The International Journal of Drug Policy- call for papers

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The International Journal of Drug Policy- call for papers

13 February 2013

Drug use in Central Asia has been of an issue of concern in recent times, notably since the collapse of the Soviet Union. This has created a range of issues to be addressed at the level of policy and practice, incorporating the challenges of harm reduction, human rights and the wide range of responses to illicit drug use and associated activities.

Abstracts (not to exceed 350 words) are invited for contributions to a forthcoming special issue of the International Journal of Drug Policy on drug use in post-Soviet Central Asia.

International Journal of Drug Policy is looking for contributions that utilise qualitative and quantitative methodologies, as well as mixed methods. They are interested in accounts and case studies of evidence-based interventions and discursive papers that address issues of policy. They especially, but not exclusively, welcome papers that address the following key themes:

  • Development of services to drug users (including OST) and the political context in which this development has taken place, including resistance from various stakeholders
  • Epidemiology of drug use and related infectious diseases, including data quality control issues (particularly IBBSs)
  • Drug-related mortality and overdose prevention programmes and related policies
  • Drug use risk behaviours, especially in relation to injecting practices and the spread of blood-borne viruses
  • Drug-related crime, trends and analysis of associated factors
  • The growth and challenges of community-level and NGO responses to illicit drug use
  • The evolution of drug policies and the relative influence of evidence-based thinking
  • Contemporary and future challenges for harm reduction

We encourage submissions to follow one of the six types of contributions outlined below (NB: in rare circumstances word limits may be exceeded with agreement from the guest editors):

  1. Research papers: Research papers are usually based on original empirical analyses, but may also be discursive critical essays. These papers are usually between 3,000 and 5,000 words.
  2. Research methods papers: These papers explore methodological innovations in the field and are usually between 3,000 and 5,000 words.
  3. Commentary: These papers explore in depth a particular topic or issue for debate, and may also include evidence and analysis. The Editor may invite expert responses to commentaries for publication in the same issue. Commentaries are usually between 2,500 and 4,000 words.
  4. Viewpoint: Short comments and opinion pieces of up to 1,200 words which raise an issue for discussion, or comprise a case report on an issue relevant to research, policy, or practice.
  5. Policy or historical analysis: These are focused specifically around contemporary or historical analyses of policies and their impacts, and are usually between 3,000 and 5,000 words.
  6. Review: These papers seek to review systematically a particular area of research, intervention, or policy. Reviews are usually between 4,000 and 8,000 words.

Abstracts should be emailed to alisher_latypov@hotmail.com and robert@burnet.edu.au by April 11, 2013. The email subject heading should read “IJDP Special Issue”. The editors will inform authors by May 11, 2013, whether to proceed to full submission. If selected, complete manuscripts will be due August 11, 2013. All manuscripts are subject to the normal IJDP peer review.

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