Submission guidelines

Shortcuts to Research, Practice, Guidelines, Analysis, Commentary, Review, Humanities

All manuscripts must be submitted on ScholarOne, our online submission system.

To submit a letter, see Submitting a Letter to the Editor.

To submit an obituary, please contact [email protected]. (In Memoriam page)

Scientific articles should conform to the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) recommendations for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals. The Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) also follows the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines.

Required at first submission for all article types

• Cover letter (should provide context for the submitted manuscript within the existing medical landscape and literature and should outline why you think your manuscript should be published in CMAJ. State the specific contributions of each author to the preparation of the manuscript. Please note the maximum number of authors for specific article types)
• Title page (may be uploaded as a separate file, or as the first page of the manuscript)
  • title (for research, the title must include the study type)
  • authors' names, degrees (no fellowships) and up to two affiliations for each author
  • corresponding author's email address
  • funding statement
  • declaration of author(s) competing interests
• Text (editable files), tables, figures, references, appendices (clear, legible; they should adhere to CMAJ's requirements for the manuscript type)

Required at revision

• A contributor's statement (states the specific contributions of each author to preparation of the manuscript). Each author must meet the four authorship criteria of the ICMJE: substantial contributions to the conception, design, acquisition, analysis or interpretation of data for the work; drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; final approval of the version to be published; 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
• Contributors who do not meet all four authorship criteria may be listed in the Acknowledgements section
• Editable text, table and figure files
  • graphs, charts and diagrams: Microsoft Word (doc, docx), Excel (xls, xlsx), PowerPoint (ppt, pttx), Windows Metafile (wmf) or Enhanced Metafile (emf)
  • photographs and images: high-resolution (300 dpi or greater), grayscale or CMYK, Graphics Interchange Format (gif), JPEG (jpeg, jpg, jpe), Tagged Image File Format (tiff, tif); any manipulation of the image should be identified in the Methods section; see examples on our Pinterest page
  • tables and figures should not duplicate information in the text
  • text should be written in the active rather than the passive voice
• No footnotes
• Formatting of references must follow Vancouver style
• Multimedia, if possible; we encourage submission of video abstracts or clinical demonstrations on video; see examples on our YouTube channel.
• Relevant signed forms: copyright/publication agreement, ICMJE (declaration of competing interests), acknowledgment, personal communication, permissions, etc. (See Author Forms)

Permission to reproduce previously published material

If your article contains previously published material (table, figure, appendix, box) or modified material,  you must obtain permission from the publisher and/or copyright or licence holder. CMAJ Group's requirements are as follows:

• Commercial use
• In perpetuity
• Online and print publication
• Reuse as per CC BY-NC-ND content license terms.

FAQs:

1. How do I know if I need permission?

• Review the publisher's policy (look for: Terms of Use, Copyright and Permissions, Policies).
• Compare the previously published, original material to that in the manuscript you are submitting to the CMAJ Group. If the material in your manuscript is the same as or is a modified version of the source material, you need to obtain permission. If you are modifying the material, the permission you obtain from the publisher and/or copyright holder must specify that you are allowed to modify it.  If you have consulted other sources to create an original table or figure you do not need permission, but those sources should be referenced.

2. How do I determine who needs to give permission?

• Find the original source online; there is usually a link to request permission.
• If you are the author of the original article and hold copyright, please ensure that you have commercial permission to reproduce.

3. The material to be reproduced is Open Access. Do I still need permission?

• If the material is published under a CC-BY-4.0 content license (which allows for commerical re-use), then you do no need to request permission; however, in almost all other cases, you do.  Please consult the publisher's policy.

4. Why do I need to obtain commercial rights?

• CMAJ Group sells its material to online aggregators (e.g., EBSCO, Clinical Key)

