WA

Women and Birth

Women and Birth is the official journal of the Australian College of Midwives and publishes midwifery research and scholarship on pregnancy, birth, and the first six weeks post-partum. The journal has a woman-centred focus inclusive of partners, families, fetus and newborn, and covers healthy and complex pregnancies and births. It welcomes primary research papers, systematic reviews, and research-informed discussion papers relevant to midwifery practice, research, theory, education, management, leadership, maternity service provision, maternal and newborn health, respectful maternity care, breastfeeding, primary health care, and related disciplines.

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Subject Nursing, Obstetrics & Gynecology
Impact Factor 4.1
Quartile Q1
Open Access Type Hybrid
ISSN 1871-5192
eISSN 1878-1799
Invitation Only No
Cost Range Open access APC: USD 3730 excluding taxes for all articles; subscription publication has no open access publication fee.

Submission Instructions

Women and Birth accepts the following article types. Click on an article type to view submission instructions.

Research Articles

Cover Letter A cover letter is required. The cover letter must disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest.
Abstract A structured abstract is required. Abstract must be under 250 words. Abstract must be structured. Abstract headings must be Problem, Background, Question, Hypothesis or Aim, Methods, Findings, Discussion, and Conclusion.
Manuscript Manuscript must not exceed 5000 words. Research Articles should be organised with the headings Introduction, Participants, Ethics and Methods, Findings or Results, Discussion, Conclusion, and Acknowledgments and Disclosures. The manuscript must include a Statement of Significance table in the introduction of 100 words or less with the headings Problem or Issue, What is Already Known, and What this Paper Adds, and must include a separate declaration section before the references titled 'Declaration of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the manuscript preparation process' when such tools are used.
References References must not exceed 50. References must follow International Council of Medical Journal Editors recommendations using the Lancet Output Style. Every reference listed must be cited in the text, and every in-text citation must appear in the reference list.
Figures & Tables Research Articles must not exceed 6 tables or figures. Figures must be submitted as separate files, while tables must be submitted as editable text. Tables must not exceed six typeset pages.
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Review Articles

Cover Letter A cover letter is required. Cover letter must disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest and confirm that publication is approved by all authors.
Abstract A structured abstract is required. Abstract must be under 250 words. Abstract must be structured. Abstract headings should be Problem, Background, Question, Hypothesis or Aim, Methods, Findings, Discussion, and Conclusion.
Manuscript Manuscript must not exceed 5000 words. Manuscript must be arranged as structured abstract and keywords, main text including acknowledgments or disclosures and references, followed by tables and figures. Manuscript must include four to six keywords, a compulsory acknowledgements section, and a separate AI declaration section before the references if AI tools were used in manuscript preparation.
References References must not exceed 70. References must follow International Council of Medical Journal Editors recommendations using the Lancet Output Style. Every reference list entry must be cited in the text, and all in-text citations must appear in the reference list.
Figures & Tables The combined total of tables and figures must not exceed 6. Figures must be submitted as separate files, and tables must be submitted as editable text. Tables must not exceed six typeset pages.
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Systematic Reviews

Cover Letter A cover letter is required. The cover letter must disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest and imply that publication is approved by all authors and by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out.
Abstract A structured abstract is required. Abstract must be under 250 words. Abstract must be structured. Abstract headings must be Problem, Background, Question, Hypothesis or Aim, Methods, Findings, Discussion, and Conclusion.
Manuscript Manuscript must not exceed 5000 words. Manuscript must be arranged as a structured abstract and keywords, manuscript including acknowledgments or disclosures and references, tables, and figures. Manuscript must include four to six keywords, an acknowledgements section, a conflict of interests statement, and a separate declaration of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies before the references when applicable.
References References must not exceed 70. References must follow International Council of Medical Journal Editors recommendations using the Lancet Output Style. Every reference list entry must be cited in the text, and all text citations must appear in the reference list.
Figures & Tables Tables and figures combined must not exceed 6. Figures must be uploaded as separate files, and tables must be submitted as editable text rather than images. Tables must not exceed six typeset pages.
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Meta-Analyses

Cover Letter A cover letter is required. The cover letter must disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest and submission implies approval by all authors.
Abstract A structured abstract is required. The abstract must be under 250 words. The abstract must be structured. The abstract should use the headings Problem, Background, Question, Hypothesis or Aim, Methods, Findings, Discussion, and Conclusion.
Manuscript The manuscript must not exceed 5000 words. The complete manuscript must be arranged as structured abstract and keywords, manuscript including acknowledgments or disclosures and references, tables, and figures. The manuscript must include four to six keywords, an acknowledgements section, and a separate declaration of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies before the references when applicable.
References The reference list must not exceed 70 references. References must follow the International Council of Medical Journal Editors recommendations using the Lancet output style. Every reference listed must be cited in the text and references should follow ICMJE formatting.
Figures & Tables The submission must not exceed a combined total of 6 tables or figures. Figures must be uploaded as separate files and tables must be submitted as editable text. Tables must not exceed six typeset pages.
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Meta Syntheses

