Authorship Criteria

Follow the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) guidelines for determining authorship. These guidelines base authorship on the following four criteria:

• Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; and
• Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; and
• Final approval of the version to be published; and
• Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved

Submission Types

The following are guidelines for the submission types that are being accepted by the journal. Page, figure/table, and reference maximums are not hard limits but suggestions to help authors aim for a concise use of words and images and to avoid lengthy or needlessly complicated submissions. 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

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 Marshall Journal of Medicine. Original research should add to scientific knowledge and have implications for patient care. All human and animal studies must be completed per ethical principles and institutional approvals. A structured abstract (Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, Keywords) no more than 350 words should be included. Institutional review board (IRB) letters are required for any research study submitted to the journal, including those exempted from IRB oversight. While this online publication has no definitive length requirements, manuscripts are typically less than 4000 words with no more than five figures/tables. There are no limits on the number of references that may be included.,

Clinical Review: A review article is a survey of academic literature on a topic of interest. The body text shouldn’t exceed 4000 words with no more than five figures or tables. Keep the reference list to 50 citations or less. An abstract of no more than 250 words should be included. Mini-reviews will also be considered.

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 study's outcome. 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 2000 words, excluding references. An unstructured abstract of no more than 250 words should be included.

Case Series consists 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 article should describe a challenging diagnostic, therapeutic, or management problem in the field and offer possible solutions to address these challenges 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 2,500 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.

Clinical Image consists of a high-quality image or video that clearly shows a disease or condition. The text should consist of the case presentation and a discussion and be no more than 1000 words with no more than five figures or videos. There should be fewer than six authors. No more than ten references should be cited. The abstract should describe the case and have no more than 150 words. Informed consent protocols, including written patient permission for using a likeness, must be followed. Written consent is required to use any image depicting a patient, from histochemical studies to photos of the patient’s body.

Quality Improvement and Patient Safety This article type reports an intervention or change that significantly improves patient outcomes. The body text shouldn’t exceed 3000 words. It should have a structured abstract (Background, Methods, Results, Conclusion, Keywords) with no more than 300 words. It should have no more than three tables or figures and 20 or fewer references. You should note in your methods section:” This project was undertaken as a Quality Improvement project and does not need Institutional Review Board (IRB) review.” If the project was reviewed by the IRB and was determined not to be human subjects research, then note: “ This Quality Improvement project was reviewed and exempted by the facility's Institutional Review Board.

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 five figures/tables and up to 40 references.

Review Articles thoroughly examine a medical, scientific, or therapeutic technique or a policy topic. These reviews reflect the field's current state based primarily on literature. Please see the aims and scope for the breadth of topics published in the Marshall Journal of Medicine. The journal will consider 2 types of review articles: Systematic Reviews and Narrative Reviews.

• Systematic Reviews are critical assessments of the literature and data sources pertaining to clinical topics, emphasizing factors such as cause, diagnosis, prognosis, therapy, or prevention. They address a specific question or issue that is relevant to clinical practice and provide an evidence-based, balanced, patient-oriented review on a focused topic. Systematic Reviews without a meta-analysis are published as Reviews; those with a meta-analysis are published as Original Articles. Authors must follow EQUATOR Reporting Guidelines.

  Systematic Reviews include a structured abstract (Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion) with the following subsections, if appropriate: Pathophysiology, Clinical Presentation, Assessment and Diagnosis, Treatment and Prognosis, Discussion, and Conclusions. Manuscripts should have a maximum of 3000 words (not including abstract, tables, figures, acknowledgments, or references) with no more than 5 total tables and figures and 50-75 references.

• Narrative Reviews are evidence-based summaries on a defined topic, often covering a range of specific areas of study from pathophysiology to treatment. They include the following: a structured abstract (Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion) with the following subsections, if appropriate: Pathophysiology, Clinical Presentation, Assessment and Diagnosis, Treatment and Prognosis, and Conclusions. Manuscripts are typically 2000-3500 words (maximum) with no more than 5 total tables and figures and 50-75 references.

Commentaries discuss the findings, implications, and 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.

EditorialsThe editorial board members generally write editorials. In limited circumstances, guest editorials are written by experts other than those listed on the editorial board. Manuscripts are typically less than 1000 words;an abstract is not required and contains 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 is submitted in response to an article published in the Marshall Journal of Medicine in the previous six months (past three 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. Each submission should include a cover letter sharing some background on the submission, a title, any descriptive elements needed, and acknowledgments of contributions to the work from others.

Submission Requirements

Please follow these guidelines as closely as possible. Articles not conforming to the guidelines may be returned for revision before being assigned an editor. Following these guidelines will ensure your article will begin the peer review process promptly.

Cover Letter

Because the journal uses a double-blind reviewing procedure, the cover letter will include the usual title page information, including authorship and affiliations, and contact information for the corresponding author, with postal address, email address, and telephone number. It should include the type of article being submitted, the word count of the abstract and body text, and whether it has been previously submitted to other publications or presented at a conference or meeting. Disclosures of financial support, including grant numbers, should also be provided. These disclosures might need additional documentation as required by the journal.

Formatting

Prepare your manuscript by the AMA Manual of Style, 11th edition or the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals.

Manuscripts should be sent in a Word document and not as a PDF. Individual files should be less than 5 MB each. An exception to these rules can be made if a video is part of your submission.

The manuscript file should include an abstract, body text, references, figure captions, and tables if needed. Don't include a title page with your submission, as reviews are double-blind. Any supplementary information should be included in separate files.

Abstract

The structured abstract should include sections titled ‘Background’, ‘Methods’, ‘Results’, ‘Conclusions’, and ‘Keywords’ for research and review articles. Other submissions should include an unstructured abstract or brief summary of the contents as noted above.