Specific requirements by article type

Article type	Description	Limits
Research	Research about humans, with focus on patients, diseases, populations and health services; topics relevant to the medical profession	2,500 words
Practice — Cases	Common presentations of important rare conditions; important unusual presentations of common problems	1,500  words 10 references 4 authors
Practice — What is your call?	Emphasizes an area of controversy or difficulty in diagnosis, investigation or treatment of a condition	1,500  words 10 references
Practice — Innovations in Practice	Highlights recent diagnostic and therapeutic innovations (e.g., devices, tools, rules, therapies)	1,400 words 10 references 4 authors
Practice — Decisions	Practical evidence-based approach to a common presentation in primary care	650 words 7 references 1 box, figure or table
Practice — Five things to know about…	5 of the most important, most missed, most controversial or newest pieces of information on a topic of interest to physicians, general medical audience	300 words 5 references 3 authors
Practice — Clinical images	Intriguing, classic or dramatic image(s); common presentations of important rare conditions; important unusual presentations of common problems	300 words 3 references 3 authors 2 images
Practice — 360 Cases	Details the differing perspectives of people involved in a single healthcare encounter to highlight interpersonal and systemic aspects of healthcare	250 words maximum (case description) + 400 words maximum per author; 2-4 authors, one of which must be a patient, caregiver or family member
Practice — Five ways to support	Five key statements to help health care providers understand how to better support people who require care. Articles must include the priorities and experiences of people who have first-hand experience with the condition or treatment being described.	300 words 5 references 3 authors
Analysis	Assessment of current thinking on a topic and presentation of future options; presents evidence-based consideration of views and arguments (including the situation in other countries) and proposes new ways to carry thinking forward	2,000 words 25 references
Commentary	Opinion pieces on controversial issues in health care or clinical medicine	1,000 words 10 references 2 authors
Review	Up-to-date guide to clinical practice based on comprehensive understanding of the existing literature (systematic review not required)	2,800 words 40 references 4 authors
Humanities — Medicine and society	Social analysis of the medical and health sciences; discussion of ongoing research particularly welcome	1,400 words 10 references
Humanities — Encounters	Narratives written by patients and health care practitioners commenting on their experience of illness or medicine; personal, professional encounters with a sense of immediacy and realism	750 to 1,400 words
Humanities — Trust in health care	Submissions written by patients, or patients and their health care providers, describing a clinical encounter(s) or experience where trust was gained, lost or both. The article must illustrate some of the key ways through which trust can be gained or lost, and the authors should reflect upon the lessons that readers can learn about how to improve trust in health care.	Maximum of 1500 words (500 words on the description and 1000 on the interpretation) Up to 4 authors

See below for details on how letters, clinical guidelines, and supplements are handled.

CMAJ publishes research of interest to a general medical audience that also contributes to the international literature. This includes:

• research about humans, including patients, diseases, populations and health services (NOT research on animals or healthy human volunteers)
• topics relevant to the medical profession (e.g., medical education, medical workforce, physician behaviour, medical journal publication) including CMAJ's current area of focus
• research that uses any method – including quantitative, qualitative and modelling methods – that is appropriate to the research question

Maximum length: 2,500 words (longer only by agreement with the editor), excluding title page, abstract, figures, tables and references. Accepted manuscripts may be published as a synopsis in print, with complete versions appearing online.

For details about the review process, see Editorial process

Editorial contact: Matthew Stanbrook ([email protected])

Research manuscript structure
Abstract	The abstract should contain: Background: This should include a clear statement of the study aim and research question. Methods: This should include the research design, setting of the study, and participants, including criteria for selection, entry and exclusion. The interventions, if applicable, should be clearly outlined, as well as primary and secondary outcome measures. Results: The main findings should be quantified with 95% confidence intervals and the number needed to treat or harm, if applicable. Absolute, rather than relative, risks are preferable. Interpretation: This should include the main conclusions and implications. Trial registration: Registry and number should be included for clinical trials and, if available, for other study types.	~250 words
Introduction	explains topic being studied provides context that led to research question study objective clearly stated	Ideally 2 paragraphs; max of 400 words
Methods	includes setting, patients, study type/design, main/primary measurements/outcomes complete study protocol may be included as an appendix
Results	result for main outcome reported using absolute and relative terms (where possible) confidence intervals/other measures of statistical significance provided quantitative results reported in tables, not text
Interpretation	This section should include five parts: Brief summary of the main results of the study (one paragraph) Explanation of the findings; comparison and contrast of findings with other related studies in the literature (one or two paragraphs) Future directions in the area of study (one paragraph) Limitations of the study (one paragraph) Conclusion	4-5 paragraphs; ~800 words

Randomized trials

Registration: In common with other major medical journals, CMAJ asks that reports of randomized controlled trials adhere to CONSORT guidelines and requires treatment trials to be registered in a clinical trials registry if patient recruitment began on or after July 1, 2005. For more information, see Clinical Trial Registration on the ICMJE website.

