Southern African Journal of Publich Health incorporating Strengthening Health Systems invites submissions that:

• Promote greater understanding of health systems in all contexts
• Highlight interventions that work and those that do not
• Identify lessons that future policy makers and programme designers can learn from, and
• Highlight knowledge gaps that will refine the health system research agenda.

The core content of the journal is original scientific reports and discussion papers on successes and failures in health system strengthening interventions worldwide, with a focus on identifying lessons that future programme designers and policy makers can learn from, and knowledge gaps to be filled through academic study. In recognition of the fact that success or failure depends on many external factors that may be unrelated to the technical aspects of project design, SAJPH will publish analyses of the political, social, cultural and economic environment of health systems interventions to further understanding of what works and what does not in specific contexts. Shorter comment articles on issues of controversy or debate in any area of health systems science or intervention are also welcome.

Educational articles focusing on, for example, issues related to the use of programmatic and operational data, trends in impact analysis and evaluations, and appropriate indicators of health system strengthening, will be commissioned by the editorial team with guidance from the International Advisory Board.

The journal also intends to be a forum for debate about how best to apply the conventions of scientific investigation to health and development challenges; how to report on health systems interventions in ways that are useful for all prospective audiences; and to facilitate consensus-building on the tools and techniques that practitioners can use to improve the rigor of the field.