About the Journal

 

Introduction

Student Voices in Health and Medicine (SVHM) is an open access journal that provides a platform for undergraduate students to share their perspectives on current issues in health and medicine. Established in 2025 by students and staff from the College of Health and Medicine at the University of Birmingham, SVHM aims to foster discussion, enhance understanding and contribute to future research by amplifying student voices.

Focus and Scope

SVHM publishes high-quality undergraduate work in the following categories:

• Literature reviews: Summarising and evaluating existing research.
• Research articles: Presenting original findings.
• Protocols: Detailing the planned methodology for a research project or review.
• Evidence-based opinion pieces: Providing well-supported perspectives on key issues.
• Learning development and practice (LDP) articles: Structured, evidence-based papers that support professional learning and skill development.
• Research in focus pieces: Analysing published research and its relevance to practice.

All submissions must be relevant to health or medicine and contribute meaningfully to academic or professional discussions in the field. The student-led editorial board ensures that published content reflects student experiences, insights and research.

Peer Reviewing Policy

All submissions undergo an initial screening process by the editorial team. Only submissions with a strong likelihood of acceptance will be sent for peer review to ensure that time spent in the review process is used effectively.

SVHM operates a double review system, where each submission is reviewed by one student and one academic. Peer review is an essential part of academic publishing, ensuring that submissions are clear, well-structured and supported by evidence. Reviewers assess whether a paper is logical, relevant and makes a meaningful contribution.

Before reviewing, student reviewers must complete peer review training, which equips them with the skills to provide constructive feedback and assess submissions confidently. Reviewers recommend whether a submission should be accepted, revised or rejected. If revisions are requested, the revised submission may be reviewed again.