Data-sharing: We also require authors of clinical trials of drugs and medical devices to provide a data-sharing statement that indicates (1) whether any, all or portions of the data are available to others; (2) where, through whom, when and on what terms data will be available; (3) how data may be accessed.

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses should attempt to answer a focused question and adhere to PRISMA methods. In some circumstances, we will publish secondary or duplicate publications of Cochrane or other published reviews. Authors of such reviews must make it clear that the prior publication exists, and must seek the permission of the other journal before submission to CMAJ. To be considered for publication, these reviews must be especially relevant and important to the journal's readers.

Observational studies

Such studies need not be registered but if they are prospectively registered a registration number should be supplied. All observational studies should seek to address a specific pre-defined research question and primary outcomes should be outlined in a protocol before study inception. Observational studies should follow the STROBE reporting guidelines. Those that make use of routinely collected data should additionally follow the RECORD reporting guidelines.

Surveys

Survey studies and studies which use survey data should include a reporting guideline, such as CHERRIES for reporting a web based survey, or COREQ for reporting interviews and focus groups. The 2015 CMAJ article on "How to assess a survey report" is recommended for further guideance.

For examples of published research articles, see Research.

The Practice section publishes evidence-based, educational articles intended to be useful to practising clinicians. All published articles have been peer reviewed.

For all practice sections, the writing should be evidence-based and authors should comment on the referenced articles, instead of merely adding a reference number (e.g., "A well-designed randomized controlled trial found that…", "Most of the evidence that supports this intervention comes from small observational studies…").

Authors of articles based on real patients must obtain patient consent before submission. See Author Forms for more information. If the patient’s face is shown, or if distinctive markings (e.g., an unusual tattoo) are shown that might make the patient identifiable, please include the patient consent form with your submission. A consent form that indicates the patient is aware that they will be identifiable is preferable.

Each submission should identify a senior clinician or expert as guarantor so that readers can identify who takes overall responsibility for the content. We request therefore that submissions include the following statement:  "[guarantor name] is the guarantor of the clinical content of this submission."

Submissions whose number of authors exceed the maximum for the article type must justify the presence of additional authors in the cover letter. Each author must be shown to meet the four authorship criteria of the ICMJE. Please explain in your cover letter how each author meets the ICMJE criteria, and be prepared for the editors to request that you respect the authorship limit.

Visual and multimedia elements are encouraged for each type of article (high-resolution images, boxes, etc.). Also encouraged is a box with helpful resources for patients or physicians.

Editorial contact: Prospective authors who have a well-developed idea and wish to discuss it before submission should complete the pre-submission inquiry form, and send it to Dr. Catherine Varner ([email protected]).

These are brief case reports that convey clear, practical lessons relevant to a general audience. Preference is given to common presentations of important rare conditions and important unusual presentations of common problems. Explicit demonstration of the diagnostic reasoning behind investigation decisions and the clinical approach to the patient's symptoms is important for these submissions. Topics are varied and may relate to CMAJ's current area of focus.

If a patient requests that a photo be altered so the patient is not identifiable (e.g., obscuring the eyes of a face), please submit the unaltered photo to CMAJ for peer review. The journal will alter the photo to obscure identifying features during the publication process, if accepted, and authors will have the opportunity to approve the alteration.

Structure:

• 1,500 word limit; up to four authors; up to 10 references, formatted in the Vancouver style
• real case presentation (≤ 500 words)
• discussion of underlying condition (≤ 1,000 words) with an emphasis on practical information and new or changing practice
• visual elements (e.g., boxes with the differential diagnosis, clinical features or diagnostic approach, or high-resolution images (300 dpi or greater)) are encouraged
• include up to four key points – each in a short sentence – highlighting the article's main message

For examples, see Cases

These articles emphasize an area of controversy or difficulty in diagnosis, investigation or treatment of a condition and involve clinical reasoning. Topics are varied and may relate to CMAJ's current area of focus.

