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Instructions to Authors

Table of Contents

  1. Open Access
  2. Article Processing Charge (APC)
  3. Article Types
  4. Editorial Process
  5. Peer Review Process
  6. Preparing Your Manuscript
  7. Submitting Your Manuscript
  8. Production, Proofreading, and Publication
  9. Correction and Retraction

This Journal recommends that authors follow the Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals formulated by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

Please read the guidelines below then visit the journal's submission site https://mds.marshall.edu/cgi/submit.cgi?context=mjm to upload your manuscript. Please note that manuscripts not conforming to these guidelines may be returned.

Only manuscripts of sufficient quality that meet the aims and scope of the Marshall Journal of Medicine will be reviewed.

As part of the submission process you will be required to warrant that you are submitting your original work, that you have the rights in the work, that you are submitting the work for first publication in the Journal and that it is not being considered for publication elsewhere and has not already been published elsewhere, and that you have obtained and can supply all necessary permissions for the reproduction of any copyright works not owned by you.

1. Open Access

The Marshall Journal of Medicine conforms to the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI) funding model in that it all content is freely available to individuals and institutions without an embargo period. Users may "read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full text of the articles." Each article accepted by peer review is published under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

There is no charge for submitting a manuscript to the journal.

2. Article Processing Charge (APC)

If, after peer review, your manuscript is accepted for publication, a one-time article processing charge (APC) is payable. This APC covers the cost of publication and ensures that your article will be freely available online in perpetuity under a Creative Commons license.

The article processing charge (APC) is $ 400 per publication. MJM offers a reduced APC fee of $100 to trainees including medical students, graduate students, residents, and fellows. MJM offers waivers and discounts for APCs for papers whose corresponding authors are based in low-income countries classified by the World Bank as low-income economies. If you have additional questions, please contact .

3. Article Types

Before submitting your manuscript to the Marshall Journal of Medicine, please ensure you have read the Aims and Scope.

Contributions falling into the following categories will be considered for publication:

Peer-reviewed publications describing original work:

  • Original Articles detail original experiments and research conducted by the authors. Research on any topic is accepted, provided it falls within the aims and scope of the journal. Original research should add to scientific knowledge on the subject, and all human and animal studies must be completed in accordance with ethical principles and institutional approvals. An unstructured abstract of no more than 250 words should be included. While there are no definitive length requirements for this online publication, manuscripts are typically less than 3500 words with no more than 5 figures/tables and up to 40 references.
  • Brief Reports consist of short reports that present new information that adds to previous studies. These may include reports on the reliability of research or inform readers of new factors that may influence the outcome of the study. Authors must acknowledge the foundational work, including any unpublished sources. Manuscripts should ideally be no longer than 2,000 words, excluding references, and contain a maximum of 3 figures/tables and up to 25 references. An unstructured abstract of no more than 250 words should be included.
  • Case Reports describe a great diagnostic or therapeutic challenge regarding a new, interesting, or rare case. A learning point should be provided for readers, and cases with clinical significance or practice implications will be given priority. A case report should include a relevant literature review and present the implication of the case on a broader scale. Manuscripts should ideally be no longer than 1,500 words, excluding references. An unstructured abstract of no more than 250 words should be included.
  • Case Series consist of a description of a group of participants, patients, or entities with a similar experience, exposure, or treatment. Similar to a case report, these observational studies do not include a control group for comparison. This type of article should describe a challenging diagnostic, therapeutic, or management problem in the field and offer possible solutions to address these challenges in order to educate clinicians. A case series should include a relevant literature review and present the implication of the case on a broader scale. Manuscripts should ideally be no longer than 2,000 words, excluding references, and contain a maximum of 3 figures/tables and up to 25 references. An unstructured abstract of no more than 250 words should be included.
  • Methodology reports detail a new method or an improvement in existing methodologies, such as medical procedures, diagnostics, or assessment processes in therapeutic techniques. An unstructured abstract of no more than 250 words should be included. Manuscripts are typically less than 3500 words with no more than 5 figures/tables and up to 40 references.

Publications expressing opinions, perspectives, and personal analysis:

Except for review articles, these contributions do not require an abstract.

