These are the guidelines for specific submission types. For general guidelines, please see the ‘Submission Guidelines‘ page. If you have any further queries about what is entailed by each submission type, or if you would like to negotiate a modified version of one of these submission types (such as a changed word limit), please do not hesitate to contact submissions.officer@amsj.org.

If you are ready to submit, see the ‘Submission Instructions‘ page, which contains the necessary forms.

Summary Table

Click on headings to jump to more detail.

	Original Research Articles	Review Articles	Case Reports	Feature Articles	Book Reviews	Letters and News
Maximum Word Count	3000 (plus 250 word abstract)	3000 (plus 250 word abstract)	2000 (plus 250 word abstract)	2000 for reports, 3000 for essays	750 for reviews of single books, 1000 for comparative reviews	750
Purpose	Present original clinical, laboratory or other research findings	Review the literature regarding important and interesting medical topics	Document a single interesting case providing useful learning points	Report on conferences or elective experiences, provide an alternative perspective on the nature of medicine or a medical topic, or express an extended piece of opinion	Critically analyse (and potentially compare) books, particularly textbooks, of use and/or interest to medical students	Provide commentary on current medical issues or previously published articles
Sections in submission	Abstract, body text, acknowledgements, conflict of interest declaration, references	Abstract, body text, acknowledgements, conflict of interest declaration, references	Abstract, body text, acknowledgements, consent declaration, conflict of interest declaration, references	Body text, acknowledgements, conflict of interest declaration, references (where relevant)	Details of book/books, body text, conflict of interest declaration, references (where relevant)	Body text, references (where relevant)

---

Original Research Articles
Original research articles should follow the following format and sequence, with each required component beginning on a new page:

• Abstract, a self-contained summary of all sections in the body text (maximum 250 words length).
• Body text (maximum 3000 words length), divided into the following sections:
  • Introduction*.
  • Methods*.
  • Results*.
  • Discussion*.
  • Conclusions.
• Acknowledgements.
• Conflict of interest declaration (see general ‘Submission Guidelines‘).
• References.

*for these marked sections, we refer authors to the ICMJE guidelines for manuscript preparation as a general guide:http://www.icmje.org/manuscript_1prepare.html. Please note, however, that the guidelines of the AMSJ differ to those of the ICMJE in terms of formatting.

---

Review Articles
Review articles should follow the same format as original research articles, except in the body text, wherein the structure will be left to the author’s discretion.

---

Case Reports
Case reports should document a single interesting case providing useful learning points for medical students. Consent must be obtained from the patient concerned, or their next of kin (details of consent to be provided in the ‘Submit‘ form). Any identifiable information in terms of patients, staff or institutions should not be used. Pseudonyms may be used. Any relevant documentation or imaging submitted should have identifiers removed. Case reports should follow the following format and sequence, with each required component beginning on a new page:

• Abstract, a self-contained summary of all sections in the body text (maximum 250 words length).
• Body text, (maximum 2000 words length), divided into the following sections:
  • Introduction, one paragraph summarising the salient clinical features of the case.
  • The case, which may include but is not limited to:
    • Patient demographics.
    • History of presenting symptom.
    • Relevant past medical history, drug history (using generic drug names), and/or allergy history.
    • Social and family history.
    • Physical examination findings.
    • Diagnostic tests and/or investigations and results.
    • Treatments and/or interventions.
    • Outcome.
  • Discussion, which may include but is not limited to:
    • Specific topics relevant to the case that should enlighten the reader about the approaches used in the clinical scenario, including any recent advances.
    • Any important and  revealing reflections.
• Acknowledgements.
• Consent declaration, which should consist of the following text, plus any further details: “Informed consent was obtained from the patient/next-of-kin for publication of this case report and accompanying figures.”
• Conflict of interest declaration (see general ‘Submission Guidelines‘).
• References, which must be kept under 20 for this submission type.

---

Feature Articles
Feature articles may be either:

• Reports on conferences or elective experiences (maximum 2000 words).
• Essays that are not solely scientific or academic, which may explore the nature of medicine or a medical issue from an alternative perspective, possibly through the lens of literature, history, art or philosophy. They may also take the style of an extended opinion piece (e.g. extended argument about health reform). Essays should combine research with original argument, and should be formatted and referenced as per other submission types (maximum 3000 words).

Feature articles should follow the following format and sequence, with each required component beginning on a new page:

• Body text, (maximum 2000 words length for reports, maximum 3000 words length for essays), with the structure and sections being left to the author’s discretion.
• Acknowledgements.
• Conflict of interest declaration (see general ‘Submission Guidelines‘).
• References, where relevant.

---

Book Reviews
Books reviewed should be medical textbooks or other publications likely to be of interest to medical students (online resources or electronic applications are also most acceptable subjects). Comparative reviews would often be of more use to students, and as such are very much encouraged and given a higher word limit (e.g. comparison of two commonly used physiology textbooks). A review should not amount to an advertisement for a book and should critically analyse its merits and shortfalls. At this stage, no rating system for textbooks should be used.

Book reviews should follow the following format and sequence, with each required component beginning on a new page:

• Details of book/books, which should appear just as in a reference list (APA format).
• Body text (maximum 750 words length for reviews of single books, maximum of 1000 words for comparative reviews), no specific format.
• Conflict of interest declaration (see general ‘Submission Guidelines‘).
• References, where relevant.

---

Letters and News
Letters to the AMSJ should be intended to make commentary on issues surrounding medicine or previous articles. Letters are the only submission type where authorship is not limited to students. Libelous or slanderous material will not be entertained. This is to provide a forum for medical students and the wider medical community.

Letters should follow the following format and sequence, with each required component beginning on a new page:

• Body text (maximum 750 words length), no specific format.
• References, where relevant.

For this submission type, authors may apply for an extension of the maximum word length, but this must be done prior to submitting (inquiries@amsj.org).