Structure:

• 1,500 word limit (including questions, answers and discussion); up to four authors; up to 10 references formatted in the Vancouver style
• real case presentation, clinical details with images
• subheads are questions, each followed by multiple-choice questions and the answers; of particular interest are questions involving steps in clinical reasoning
• brief discussion section concludes the article
• writing should be evidence-based and authors should comment on the referenced articles (e.g., "A well-designed randomized controlled trial found that…", "Most of the evidence that supports this intervention comes from small observational studies…")
• visual elements encouraged (e.g., high-resolution (300 dpi or greater) images with captions, box of patient/physician resources, differential diagnosis)

For examples, see What is your call?

The Innovations in Practice section is meant to update generalist clinicians (family physicians, emergency medicine physicians, pediatricians, general internists and nurse practitioners) about recent diagnostic, therapeutic and screening innovations in health care and public health. CMAJ uses the term “innovation” broadly to include laboratory and imaging tests, drugs, surgeries, interventional devices, counselling or psychotherapy, diets, apps and other innovations. Novel uses for older treatments may also be considered.

Although an innovation that is applicable to a very small number of people may be of interest if it changes understanding of a disease or is truly groundbreaking, innovations that are applicable to more patients will usually be of greater interest.

This article category is not a forum for promoting a single brand name product; nor are editors looking for articles that describe single centre or single region initiatives or changes to processes of care.

The evidence for some innovations may have been extensively reviewed in health technology assessments. An article intended for this section should not be a summary of a recent health technology assessment but should interpret the evidence about the innovation for Canadian clinicians, indicating how it will or might impact their practice.

Authors are encouraged to send a brief description of their topic for a Innovations in Practice article (4 to 6 bullet points) to [email protected] to get a preliminary idea of whether the topic is suitable for this section of CMAJ.

Structure:

• 1400 word limit; up to four authors; up to 10 references formatted in the Vancouver style
• Should be structured in five sections:
  1. Description of the innovation - What is it? What problem is it addressing? Who is eligible? By whom is it delivered?
  2. What is the evidence for its benefit?
  3. What is the evidence for its harms?
  4. What are the resource implications (cost, need for trained personnel, etc.)
  5. What can be expected in the foreseeable future?
• Include up to four key points – each in a short sentence – highlighting the article's main message
• Visual elements (such as high-resolution (300 dpi or greater) images) are encouraged

To see examples of recent articles that would fit under Innovations in Practice (formerly called “Innovations”), please see:

• Innovations in cancer immunotherapy: chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy (CAR-T) | CMAJ
• Spinal cord stimulation: a nonopioid alternative for chronic pain management | CMAJ
• Genome sequencing as a diagnostic test | CMAJ

Focus is on a practical, evidence-based approach to a common presentation in primary care (clinic or emergency department). Include information that would usually be covered in a typical primary care appointment. Topics are varied and may relate to CMAJ's current area of focus.

Structure:

• 650 word limit and up to 1 box or figure; up to four authors; up to seven references formatted in the Vancouver style
• title should be short (up to 50 characters) and compelling
• should be structured into three main sections:
  1. Brief (75 words or less) description of the clinical situation (fictional or real)
  2. Three to four clinical questions addressing key decisions the clinician must make during the appointment (e.g., examination, investigation, treatment, harm reduction, follow-up, referrals); the questions should directly relate to the patient described in the case
  3. "Case revisited" section that provides a summary of the decisions/actions the clinician makes at the end of the patient visit (e.g., testing, follow-up appointment, referrals)

For examples, see Decisions

'Five Things to Know' articles are meant as high-level summaries for clinicians on a range of relevant clinical topics, with the main focus being on helping doctors in primary care and hospital practice. Our aim is to go beyond just summarizing textbook information, to succinctly identify the most pertinent issues, especially in relation to new, high quality evidence that changes the management of a condition or the use of an intervention. When preparing a 'Five Things to Know' article, we suggest that you think in terms of the “what, who, where and when questions” facing physicians. In general, the first two points should describe the clinical problem and/or intervention, putting it into an epidemiological context when possible. Subsequent points move on to practical clinical guidance including relevant investigations and interventions, which may include referral thresholds. When possible, please provide a measure of absolute benefit or harm such as the number needed to treat or the absolute benefit or harm. Interventions should be supported by recent guidelines, if available. Papers will be reviewed by generalists as well as specialists.

