About Us

Hektoen International, founded in Fall 2008, is a journal that explores the interdisciplinary field of the medical humanities. It is published online 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. The journal also maintains an online art gallery and library for archiving artwork and articles.

Call for submissions

General medical humanities topics    We are always looking for articles on medical history, medicine and literature, art history, anthropology, ethics, artwork and poems.  Submission is ongoing for this category.

Trauma and recovery    Possible topics can include but are not limited to the psychological and physiological impact of war on healthcare providers, veterans, and refugees as well as the experience of abuse, homelessness, near death, natural or man-made disasters, and epidemics—and the vicarious trauma of professional caregivers. We welcome stories of recovery through medicine and complimentary therapies as well as artistic, historical, literary, spiritual, and cultural approaches to healing.
Deadline to submit: January 31, 2012.

Pregnancy and birth  Possible topics can include, but are not limited to, birth rituals in various cultural traditions; historical and literary depictions of medical care and midwifery, the role of the father, and labor companions (e.g. relatives, birthworkers, or doulas); related literature, art, and music (e.g. prenatal chant, Renaissance birth trays, related Dutch genre paintings on lovesickness and morality); ethical issues related to pregnancy; the experience of disability (of mother or child); In vitro fertilization and other types of technological assistance with pregnancy; and surrogacy.

Deadline to submit: April 30, 2012.


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What do we publish?


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

Submissions can include:

  • Scholarly articles on subjects related to medicine.
  • Essays sharing a personal perspective on general or controversial topics
  • Personal narratives relating to first-hand experience
  • Short fiction that is engaging and thought-provoking
  • Poetry, eloquent and thoughtful, appealing to the conscience and the intellect
  • Art, in any medium, that reflects a uniqueness of style and perspective

    We DO NOT accept research papers, clinical studies, or unsolicited book or film reviews.


Who should submit?


Physicians, nurses, health administrators, social workers, artists and scholars of the humanities and the social sciences, 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 their experience and understanding of healing and health.


Submission instructions


Please send submissions to Managing Editor, Rachel Baker at journal@hektoeninternational.org. Please direct any inquiries to info@hektoeninternational.org.

Please note the submission limits:

  • One article manuscript only per submission deadline
  • Up to four poems per issue
  • Up to four art submissions per issue
  • Articles should be less than 2,000 words. Shorter articles of 500 to 1500 words are also encouraged.
  • Be sure to spellcheck in American English prior to submission.

Include in your submission email:

  • The title of your submission in the subject line of the email
  • Title of submission with word count
  • A 100-300 word abstract about the submission (for poetry and art submissions, briefly describe your submission contents.)

Include in an attached Rich Text Format (.rtf) or Word document:

Articles

  • The first few words of the title and page numbers in the document header
  • Author(s) names, titles/degrees, professional affiliation, and location (as you would like it listed in the journal).
  • The full text of the article in Times New Roman.
  • A 75-150 word biography (at the end of the document)
  • The author's contact information
  • The reference style you are using (APA, MLA, Vancouver/AMA, Chicago), if applicable
  • Please do not include any special formatting, including formatted endnotes, page numbers, or images.
  • See below for directions on illustrations

Poetry

  • The first poem's title and page numbers in the document header
  • Author(s) names, titles/degrees, professional affiliation, and location (as you would like it listed in the journal).
  • The full text of the article in Times New Roman.
  • A 75-150 word biography (at the end of the document)
  • The poet's contact information
  • Include a poet statement of no more than 200 words.

Art

  • Attach each submission as an individual JPEG or GIF file
  • In an attached Rich Text Format or Word document, include:
        • Captions (title, medium, dimensions)
        • An artist statement of no more than 200 words
        • A 75-150 word biography
        • Artist's last name and page numbers in header (if more than one page)

Illustrations for articles or poetry

  • Attach each illustration as an individual JPEG or GIF file
  • In an attached Rich Text Format or Word document, include:
        • Captions and source (Wikipedia, etc).
        • If art, include the title, medium, dimensions, and date of work as well as the artist's name, country of origin, and years of birth and death.

File format/name

Please save the submission 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

For illustrations, include the name of the item plus the artist or source, if there is no artist. 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 (e.g. Fig number_Name of item_artist's last name/source.jpeg):

  • For the illustration of the figure, "Starry night" by Vincent Van Gogh, save as follow

Fig 1_Starry night_Van Gogh.JPG

 

  • For an illustration from the public domain, include the source in place of the artist's name, as in the case of a photo of a Beech tree from Wikipedia:

Fig 1_Beech tree_Wikipedia.JPG

References


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


  • Use one of the following four styles: Modern Language Association (MLA), the American Psychological Association (APA), AMA, 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


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


Copyright

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 be 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.