The Malta Journal of Health Sciences is a peer-reviewed, electronic, open access publication that promotes the sharing and exchange of knowledge in the health sciences. It provides a platform for novice and established researchers to disseminate findings, insights, and perspectives within an inter-professional context.
The journal welcomes submissions from the global health sciences community and is intended for healthcare practitioners, educators, researchers, and policy makers seeking evidence-based knowledge.
The journal publishes complete, original and previously unpublished manuscripts and original works including research articles, reviews and commentaries across diverse designs and methodologies in the following topic areas: Applied Biomedical Science, Audiology, Community Nursing, Dietetics, Environmental Health, Food Science, Health 福利在线免费 Management, Human Communication Sciences and Disorders, Medical Physics, Mental Health, Midwifery, Nursing, Nutrition, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Podiatry, and Radiography.
Authorship is restricted to individuals who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the study, as per established practices. All authors must approve the final version and accept accountability for the work. The journal does not consider multiple submissions, redundant publications, or manuscripts under review elsewhere.
The Malta Journal of Health Sciences adheres to the highest standards of publication ethics and follows the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
The MJHS is published on a semi-annual schedule, with two issues per year (in June and December).
ISSN 2313-0768
The MJHS is an open-access journal committed to the widest possible dissemination of scientific research. To uphold these principles, we have a clear policy on copyright and licensing.
Authors retain the copyright to their work. By submitting their manuscript, authors grant MJHS an exclusive license to publish the article in a peer-reviewed journal. This means that while MJHS is the sole peer-reviewed journal publishing the specific article, authors are free to reuse and disseminate their work as outlined below.
All articles published in the MJHS are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution – Non-Commercial-Share Alike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) license.
This license allows others to:
Under the following terms:
Full details of the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license can be found at website.
MJHS encourages authors to share their work widely. Authors are permitted to deposit their submitted, accepted, and published versions of their articles in institutional repositories, on their personal websites, and in third-party repositories (e.g., ResearchGate, Academia.edu) immediately upon publication without any embargo period.
When depositing or sharing the article, authors must include a clear link to the official published version on the MJHS website (e.g. DOI link). This ensures proper attribution and directs readers to the definitive version of record.
The copyright holder (the author(s)) will also be explicitly named on all published articles.
There are no submission or publication fees (Article Processing Charges) associated with this journal. Furthermore, all accepted manuscripts are freely available without subscription fee.
The Malta Journal of Health Sciences (MJHS) is an Open Access journal. All articles are freely available online immediately upon publication without any subscription fees or paywalls. Authors retain the copyright of their work and grant the journal the right of first publication. Articles are published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Authors are also permitted and encouraged to post their final published version in institutional or third-party repositories to increase visibility and citation.
All content published by MJHS, including articles, editorials, reviews, and special issues, is archived in the University of Malta's institutional repository, OAR@UM (Open Access Repository at the University of Malta).
The OAR@UM serves as the official archive for MJHS. Only the accepted manuscripts of articles are deposited here to guarantee their permanent availability. Through the OAR@UM Policies, the University of Malta Library and the University are firmly committed to preserving indefinitely all content deposited into OAR@UM. This commitment ensures that the scholarly record remains accessible for future generations of researchers and the public.
For robust data security and redundancy, regular backups of OAR@UM content are conducted. These backup procedures are managed internally by the University of Malta's IT services, providing an additional layer of protection for the archived material.
Authors do not need to take any action to ensure their articles are archived; this process is handled entirely by the MJHS editorial team in collaboration with OAR@UM.
Chairperson
Dr Georgette Spiteri
Editor-in-Chief
Dr Georgette Spiteri
Associate editors
Professor Daniela Gatt
Dr Stephen Lungaro Mifsud
Professor Josianne Scerri
Dr Jose Guilherme Araujo Seara Couto
Dr Josef Trapani
Dr Foteini Pavli
Professor Melissa Marie Formosa
Advisors
Professor Sandra Buttigieg
Professor Carmel J. Caruana
Professor Cynthia Formosa
Dr Rene Mifsud
Web administrators
Ms Sarah Anne Falzon
Contact the Editorial Board
The Malta Journal of Health Sciences (MJHS) operates as a free, open-access publication, ensuring broad accessibility to its research. The journal does not levy article processing charges (APCs) on authors, nor does it require subscriptions from readers.
The primary financial backing for MJHS comes from the University of Malta, specifically through the Faculty of Health Sciences. This institutional support covers essential operational costs, archiving services, publication expenses such as editing and printing and hosting on the UM website and dissemination through UM social media.
MJHS may also accept additional sources of financing, such as grants and donations, provided they undergo rigorous case-by-case assessment by the Editorial Board. All external sources of financing will be publicly disclosed, including the donor’s identity, amount, and details of the funding. A regularly updated External Funding Transparency Report is made publicly available.
To further support its operations, MJHS may accept advertising. All advertising proposals are subject to independent review by the Editorial Board, with a requirement of at least 80% agreement to ensure acceptance. Advertisements must be free from misinformation, political or ideological bias, and must not compromise the journal’s editorial independence.
The journal maintains a strict policy that no advertisement, nor any other revenue source, will ever influence editorial decisions, peer review, or the publication of articles. All editorial content is selected solely based on scientific merit and relevance.
The MJHS engages in direct marketing activities to effectively disseminate information about the journal, promote the research published in the MJHS, and invite high-quality manuscripts. The Editorial Board ensures that these activities are always conducted in a professional manner, targeting relevant audiences directly and unobtrusively.
These activities include, but are not limited to:
We strictly avoid practices such as cold calls or sending unsolicited emails to generic, untargeted lists.
MJHS is also committed to providing truthful and non-misleading information in all its communications. Any information shared about the journal, its scope, policies, or publishing processes will be accurate and transparent for both readers and authors.
Ownership and Management
The Malta Journal of Health Sciences (MJHS) is owned and published by the University of Malta (UM) through its Faculty of Health Sciences. The journal is managed by the Editorial Board under the leadership of the Editor-in-Chief.
The Faculty of Health Sciences provides administrative and institutional support for the journal’s operations; however, it does not influence editorial decisions. All editorial processes are carried out independently to ensure transparency, integrity, and adherence to the highest academic and ethical publishing standards.
Governing Body
The Malta Journal of Health Sciences (MJHS) is overseen by an Editorial Board that serves as the journal’s governing body. The Editorial Board is composed of academics and professionals who are recognised experts in the diverse subject areas within the journal’s scope.
Board members provide guidance on editorial policy, contribute to the strategic direction of the journal, and support the peer review process by ensuring that published content meets high academic and ethical standards.
The full names and institutional affiliations of the Editorial Board members are publicly listed on the journal’s website to maintain transparency and accountability.