Articles present five key statements on topics of interest to physicians. The focus is on the most important, most missed, most controversial or newest information on the topic. The articles are not meant to be comprehensive. Areas covered may include diagnosis, prevalence, red flags, differential diagnoses, treatment, prognosis or recent advances, and will vary depending on the topic. The information should be relevant to a general medical audience. Topics are varied and may relate to CMAJ's current area of focus.

Structure:

• Maximum of 300 words
• Up to 5 references formatted in the Vancouver style (Example reference format: Fox LC, Cohney SJ, Kausman JY, et al. Consensus opinion on diagnosis and management of thrombotic microangiopathy in Australia and New Zealand. Intern Med J 2018;48:624–36.)
• Up to 3 authors, one of whom should be designated as the clinical guarantor
• Each key sentence should be clear, short and specific, supported by one or two explanatory sentences and a reference

Suggested outline: 'Five Things to Know' about a disease or syndrome

The title should name the condition

1. Who suffers from this condition? Epidemiology
2. What symptoms and signs do they have? How do patients typically present? What will help doctors recognise the condition?
3. What is the sequence of appropriate investigations and where are they undertaken?
4. Is a referral necessary? To whom? Tell us about key referral thresholds.
5. How should patients with this problem be treated and what is the prognosis? Include first line and second line interventions.

Suggested outline: 'Five Things to Know' about interventions

The title should name the intervention

1. Describe the intervention. Is it available to all Canadians?
2. Describe the target population
3. What are the benefits and risks? (Provide a measure of benefit and harm such as the number need to treat and the number needed to harm)
4. Is special monitoring required?
5. Are there any contraindications?

For examples, see Five things to know about...

Images are chosen because they are particularly intriguing, classic or dramatic. Preference is given to common presentations of important rare conditions and important unusual presentations of common problems. Topics are varied and may relate to CMAJ's current area of focus.

If a patient requests that a photo be altered so the patient is not identifiable (e.g., obscuring the eyes of a face), please submit the unaltered photo to CMAJ for peer review. The journal will alter the photo to obscure identifying features during the publication process, if accepted, and authors will have the opportunity to approve the alteration.

Structure:

• 300 word limit; up to three authors; up to three references formatted in the Vancouver style
• Figure and case pertaining to a real patient; clear, appropriately labelled, high-resolution (300 dpi or greater) images must be accompanied by a figure caption
• A brief case description is followed by a concise explanation of the educational significance of the images that typically includes epidemiology, differential diagnosis, investigations, management and prognosis

For examples, see Clinical images

360 Cases highlight interpersonal, systemic or resource issues in health care that impact the care available to, or received by, the people who need it (i.e. patients or their families).

Each 360 Case should centre around one person or clinical encounter, as in traditional case presentations. After briefly describing the clinical issue in the introductory case section, each of the 2-4 authors should provide their own personal perspectives and reflect on their role and their emotions. One author must be the patient, a family member, or a caregiver. The other authors must have been involved in the encounter in some capacity (e.g. social worker, physician, nurse).

Each author’s perspective is meant to stand alone and it should be clear to readers how each person was involved in the case. Each perspective should reflect on the writer’s own experience and how they felt; they should not simply describe or summarize the events that occurred. To encourage honest reflection about the events being described, it is suggested that each author write their section independently of the others. Building an over-arching narrative is not necessary.  

360 Cases are not advocacy pieces, endorsements of individual providers, or advertisements for a particular treatment or program. 

Structure:

• Each case consists of two sections:
  1. Case Description (≤ 250 words): Provides information about the patient’s medical condition, management, and outcomes.
  2. Perspective Sections (1 per author, ≤ 400 words each): Consist of reflections from 2-4 authors involved in the case. These may be submitted in writing (≤ 400 words each) or as an audio file (≤ 5 min each). One perspective section must be written by the patient, their family member or caregiver. Each author should reflect on how they felt in their role and responsibilities. Specific examples are important and make the piece come alive.

References are not expected for these submissions and are discouraged unless requested by the editors. If requested, references should be formatted in the Vancouver style.

We encourage you to contact us at [email protected] if you are considering writing a 360 Case.

