Health Affairs Template
Get your Health Affairs paper right the first time: a ready-made structure with the right abstract and citations, so editors see your science, not formatting slips.
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How to Use the Health Affairs Template | A Step-by-Step Guide
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 13 August, 2026
Submitting to Health Affairs goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Health Affairs guide for authors before peer review, so formatting, structure, and required statements should be right on the first draft rather than repaired during upload. This template sets that structure up for you.
What is the Health Affairs Template?
It is a manuscript shell aligned to Health Affairs. It covers front matter, the abstract the journal expects, a body organized to the journal's article types, and a reference list in the journal's required style. Confirm current scope and article types on the Health Affairs journal page before you draft.
What's actually in a Health Affairs submission:
Prepare the title, authors, affiliations, and ORCID iDs. Write the abstract to the journal's rule and word limit, organize the body to the article type, and apply the required reference style from the first citation. Complete every declaration (ethics, competing interests, funding, data availability) the Health Affairs guide for authors lists, and cite figures and tables in order.
What separates a clean submission from one that gets kicked back:
The common failure modes are formatting or reference style that does not match the guide for authors, missing required statements, and an incomplete portal checklist. Clear all three against the Health Affairs guide for authors before you submit.
What does this Health Affairs Template include?
The shell mirrors what editorial staff check first: article-type fit, the abstract rules, required declarations, and the journal's reference style. For more detail see the author resources. When your draft is ready, upload it through Editorial Manager.
Steps to Use This Template with SciSpace Agent
- Click Start Writing on this page. The SciSpace Agent prompt screen opens with the template loaded.
- Use the loaded template, or upload a version your group already uses for Health Affairs.
- Edit the prompt with your topic and article type, and note any requirement from the Health Affairs guide for authors.
- Run the prompt. The agent drafts into the correct structure and reference style.
- Use View Outputs to verify required statements and formatting are present.
- Export and submit through Editorial Manager.
Health Affairs Template Structure at a Glance
| Element | Health Affairs requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Unstructured abstract of up to 180 words maximum for most article types. Abstract is NOT required for Narrative Matters submissions. The word count includes the abstract. No specific headings or structured format is mandated by the official guidelines |
| Main text | Word limits by article type: Research Article: 3,250 words (includes abstract and main text, excludes endnotes, exhibits, exhibit lists, appendix materials); Analysis: 3,000-5,000 words; DataWatch: 2,000 words; Review Article: 4,000-5,000 words; GrantWatch: 3,500 words; Commentary: 2,500-4,000 words; Policy Insight: 4,000-5,000 words; Theme Issue Overview: 4,000-5,000 words (by invitation only); Perspective: 3,000 words (by invitation only); Narrative Matters: 2,000-3,000 words; Letter to the Editor: maximum 300 words; Entry Point: 2,500 words (by invitation only); Interview: up to 5,000 words (by invitation only); Leading to Health: 2,500 words (by invitation only); Report-from-the-Field: 4,500 words (by invitation only). Word counts generally include abstract, main text, and endnotes but exclude exhibits, exhibit list, and appendix material |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | Keywords are encouraged but not required. Authors should enter as many keywords as needed to accurately characterize the paper, as they aid in assigning appropriate reviewers. No specific count/range limit is stated |
| References | Vancouver endnote style as used in Health Affairs. The journal does not use footnotes; all notations and references should be integrated into one section of consecutively numbered endnotes listed in the order in which they are called out in the text. Arabic numbering is used (not Roman). References are individually assigned a unique callout number, and note numbers are repeated in the text whenever the source material applies |
| Peer review | Double-blind (double-anonymous) review system. Reviewers do not know the names of authors, and authors do not know the identities of reviewers |
| Submission | www.editorialmanager.com/healthaffairs/default1.aspx |
Quick Tips for Using the Health Affairs Template
Read the Health Affairs guide for authors once before drafting and once before upload. Draft the abstract after results are stable. Set the reference style before adding citations. Keep a cover letter that states your contribution and fit to Health Affairs in under a page.
Best Practices
Skim two or three recent Health Affairs papers to calibrate depth and figure style. Make the novelty clear in the first two pages. Deposit data and code when the policy on the Health Affairs journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Before You Submit: Final Check
Do one focused pass against the Health Affairs guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through Editorial Manager.