Cover Letter A cover letter is required. The cover letter must disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest and confirm publication is approved by all authors and by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out.
Abstract A structured abstract is required. Abstract must be under 250 words. Abstract must be structured. Abstract headings should be Problem, Background, Question, Hypothesis or Aim, Methods, Findings, Discussion, and Conclusion.
Manuscript Manuscript must not exceed 5000 words. Manuscript must be arranged as structured abstract and keywords, manuscript including acknowledgments or disclosures and references, tables, and figures. Manuscript must include four to six keywords, an acknowledgements section, a conflict of interests statement, and a separate AI declaration section before the references if AI tools were used in manuscript preparation.
References References must not exceed 70. References must follow International Council of Medical Journal Editors recommendations using the Lancet output style. All references listed must be cited in the text and all in-text citations must appear in the reference list.
Figures & Tables Tables and figures together must not exceed 6. Figures must be uploaded as separate files, and tables must be submitted as editable text. Tables must not exceed six typeset pages.
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Letter To The Editor

Cover Letter A cover letter is required for submission. The cover letter must disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest and submission implies approval by all authors.
Abstract Abstract requirements are not specified.
Manuscript Letter to the Editor text is limited to 350 words. An AI declaration section before the references is required when generative AI or AI-assisted technologies were used in manuscript preparation.
References Letter to the Editor must not exceed 5 references. References must follow the International Council of Medical Journal Editors recommendations. All references in the reference list must be cited in the text and all in-text references must appear in the reference list.
Figures & Tables Letter to the Editor may include one small table, figure, or image. Images or figures must be uploaded as separate files. Tables must be submitted as editable text rather than images.
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Recent Publications

Corrigendum to “Telling, Not Asking: How power shapes decision-making in antenatal care” [Women Birth, 39, Supplementary S1 (2026), 102259]

Madeline Hawke, Linda Sweet, Julie Considine

10.1016/j.wombi.2026.102425
View Publication

The role, scope and impact of Chief Midwives — Findings from a global study

S. Bar-Zeev, B. Calvert, J. Dunkley-Bent, A. Weatherstone, C.S.E. Homer, S. Turkmani

10.1016/j.wombi.2026.102424
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Quality of intrapartum midwifery care in Austria: Implications for birth satisfaction and maternal mental health

Miriam Sticker, Michael Weber, Tanja Stamm, Katharina E. Pink

10.1016/j.wombi.2026.102401
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Synthetic oxytocin prophylaxis vs physiologic third-stage care for postpartum hemorrhage prevention in physiologic births: A population-based cohort study (2015–2022)

Vanessa Hébert, Giulia M. Muraca, Sheryll Dimanlig-Cruz, Elizabeth K. Darling

10.1016/j.wombi.2026.102422
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Women’s perceptions of maternity care quality in China: Findings from the Chinese version of the Quality Maternal and Newborn Care Framework index

Yan Li, Jie Tao, Xinqian Geng, Yixuan Su, Jinyi Li, Hairong Lv, Ernv Yang, Rui Wang, Li Geng, Andrew Symon, Jinguo Zhai

10.1016/j.wombi.2026.102409
View Publication

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to publish?

6 days submission to first decision; 68 days submission to decision after review; 123 days submission to acceptance; 11 days acceptance to online publication.

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Is a cover letter required?

A cover letter is required for every submission. It must disclose conflicts of interest, sources of outside support, and acknowledge any related article based on the same work that has been submitted or published elsewhere.

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What are the publication costs?

Open access APC is USD 3730 excluding taxes for all articles. Subscription publication has no open access publication fee.

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Research Topics

Maternal and Perinatal Health Interventions Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum Global Maternal and Child Health Breastfeeding Practices and Influences Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health Nursing education and management Maternal and fetal healthcare Global Health Workforce Issues Gestational Diabetes Research and Management Infant Development and Preterm Care Pelvic floor disorders treatments Indigenous Health, Education, and Rights Diverse Scientific and Economic Studies Human auditory perception and evaluation COVID-19 Impact on Reproduction Educational Robotics and Engineering Nursing Roles and Practices Preterm Birth and Chorioamnionitis Family and Patient Care in Intensive Care Units Reproductive Health and Contraception Pregnancy-related medical research Migration, Health and Trauma Pregnancy and preeclampsia studies Neonatal and fetal brain pathology Prenatal Substance Exposure Effects

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