Body Text

Use 10- to 12-point Arial or Times New Roman fonts for all text and double-spaced lines. Use bold type and all-caps for main headings and bold types with sentence case for secondary headings. If emphasis is needed in the text, use italics, not boldface type.

References

References should use AMA style. Author and editor lists of more than six should show the first three followed by “ et al.” Journal titles should be abbreviated according to the style used for MEDLINE. References should be listed in the order they appear in the text.

Data Analyses and Statistics

Descriptive and inferential statistics should be described in full in the Methods section, including power analyses, the purpose of the analyses, and if any data were excluded. When reporting statistical analyses in the results, provide an interpretation of the statistical output and the numeric results. This includes an explanation of the direction of the effect and what that statistic says about your data. We strongly encourage the calculation of effect sizes such as Cohen’s d, eta squared, and r-squared.

Tables

Tables should be formatted in Word or Excel, so your data can be directly imported for publication, avoiding transcription errors.

Tables should be numbered consecutively with Arabic numerals and in order of their first citation in the text. Each table should have a short but explanatory title that allows the table to stand alone without the text. Make sure all tables are cited in the text.

Each column should have a brief title or heading. Footnotes can be used to expand on information rather than having lengthy titles or column headings. Use symbols in the following order for footnotes: *, †, ‡, § Double these symbols in the same order for additional footnotes.

Data published or unpublished from another source should be acknowledged, and permission obtained from the authors or publication.

Supplementary tables can be included when data are too extensive or ancillary to the discussion in the text but provide needed or useful context. Such tables should be cited in the text and noted that they are included in the supplements for the article. Include such tables as part of the manuscript submission so that the peer reviewers can read them.

Figures

Photographs, illustrations, clinical, radiological, and diagnostic images should be high-resolution photographic files. Any symbols, arrows, scale markers, or text on images should contrast with the background. Graphs should include data sets in tabular form in either Word or Excel, if possible, to be recreated consistently. Figures should be numbered consecutively with Arabic numerals and in order of their first citation in the text. A complete sentence caption should be included for further exposition on all figures. Make sure all figures are cited in the text. All figures and captions should be included on a separate manuscript page.

If a figure has been published previously or is under copyright or requires a citation (such as under a Creative Commons license), the source should be cited in the figure caption, and written permission for reproduction should be provided when necessary.

Supplements and Media

Media files and data sets should be included as supplementary material.

Additional supplements from those noted above should include statements of any conflicts of interest for all authors. Acknowledgments and any other notes of a personal or identifying nature should also be included in the supplementary materials to avoid revealing the authors’ identities to peer reviewers. If any previously published figures or tables exist, permission for reuse must be attached. When required, patient permission should also be included for all cases and any use of a patient's likeness, even for de-identified images. Please include publication approval from your facility or organization.

Revision Requirements

After a decision has been made regarding your submission, and assuming it wasn’t rejected, you should revise your work, informed by the comments from the reviewers and Editor. We require you to submit your revision as a Word document with your changes tracked and major additions or changes highlighted. Once you have revised your manuscript, you will go to your submission on this site and choose the “ Revise Submission” link, and upload the new version. Review the abstract you included earlier to ensure your revisions are reflected there. (Edits to the abstract don’t require tracked or highlighted changes, make your edits in the revision window.)

Another requirement for the revision process is the reviewer letter. Each reviewer’s feedback should be addressed in a letter that notes how you resolved each critique or why you didn’t revise per their recommendations.

There are different ways to structure your reviewer letters, but make sure you respond to each item in the reviews. You can work from the original reviewer document and add notes following each action item. Use a different text color or separate your comments in a table. When a change was made in the text, note the section, page number, and line number where the change was made. The reviewer letter will speed up the re-review process and helps our reviewers.

You can also upload reviewer letters When you submit your revised manuscript. Upload each reviewer's letter there, and the reviewers will be able to see your corrections while they read the revised manuscript. Creating a single document with your response to all reviewer comments that can be sent to each reviewer is acceptable.

If you do not provide a tracked-changes Word file and don’t include a reviewer letter, the Editor will not send the article out for re-review, and the next decision on your article will be delayed.

NOTE: Word documents with tracked changes will likely include the personal information of any co-authors who edit the file. Authors should clear personal information in Word by clicking on ‘ File’ then the ‘ Click for Issues’ box, and then select ‘ Inspect Document’ Ensure the ‘ Document Properties and Personal Information’ box is checked, then click ‘ Inspect&rsquo. If Word has stored any personal information, the option to ‘ Remove All’ personal data will appear. Click this and then save the file. The document should now be free of personal information in the tracked changes and comments.

Publishing Workflow

Submission Procedures

Be sure your manuscript is complete and you have collected all required supplementary materials, including disclosures and permissions. Go to the journal home page and select 'Submit.' Follow the instructions. Finally, click 'Accept' on the submission agreement. The Marshall Journal of Medicine conforms to the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI) funding model in that 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. The article processing fee is charged only if the article is accepted after going through the peer review process.

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

Editorial and Peer Review

The editorial team will initially check all submissions for completeness and to ensure the submission's content and quality align with the journal’s mission and scope. Submissions may be rejected at this point or returned with the option to resubmit with changes or additions.

Articles approved for review will be read and commented upon by at least two peer reviewers under a double-blind procedure. The reviewers will not know the identity of the author(s), and the author(s) will not know the identity of the reviewers.

There are five results of the submission procedures: accept, accept with minor revisions, minor revisions required, major revisions required, or reject.

After Revisions/Acceptance

After your article is accepted, you must make any changes suggested by the reviewers or document because you didn’t take their advice. If the changes are substantive, the Editor may request an additional round of reviews. The Editor-in-Chief will make the final determination on whether your article is published.