  • Review Articles provide a detailed examination of a medical, scientific, therapeutic technique, or policy topic. These reviews reflect the current state of the field based primarily on the literature. The Marshall Journal of Medicine accepts unsolicited review manuscripts for peer review. Please see the aims and scope for the breadth of topics published in the Marshall Journal of Medicine. Review articles are typically no more than 3000 words with a maximum of 5 figures/tables and unlimited references. An unstructured abstract of no more than 150 words should be included.
  • Commentaries discuss the findings, implications, and/or outcomes of research on a general topic. These articles elaborate on or offer original ideas about a specific paper or a widely researched subject. Commentaries differ from reviews in that these articles present the author's original ideas and suggestions instead of only collating and reporting the previous research. Commentaries are generally less than 1500 words with a maximum of 3 figures/tables and 30 references.
  • Editorials are written by the editor-in-chief, a guest editor, or an associate editor of the Journal. Editorials are intended to inform readers of changes concerning the Journal or to introduce supplements, special issues, or new ideas relevant to the Journal readership. In limited circumstances, persons other than those listed here may propose an editorial topic to the editor-in-chief for consideration. Manuscripts are typically less than 1000 words and contain a maximum of 1 figure or table and up to 10 references.
  • Perspectives typically present an opinion based on practical experience. These manuscripts are similar to commentaries but stem from personal experience. These articles cover timely, relevant topics in health care, medicine, and beyond in a brief, accessible style. Manuscripts are typically less than 1200 words and can include 1 figure or table and up to 5 references.
  • Letters to the Editor are submitted in response to an article published in the Marshall Journal of Medicine in the previous 6 months (past 3 published issues). The text is limited to 300 words with 1 figure/table and up to 5 references.
  • At the "Heart" of HealthCare includes personal anecdotes of encounters in health care through the experiences of patients, health professionals, educators, students, and caregivers. These manuscripts are not peer reviewed and are reflective narratives of up to 500 words.
  • Viewpoints are usually solicited by the editors and are intended to present an insightful, thoroughly documented slant on a topic. The topic covered is either controversial or inconclusive based on the literature. Such an article should be a maximum of 1500 words with no more than 12 references and, if needed, a single display item (table, figure, or callout box).

While there are no limits on the number of authors for peer-reviewed manuscripts (original articles, brief reports, case reports, and methodology), authors should be limited to a maximum of 3 for all other submissions.

4. Editorial Process

Quality peer review is at the core of sustainable scholarly publishing. The Marshall Journal of Medicine implements a standardized editorial process with rigorous pre-check, peer review, and editorial decision-making. Through being thorough in process and strict in quality, we aim to provide a friendly, easy, and prompt service to authors. Authors have a number of opportunities to submit rebuttals against review comments or editorial decisions. We take immediate action in response to authors’ inquiries or requests. As soon as a submission is received, the editorial process begins with pre-check (whether the manuscript falls within the scope of the Journal). Manuscripts of low quality, with false author information, proven plagiarism, or lack of any required information will be rejected immediately. Manuscripts considered suitable for further evaluation will be sent to independent reviewers for peer review. The Journal's policy is to have manuscripts reviewed by three expert reviewers. As part of the submission process, authors are asked to provide the names of two peers who could be called upon to review their manuscript. Recommended reviewers should be experts in their field and should be able to provide an objective assessment of the manuscript. Please note that the editors are not obliged to invite any recommended reviewers to assess an author’s manuscript.

The Journal strictly adheres to the criteria specified by COPE, OASPA, WAME and DOAJ for ethical scholarly publishing with maximum transparency; therefore, we hope that reviewers who accept review commitments will also follow the ethical requirements. Please be aware of any conflicts of interest when recommending reviewers. Examples of conflicts of interest include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • The reviewer should have no prior knowledge of your submission.
  • The reviewer should not have recently collaborated with any of the authors.

5. Peer Review Process

The Marshall Journal of Medicine utilizes a double-blind peer review process in which the reviewer's name and information is withheld from the author and the author's name and information is withheld from the reviewers. All manuscripts are reviewed as rapidly as possible, while maintaining rigor. Reviewers make comments to the author and recommendations to the editor editor-in-chief who then makes the final decision.

The editor or members of the editorial board may occasionally submit their own manuscripts for possible publication in the Journal. In these cases, the peer review process will be managed by alternative members of the board and the submitting editor or board member will have no involvement in the decision-making process.

6. Preparing Your Manuscript

6.1 Authorship

Papers should only be submitted for consideration once consent is given by all contributing authors. Those submitting papers should carefully check that all those whose work contributed to the paper are acknowledged as contributing authors. The list of authors should include all those who can legitimately claim authorship.

This includes those who:

  1. Made a substantial contribution to the concept or design of the work; or acquisition, analysis or interpretation of data,
  2. Drafted the article or revised it critically for important intellectual content, or
  3. Approved the version to be published.

Authors should meet the conditions of all of the points above. Each author should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for appropriate portions of the content. When a large, multicenter group has conducted the work, the group should identify the individuals who accept direct responsibility for the manuscript. These individuals should fully meet the criteria for authorship.

Acquisition of funding, a collection of data, or general supervision of the research group alone does not constitute authorship, although all contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in the acknowledgments section. Examples of those who might be acknowledged include a person who provided purely technical help, or a department chair who provided only general support. The Marshall Journal of Medicine requires all authors to acknowledge their funding in a consistent fashion under a separate heading.

6.2 Declaration of conflicting interests

It is the policy of The Marshall Journal of Medicine to require a declaration of conflicting interests from all authors enabling a statement to be carried within the paginated pages of all published articles.

