal published by Utkarsh Research Network, India. UJHSE is committed to the dissemination of high-quality research across the interconnected fields of medical sciences, public health, and environmental health.

All articles published in UJHSE are freely and permanently accessible online immediately upon publication, ensuring that research findings reach the widest possible audience without barriers.

UJHSE follows the Gold Open Access model with an Article Processing Charge (APC) of USD 300 for international authors and INR 10,000 for Indian authors (plus applicable taxes). There are no submission or review fees. Fee waivers and discounts are available for authors from low- and middle-income countries and for those who demonstrate financial hardship.

All published content is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) license, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Aims

UJHSE is dedicated to advancing knowledge and improving outcomes in health sciences and environmental health. Our core aims are:

1. Publishing original, rigorously peer-reviewed research that contributes meaningful knowledge to medical sciences, public health, and environmental health, ensuring all published work meets the highest standards of scientific quality and integrity.
2. Bridging the gap between medical sciences and environmental health by encouraging interdisciplinary research that explores the complex relationships between human health, healthcare delivery, and environmental determinants of disease.
3. Promoting evidence-based practice by disseminating research findings that can inform clinical decision-making, public health policy, environmental regulation, and health systems strengthening at local, national, and global levels.
4. Supporting researchers from diverse backgrounds by offering fee waivers and reduced APCs, particularly for early-career researchers, authors from low- and middle-income countries, and those facing financial constraints, thereby fostering inclusivity in academic publishing.
5. Upholding the highest standards of publication ethics in accordance with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME).

Scope

UJHSE publishes original research, reviews, case reports, and other scholarly contributions across three broad, interconnected domains:

Medical Sciences

• General medicine and internal medicine
• Surgery (general and subspecialties)
• Pediatrics
• Obstetrics and gynecology
• Pathology
• Microbiology
• Pharmacology
• Radiology and diagnostic imaging
• Anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry
• Medical education
• Traditional and complementary medicine
• Dentistry
• Nursing and allied health sciences

Public Health

• Epidemiology and biostatistics
• Communicable and non-communicable disease surveillance
• Maternal and child health
• Nutrition and food safety
• Global health
• Health systems and health policy
• Community medicine
• Health promotion and health education
• Mental health
• Disaster preparedness and emergency public health
• Vaccine research and immunization programs
• Digital health and telemedicine
• Health economics

Environmental Health

• Environmental determinants of disease
• Air quality, water quality, and soil contamination
• Climate change and its impact on human health
• Occupational health and safety
• Toxicology and environmental exposure assessment
• Vector-borne and zoonotic diseases
• Sanitation and hygiene
• Environmental pollution and health outcomes
• One Health approaches
• Biodiversity and ecosystem health
• Urban health and built environment
• Environmental risk assessment
• Sustainable development and planetary health

Article Types

UJHSE accepts the following types of manuscripts for consideration:

1. Original Research Articles (up to 5,000 words) — Reports of novel empirical research using quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods approaches.
2. Review Articles (up to 6,000 words) — Comprehensive narrative or scoping reviews that synthesize existing literature on a topic within the journal's scope.
3. Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (up to 8,000 words) — Rigorous systematic reviews with or without quantitative meta-analysis, following PRISMA guidelines.
4. Short Communications (up to 2,500 words) — Brief reports of preliminary findings, novel techniques, or pilot studies that merit rapid dissemination.
5. Case Reports and Case Series (up to 3,000 words) — Detailed reports of unusual or instructive clinical cases, following CARE guidelines.
6. Editorials (up to 1,500 words, by invitation) — Invited commentaries on topics of current importance, typically authored by editorial board members or distinguished experts.
7. Letters to the Editor (up to 1,000 words) — Concise communications in response to recently published articles or on topics of interest to the journal's readership.
8. Perspectives and Commentaries (up to 2,000 words) — Thought-provoking opinion pieces that present a personal viewpoint on a significant issue in health sciences or environmental health.

Indexing & Abstracting

UJHSE is indexed and abstracted in the following databases:

• Google Scholar
• Crossref (DOI assignment for all published articles)
• DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals) — Applied
• PubMed Central — Planned
• Scopus — Planned

We are actively working toward inclusion in additional reputable indexing services and databases to maximize the visibility and impact of published research.

Digital Preservation & Archiving

UJHSE is committed to the long-term digital preservation and perpetual accessibility of all published content. The journal implements the following preservation strategies:

• PKP Preservation Network (PN) — All content is preserved through the PKP PN, which provides long-term archival access based on the LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) technology.
• Crossref DOI Registration — Every published article is assigned a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) through Crossref, ensuring persistent identification and linkage.
• Server-Level Backups — Regular automated backups of the journal database and all published files are maintained on secure servers.
• CLOCKSS — Application planned for inclusion in the CLOCKSS dark archive to provide additional preservation redundancy.

In the event that UJHSE ceases publication, all published content will remain accessible through the PKP Preservation Network and Crossref metadata records in perpetuity.

Publication Frequency

UJHSE publishes on a quarterly basis, with four issues per calendar year:

• Issue 1: January–March
• Issue 2: April–June
• Issue 3: July–September
• Issue 4: October–December

Accepted articles are published online first with a DOI immediately upon completion of the production process, ahead of their assignment to a specific issue. This ensures rapid dissemination while maintaining a structured publication schedule.

ORCID Policy

UJHSE strongly encourages all submitting and co-authors to register for and provide their ORCID iD (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) at the time of manuscript submission.

ORCID provides a persistent digital identifier that distinguishes individual researchers and ensures proper attribution. ORCID iDs are displayed on published articles and linked through Crossref metadata.

Register for a free ORCID iD at https://orcid.org.

Journal Identifiers

Identifier	Value
Journal Title	Utkarsh Journal of Health Sciences and Environment
Abbreviation	UJHSE
ISSN (Online)	[Applied]
Publisher	Utkarsh Research Network
Country	India
Language	English
Frequency	Quarterly (4 issues/year)
Year of Establishment	2026
Access Model	Gold Open Access
APC	USD 300 / INR 10,000 + taxes
License	CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Copyright	Journal / Publisher
Peer Review	Double-Blind
DOI Prefix	Crossref (pending assignment)
Platform	Open Journal Systems (OJS) 3.5
Preservation	PKP PN (LOCKSS)
Ethics Standards	COPE, ICMJE, WAME, Declaration of Helsinki