About Us

 

 

Hektoen International, founded in Fall 2008, is a peer-reviewed journal that explores the interdisciplinary field of the medical humanities.  It is published online in quarterly installments by the Hektoen Institute of Medicine, a not-for-profit organization promoting medical research and education. The journal is named in honor of Doctor Ludvig Hektoen, a distinguished professor of pathology at the University of Chicago.


Hektoen International features articles on the medical humanities from a wide spectrum of global and cultural perspectives as they relate to health, and healing. The journal also maintains an online art gallery and library for archiving artwork and articles.

 

What do we publish?


Hektoen International accepts for consideration articles that explore medicine and the healing arts through the lens of the humanities, in such disciplines as history, art, anthropology, ethics, literature, philosophy, religion, and sociology.

Submissions can include:

  • Scholarly articles written in engaging language for a general audience of the intellectually curious, with references to substantiate research
  • Essays sharing a personal perspective on general or controversial topics, presenting a balanced and thoughtful point of view
  • Personal narratives captivating for their visceral, first-hand experience
  • Short fiction that is engaging in style and thought-provoking in nature
  • Poetry, eloquent and thoughtful, appealing to the conscience and the intellect
  • Art, in any medium, that reflects a uniqueness of style and perspective and that can be either a process, outcome or both

    We DO NOT accept clinical studies and unsolicited book or film reviews.


Who should submit?


Artists and scholars of the humanities and the social sciences as well as physicians, nurses, health administrators, social workers, students and other professionals engaged in the fields of medicine, mental health, complementary therapies, and other healing arts are welcome to submit. We also encourage patients to contribute pieces that reflect the diversity of their experience and understanding of healing and health.


Submission instructions


Please send submissions to Managing Editor, Rachel Baker at journal@hektoeninternational.org


When submitting, please include in your e-mail:

  • Title of submission with word count
  • Author(s) names, title and professional affiliation
  • A 100-300 word abstract about the submission
  • A 75-150 word biography
  • One manuscript only per submission deadline.
  • Articles should be less than 2,500 words. Shorter articles of 500 to 1500 words are also encouraged.
  • Up to four contributions of poetry per issue. Include a poet statement of no more than 200 words.
  • Up to five contributions of art (if individual pieces belong to a single series). Include an artist statement of no more than 200 words.
  • Be sure to spell check in American English prior to submission.

File format/name

Articles should be submitted in Microsoft Word or Rich Text Format.

Images/Artwork should be sent as a JPEG or GIF file and include a caption.

Please save the submission/illustration as the title (or abbreviated title) followed by the author’s last name.

  • For the article, “Big Hugh” by Dr. Smith, save as follows:
    Big Hugh_Smith.doc

If there is more than one illustration included in a submission, please number each illustration in the order that it should appear within the piece:

  • For the illustration of the article, “Big Hugh” by Dr. Smith, save as follows:
    Big Hugh_Smith1.jpeg

References


Please check to be sure that your references are accurate prior to submission. All quotations need to be referenced. Related works cited within the text should also be referenced. References should be formatted as follows:


  • Use one of the following 3 styles: Modern Language Association (MLA), the American Psychological Association (APA), or the Chicago Manual of Style.
  • Use endnotes in numerical order.

Patient consent/confidentiality


Our confidentiality policy is based on the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). Please refer to this document with regards to any questions about patient confidentiality: http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/. As a rule, authors/artists should protect the confidentiality of all individuals whose personal details may be revealed without their consent.


Review process
Hektoen International peer reviews all submissions. The editorial board and the journal editors review contributions for appropriateness of originality, style, and content within one to two months of submission. All reviewers and editors advise the Editor-in-Chief and the Managing Editor, who make all final decisions regarding the manuscript.


Copyrights

All authors retain the copyright to their submissions to Hektoen International. However, we request that authors refrain from submitting their work for publication until the piece has been published online and archived (usually 4-5 months after publication). Authors are also requested to notify us and reference the Hektoen International website as the original publisher in subsequent publications of the article.


All submissions are presumed to the stated author/artist’s original work. Rights to images submitted for illustration should be acquired prior to submission.


Articles/art previously published elsewhere may also be suitable for publication in the journal or the library. Submit copyright authorization from the publisher.