Please ensure that a ‘Declaration of Conflicting Interests' statement is included at the end of your manuscript, after any acknowledgments and prior to the references. If no conflict exists, please state that ‘The Author(s) declare(s) that there is no conflict of interest.'

For guidance on conflict of interest statements, please see the ICMJE recommendations.

6.3 Research ethics and patient consent

Medical research involving human subjects must be conducted according to the WMA declaration of Helsinki – ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects.

Submitted manuscripts should conform to the ICMJE Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals, and all papers are reporting animal and/or human studies must state in the methods section that the relevant Ethics Committee or Institutional Review Board provided (or waived) approval. Please ensure that you have provided the full name and institution of the review committee, in addition to the approval number.

For research articles, authors are also required to state in the methods section whether participants provided informed consent and whether the consent was written or verbal.

A statement is required regarding whether written informed consent for patient information and images to be published was provided by the patient(s) or a legally authorized representative.

Please also refer to the ICMJE Recommendations for the Protection of Research Participants

All research involving animals submitted for publication must be approved by an ethics committee with oversight of the facility in which the studies were conducted. The journal has adopted the Consensus Author Guidelines on Animal Ethics and Welfare for Veterinary Journals published by the International Association of Veterinary Editors.

6.4 Clinical trials

The Marshall Journal of Medicine conforms to the ICMJE requirement that clinical trials are registered in a WHO-approved public trials registry at or before the time of first patient enrolment as a condition of consideration for publication. The trial registry name and URL and the registration number must be included at the end of the abstract.

6.5 Reporting guidelines

The relevant EQUATOR Network reporting guidelines should be followed depending on the type of study. For example, all randomized controlled trials submitted for publication should include a completed CONSORT flow chart as a cited figure and the completed CONSORT checklist should be uploaded with your submission as a supplementary file. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses should include the completed PRISMA flow chart as a cited figure and the completed PRISMA checklist should be uploaded with your submission as a supplementary file. The EQUATOR wizard can help you identify the appropriate guideline.

Other resources can be found at NLM's Research Reporting Guidelines and Initiatives.

6.6 Word Processing Formats

The preferred format for your manuscript is Word.

6.7. Figures, and Other Graphics

Submit the manuscript including tables, figures, and appendices as a single file. All tables and figures should appear in the document near where they are referenced in the text. Large tables or figures should be on a page by themselves. In addition, upload editable design files for all figures as “Additional Supplemental Content” in the submission form. Use high-resolution figures, preferably saved in .eps, .ppt, .indd, or.ai formats. Please avoid the .vsd format. Figures supplied in color will appear in color online.

6.8. Supplementary Material

This Journal is able to host additional materials online (e.g. datasets, podcasts, videos, images, etc.) alongside the full-text of the article. These will be subjected to peer-review alongside the article. For more information, please refer to our guidelines on submitting supplementary files, which can be found within our Manuscript Submission Guidelines page.

6.9. Reference Style

References should follow the standards summarized in the NLM's International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals’ sample references webpage and detailed in the NLM's Citing Medicine (2nd ed.) or the AMA Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors (11th ed.)

7. Submitting Your Manuscript

To submit your manuscript to The Marshall Journal of Medicine, please click on Submit Manuscript.

7.1 Title, Keywords, and Abstracts

Please supply a title, short title, abstract, and keywords to accompany your article. The title, keywords, and abstract are key to ensuring readers find your article online through online search engines such as Google.

7.2 Information Required for Completing Your Submission

Provide full contact details for the corresponding author including email, mailing address, and telephone numbers. Academic affiliations are required for all co-authors. These details should be presented separately to the main text of the article to facilitate anonymous peer review. You will be asked to provide contact details and academic affiliations for all co-authors via the submission system and identify who is to be the corresponding author. These details must match what appears on your manuscript. At this stage, please ensure you have included all the required statements and declarations and uploaded any additional supplementary files (including reporting guidelines where relevant).

7.3 Permissions

Authors are responsible for obtaining permission from copyright holders for reproducing any illustrations, tables, figures, or lengthy quotations previously published elsewhere.

8. Production, Proofreading and Publication

Production processes include layout editing, language editing, and conversion to other formats for indexing purposes. These processes are carried out by our internal professional editors. We encourage authors to seek help from native English speaker colleagues prior to our free-of-charge language editing. Before final publication, authors have a last chance to proofread the final version and only make minor necessary corrections. Once your manuscript files have been checked for MJM Production, the corresponding author will be asked to pay the APC fees via a payment link. Once the APC has been processed, your article will be prepared for publication and will appear online in the subsequent issue.

9. Correction and Retraction

Corrections on significant errors found after publication will be published separately in correction form at the end of each issue. Small errors that do not influence the understanding of the study will not be published. We encourage authors to carefully proofread the final version and try to avoid such small corrections after papers are published online. Retractions are published when authors, audience, or editors find honest errors or scientific misconduct, etc., contained in the paper after publication. Editors will investigate the paper in question on a case by case basis, and will contact authors and reviewers before making a final decision of retraction.