Authors

Please review the below article type specifications including the required article lengths, illustrations, table limits and reference counts. The word count excludes the title page, abstract, tables, acknowledgements, contributions and references. Manuscripts should be as succinct as possible.

For further support when making your submission please refer to the resources available on the BMJ Author Hub. Here you will find information on writing and formatting your research through to the peer review process and promoting your paper. You may also wish to use the language editing and translation services provided by BMJ Author Services.

If your article is accepted you can take advantage of BMJ’s partnership with Editage, a free service to help you maximize your article’s reach.

• Original research
• Systematic review
• Review
• Research tools and issues
• Experimental biology symposia
• Brief report
• Letter to the Editor (e-only)
• Supplements

Original research should not exceed 5,000 words and six figures or tables (not including supplementary material) — articles must be fully documented reports of original research, but should be as concise as possible without compromising the data. Articles should be organized as follows: Title page, Unstructured Abstract (250 words max), Introduction, Materials & Methods, Results, Discussion, Conflict of Interest, Acknowledgments, References, Tables, Figure Legends, Supplementary Material.

Research reviews that systematically synthesise evidence (e.g. Systematic reviews, Meta-analysis, Scoping reviews, Mixed methods reviews, etc) should be submitted as Systematic reviews.

Please include the key messages of your article after your abstract using the following headings. This section should be no more than 3-5 sentences and should be distinct from the abstract; be succinct, specific and accurate.

• What is already known on this topic – summarise the state of scientific knowledge on this subject before you did your study and why this study needed to be done
• What this study adds – summarise what we now know as a result of this study that we did not know before
• How this study might affect research, practice or policy – summarise the implications of this study

This will be published as a summary box after the abstract in the final published article. 

This article type includes all research reviews that systematically synthesise evidence (e.g. Systematic reviews, Meta-analysis, Scoping reviews, Mixed methods reviews, etc). Please include the research type in your title to make the nature of your study clear.

Please see Original research for more guidance on article requirements.

Narrative review articles are expected to be comprehensive, scholarly and balanced, presenting an expert curation of the literature on the topic of interest. Research reviews that systematically synthesise evidence (e.g. Systematic reviews, Meta-analysis, Scoping reviews, Mixed methods reviews, etc) are classified by the journal as Systematic reviews and must be submitted as such.

Generally, reviews are limited to: 250-word abstract; 4,000-word text, excluding references; and five figures. Authors are encouraged to consult the Editor before submitting a review for consideration.

Research Tools and Issues are scholarly works and reviews focusing on areas of broad interest to the research community, including topics relevant to the conduct of clinical research, mentoring and career development.

Manuscripts should not exceed 4,000 words.

The AFMR sponsors one or more symposia each year within the context of the Experimental Biology meeting. These symposia are translational in focus and are designed to highlight important recent basic science developments that are being brought to the bedside. It is anticipated that each presenter within each symposium will submit a manuscript to Journal of Investigative Medicine that summarizes the work described in their symposium talk.

Each manuscript should be self-contained, as the publication may not be coordinated with the publication of other manuscripts from the same symposium. The presenters are encouraged to present sufficient background and detail to permit a full appreciation of the importance and implications of their work. It is anticipated that most EB Symposium manuscripts will be 2000-6000 words in length. The liberal use of figures and diagrams is encouraged.

Please include the key messages of your article after your abstract using the following headings. This section should be no more than 3-5 sentences and should be distinct from the abstract; be succinct, specific and accurate.

• What is already known on this topic – summarise the state of scientific knowledge on this subject before you did your study and why this study needed to be done
• What this study adds – summarise what we now know as a result of this study that we did not know before
• How this study might affect research, practice or policy – summarise the implications of this study

This will be published as a summary box after the abstract in the final published article. 

These reports should be of scientific excellence in clinical or translational research, but not sufficient to warrant publication as Original Research. Examples of appropriate Brief Reports may include: (1) studies that report limited but provocative observations OR (2) relevant negative studies that can
provide new information on important topics.

The text of a Brief Report is limited to 2,000 words. Brief Reports should include an unstructured abstract of no more than 250 words and no more than two display items.

Letters to the Editor may report original data or discuss published articles in Journal of Investigative Medicine.

Letters are not to exceed 500 words, two figures or tables, and 15 references. Letters should not have an abstract. The Editor may solicit a response from the authors. Letters that report original data will be fully peer-reviewed. All Letters to the Editor are subject to editing and possible abridgment.