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Call for papersPublic health and epidemiology

Call for Papers: Long COVID (Discover Public Health)

Discover Public Health is assembling a collection on the public health aspects of long COVID. This guide outlines topic areas consistent with that scope, fit checks, contribution types editors tend to value and practical steps for submitting before the 1 April 2027 deadline.

Pubrica InsightsEditorial team, reviewed by a subject specialist
Deadline
1 April 2027
Last checked
10 November 2026
Reading time
5 min
Sources
1
Submit through the official call

Key dates

Manuscript deadline
1 April 2027
Details last checked
10 November 2026
Open the official call

About the journal

Journal
Discover Public Health
Publisher
Springer Nature
Call type
Call for papers
Scope
Collection on the public health aspects of long COVID.
Guest editors
Listed on the official collection page
Access and fees
Open access; an article processing charge normally applies on acceptance
Originality
Original work, not under review elsewhere; confirm on the official page

Topics consistent with the call

  • Prevalence, incidence and risk factors for long COVID across populations
  • Effects of long COVID on employment, education and economic participation
  • Health service use, rehabilitation pathways and access to care
  • Inequalities in the burden of long COVID and in service provision
  • Lived experience, stigma and social support among people with long COVID
  • Surveillance, case definitions and measurement of long COVID at population level

Based on the published scope; the full list of themes is on the official call page.

Is your work a fit? Check before you write

  1. Address long COVID from a population or public health perspective.
  2. State the case definition used and justify it.
  3. Account for confounding, selection and follow-up limitations appropriately.
  4. Follow an appropriate reporting guideline and confirm article types and charges on the official call page.
  5. Submit a complete, co-author-approved manuscript before 1 April 2027.

Why This Call Is a Priority Now

Long COVID continues to affect people’s health, work and daily lives well beyond the acute phase of infection. Its public health dimensions include burden estimation, effects on the workforce, unequal impacts and the design of services that meet long-term needs. Evidence remains fragmented by differing definitions and methods. A themed open access collection gives authors a place to contribute population-level evidence that can inform planning, services and policy.

Who Should Submit

Academic backgrounds

  • Public health and epidemiology
  • Infectious disease research
  • Rehabilitation medicine
  • Health services research
  • Occupational health

Institutions and sectors

  • Universities and public health schools
  • Public health agencies
  • Health service providers and rehabilitation clinics
  • Patient organisations

Article types commonly published in Discover Public Health

  • See the journal’s article types

What the Editors Typically Value

  1. Population-based cohort studies with clear case definitions and adequate follow-up.
  2. Research on social and economic consequences of long COVID, including work and education.
  3. Evaluations of service models and rehabilitation pathways for people with long COVID.
  4. Studies that examine inequalities in who develops long COVID and who receives support.

Paper Ideas You Could Develop

Return to work after long COVIDA cohort study of employment outcomes among adults with long COVID, examining factors associated with sustained return to work.
Service access by deprivationAn analysis of referrals to long COVID clinics by area-level deprivation and ethnicity.
Lived experience of stigmaA qualitative study of how people with long COVID experience stigma or disbelief in health care and workplace settings.

Your Plan to the Deadline

A suggested schedule working back from 1 April 2027. Adjust it to the stage your work has reached.

  1. By 15 Feb 2027

    Open the official collection page and the Discover Public Health submission guidelines; confirm the scope, article types and guest editors.

  2. By 1 Mar 2027

    Write a one-paragraph statement of your research question, design and the contribution your paper makes to the collection.

  3. By 11 Mar 2027

    Complete the analysis and agree the key findings, figures and tables with your co-authors.

  4. By 22 Mar 2027

    Draft the full manuscript to the Discover Public Health article type and the relevant reporting guideline.

  5. By 27 Mar 2027

    Circulate the draft to co-authors and an independent reader; revise for clarity, accuracy and completeness.

  6. By 30 Mar 2027

    Complete final checks: formatting, references, declarations, data availability statement and cover letter.

  7. By 1 Apr 2027

    Submit through the journal’s online system, selecting the collection, after re-checking the official call page.

What you gain from publishing here

  • Publication in Discover Public Health, reaching readers working on this topic.
  • A themed collection that groups your paper with related work.
  • Editorial and peer feedback that can strengthen the work, whatever the decision.
  • A peer-reviewed output for your CV, thesis or grant reporting.

What happens after you submit

  1. Submission: upload through the Discover Public Health online system and select the collection.
  2. Editorial screening: the editors check fit with the collection; papers outside its scope may be returned without review.
  3. Peer review: suitable papers are sent to reviewers under the journal’s review model.
  4. Revision and decision: respond to each reviewer comment and keep a record of the changes.
  5. Production: accepted papers move to proofs and open access publication, with the article processing charge set out by the publisher.

What the Collection Is Looking For

The collection seeks research on the public health aspects of long COVID. Consistent with the journal’s remit, it is likely to welcome epidemiological, health services, social science and policy studies that address burden, risk factors, inequalities, service provision and the wider social and economic effects of the condition. Clear definitions and transparent methods will strengthen a submission. Authors should confirm accepted article types and article processing charges on the official call page.

Read the call itselfThis guide summarises the call. Open the official collection page before you plan a submission, and record the date you checked it and the guest editors listed.Open the official call

Expert help

How Pubrica Can Help With This Submission

Pubrica’s subject specialists can review, write, edit, format and prepare your manuscript for this call, planned back from the deadline. You remain the author of your work.

Pre-submission peer reviewAn expert review of the manuscript against the call and the journal’s requirements. Manuscript editingSubject-specialist editing for clarity, accuracy and consistency. Journal formattingFormatting of the manuscript, references, figures and tables to the journal’s guidelines. BiostatisticsStatistical analysis and review of results. Cover letterA cover letter that explains how the manuscript fits the call. Journal submissionPreparation of submission files and completion of the online submission.
Go to the official call

FAQs

Questions Authors Ask

The published deadline is 1 April 2027. Collections can close early or be extended, so confirm the date on the official call page before you plan your submission.

The guest editors are listed on the official collection page. Check their research interests, as they help to judge whether your manuscript fits the collection.

The collection focuses on public health aspects, so a clinical case series may fit less well unless it has clear population or service implications. Authors should check the official call page for further scope guidance.

Access model: Open access. Check the journal’s fees page for any article processing charge before you submit.

Sources

  1. Discover Public Health. (2026). Long COVID [Collection call for papers]. Springer Nature. Retrieved 10 November 2026, from https://link.springer.com/journal/12982/collections

How to cite this page

Pubrica Insights. (2026). Call for Papers: Long COVID (Discover Public Health). Pubrica. https://pubrica.com/insights/calls-and-conferences/long-covid/

  • Long COVID
  • Post-COVID condition
  • Public health
  • Health services
  • Epidemiology

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Long COVID (Discover Public Health)Deadline 1 April 2027

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