International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

IJOE publishes peer-reviewed research on workplace health, environmental exposures, and occupational disease prevention. We focus on evidence-based interventions that protect worker health and advance environmental medicine.

Occupational Health Environmental Medicine Workplace Safety Exposure Science Industrial Hygiene

We do NOT consider: Basic laboratory toxicology without occupational context, general public health studies without workplace/environmental focus, clinical medicine unrelated to occupational exposures, or purely theoretical policy discussions without empirical data.

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Core Research Domains

Tier 1: Priority

Occupational Health & Safety

Occupational disease prevention, diagnosis, and management
Workplace injury epidemiology and intervention strategies
Occupational exposure assessment and biomonitoring
Health and safety standards development and evaluation
Occupational risk assessment methodologies
Return-to-work programs and disability management

Typical fit: A cohort study examining respiratory disease incidence among construction workers exposed to silica dust, with quantitative exposure assessment and intervention recommendations.

Tier 1: Priority

Environmental Health & Exposure Science

Environmental exposure assessment (air, water, soil contamination)
Chemical exposure pathways and health outcomes
Radiation exposure monitoring and health effects
Noise exposure and hearing conservation programs
Environmental health surveillance systems
Climate change impacts on occupational health

Typical fit: A cross-sectional study measuring heavy metal concentrations in agricultural workers and correlating exposure levels with biomarkers of kidney function.

Tier 1: Priority

Industrial Hygiene & Toxicology

Workplace hazard identification and control strategies
Occupational toxicology and dose-response relationships
Personal protective equipment effectiveness studies
Ventilation system design and evaluation
Chemical safety and hazard communication
Biological monitoring and occupational exposure limits

Typical fit: An intervention study evaluating the effectiveness of engineering controls in reducing solvent exposure among automotive painters, with pre/post air sampling data.

Tier 1: Priority

Occupational Medicine & Epidemiology

Work-related disease surveillance and reporting
Occupational epidemiology methods and applications
Health screening programs for at-risk workers
Occupational biostatistics and data analysis
Fitness-for-duty assessments and medical surveillance
Occupational health services delivery models

Typical fit: A retrospective cohort study analyzing cancer incidence rates among firefighters with detailed exposure history and confounding variable adjustment.

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Secondary Focus Areas

Psychosocial & Organizational Factors

Occupational stress assessment and management
Workplace mental health interventions
Work-related burnout prevention
Workplace bullying and harassment impacts
Shift work and fatigue management
Organizational safety culture measurement

Ergonomics & Safety Engineering

Musculoskeletal disorder prevention programs
Workplace ergonomic assessments
Safety engineering solutions and innovations
Human factors in accident causation
Ergonomic intervention effectiveness studies

Occupational Health Policy & Law

Regulatory policy analysis and impact assessment
Workplace health and safety legislation evaluation
Occupational health insurance and compensation systems
International occupational health standards comparison
Workers' rights and ethical considerations

Workplace Health Promotion

Corporate wellness program evaluation
Health education interventions in workplace settings
Behavioral medicine approaches to worker health
Smoking cessation and substance abuse programs
Chronic disease management at work

Emerging & Interdisciplinary Areas (Selective Consideration)

IJOE selectively considers innovative research in emerging areas that intersect with occupational and environmental health. These submissions undergo additional editorial review to ensure strong occupational/environmental health relevance.

AI in Workplace Safety Nanotechnology Exposure Climate Adaptation for Workers Disaster Preparedness Occupational Genomics Remote Work Health Green Jobs Safety

Explicitly Out of Scope

General public health without occupational/environmental context: Community health interventions, health promotion campaigns, or disease surveillance studies that do not specifically address workplace exposures or environmental health determinants.
Clinical medicine unrelated to occupational exposures: Treatment protocols, surgical techniques, or pharmaceutical studies without clear occupational disease context or workplace application.
Basic toxicology without human exposure relevance: In vitro or animal studies of chemical toxicity that lack clear connection to occupational exposure scenarios or environmental health risk assessment.
Pure environmental science without health outcomes: Ecological studies, pollution monitoring, or environmental chemistry research that does not examine human health impacts or occupational exposure pathways.
Theoretical policy analysis without empirical data: Opinion pieces, commentary, or policy proposals that lack original data, systematic evidence review, or quantitative policy impact assessment.

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Article Types & Editorial Priorities

Priority 1: Fast-Track

Expedited Review (4-6 weeks to first decision)

Original Research Articles Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses Methods & Instrumentation Intervention Studies Cohort & Case-Control Studies

Priority 2: Standard

Regular Review (6-8 weeks to first decision)

Short Communications Data Notes & Technical Reports Perspectives & Viewpoints Policy Analysis with Data Scoping Reviews

Rarely Considered

Requires exceptional novelty or impact

Single Case Reports Opinion Pieces Narrative Reviews Commentaries

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Editorial Standards & Requirements

Reporting Guidelines

All submissions must follow discipline-specific reporting standards:

STROBE for observational studies
CONSORT for randomized controlled trials
PRISMA for systematic reviews
ARRIVE for animal studies (if applicable)
STARD for diagnostic accuracy studies
CHEERS for health economic evaluations

Data & Transparency

IJOE requires transparent research practices:

Data availability statements mandatory
Study protocols encouraged (pre-registration)
Raw data sharing for verification (when feasible)
Statistical analysis code availability
Conflict of interest disclosure required
Funding source transparency

Ethics & Compliance

Ethical approval and compliance documentation:

IRB/Ethics committee approval for human subjects
Informed consent documentation
Animal care committee approval (if applicable)
Compliance with Helsinki Declaration
GDPR compliance for European data
Indigenous data sovereignty respect

Preprint & Prior Publication

IJOE's policy on preprints and duplicate publication:

Preprints on recognized servers accepted
Conference abstracts do not preclude submission
Duplicate publication prohibited
Translations require original publisher permission
Thesis chapters acceptable with disclosure
Prior data publication must be cited

Editorial Performance Metrics

Days to First Decision (Median)

57%

Acceptance Rate (2024)

Days to Publication (Accepted)

Open

Access Model (APC-based)

Ready to Submit Your Research?

If your work addresses occupational health, environmental exposures, or workplace safety with rigorous methodology and clear implications for practice or policy, IJOE is your platform.

Submit Your Manuscript