Prior to submission, please ensure that: (1) all authors are aware that their name will be posted online and that the piece cannot be removed if chosen for publication; and (2) employees of healthcare institutions have checked whether their section needs to be approved by their employer prior to submission.

For examples of 360 Case articles that we have published, please see: https://www.cmaj.ca/content/195/7/E267 or https://www.cmaj.ca/content/193/27/E1042

Clinical guidelines developed or endorsed by relevant national or international specialty societies, colleges and associations will be considered for publication by CMAJ. The journal does not consider guidelines that have been published or posted, or are otherwise publicly available (except for the purposes of external review prior to submission). Guidelines must not be under consideration by another journal.

Payment of a publication fee is required for all guidelines published in CMAJ. The fee must be negotiated separately with the Publisher in advance of submission. That an author group is able to pay the publication fee does not affect editorial decision-making.

We expect that guidelines adhere to the AGREE II reporting guideline and that a recognized tool such as GRADE is used to grade the quality of evidence and strength of recommendations. Relevant stakeholders should be included in the guideline development group.

All submitted guidelines submitted must adhere to the Guideline International Network (GIN) principles for managing competing interests in guidelines (full CMAJ policy).

The GIN-McMaster Guideline Development Checklist is a useful resource that outlines practical steps for guideline groups to consider when developing guidelines. A detailed description of how the checklist was developed is available in this CMAJ article.

Guidelines should be formatted according to CMAJ's standard guideline template. The template and other instructions on submitting guidelines is available here.

We strongly suggest that guideline developers contact [email protected] well in advance to discuss proposals.

Analysis articles discuss a topic relevant to health policy or practice to further understanding of that topic area and to offer solutions or suggestions for ‘next-steps’. Topics vary. Many discuss health systems and policy issues. Topics are varied and may relate to CMAJ's current area of focus.

Analysis articles are not long commentaries. As their name suggests, they must analyse something sufficiently well to extend knowledge; description of a status quo (or two) and some unsupported opinion that this should change is inadequate. Although analysis articles may have a Canadian focus, the international context of the topic must also be discussed. While these articles do not present primary data, they may analyse secondary data, or discuss particular cases using a framework or theory, for the purposes of extending understanding on a particular issue.

Analysis articles should be written in an evidence-based style, which means that authors must comment on, or discuss, the type, quality, recency and findings of primary research cited. Merely making a statement and supplying a reference is usually insufficient.

Structure:

• Analysis article template
• 2,000 word limit; up to 25 references formatted in the Vancouver style
• title should be short (up to 50 characters) and compelling
• includes brief introduction (250 words mac) to indicate the direction of the article; must answer "Why should I read this article?"
• organize your article using a scaffold of subheadings framed as questions. Include details about the issue, most important concerns (strength and weaknesses), knowledge gaps, future direction, recommendations for a way forward, and more
• can present a particular point of view, as long as the other side is presented as well (not necessarily equal in length)
• include up to four key points – each in a short sentence – highlighting the article's main message
• visual elements encouraged (e.g., high-resolution image with caption, table, video, etc.)

Editorial contact: Prospective authors who have a well-developed idea and wish to discuss it before submission should complete the pre-submission inquiry form, and send it to the editorial office ([email protected]).

For examples, see Analysis.

Commentary articles are typically commissioned, but we sometimes accept unsolicited commentaries. They are limited to 1,000 words and 10 references formatted in the Vancouver style, with a maximum of two authors. Commentaries do not contain figures or tables in the main body of the article.

We publish two types of commentaries:

• Linked commentaries that accompany another article published in CMAJ (usually a research paper). Their aim is to contextualize the specific research findings or provide extra information related to the subject of another article or research paper.
• Standalone commentaries are scholarly articles that discuss controversial clinical or health care policy concerns. Authors may support one point of view, but articles must be written in an evidence-based, scholarly style.

Editorial contact: Prospective authors who have a well-developed idea and wish to discuss it before submission should complete the pre-submission inquiry form, and send it to the editorial office ([email protected]).

For examples, see Commentary.

Reviews provide an evidence-based, current guide to practice in a given clinical area. Although clinical reviews don't require a rigorous systematic literature review, we expect that authors will base the review on a comprehensive and up-to-date understanding of the existing literature. Topics are varied and may relate to CMAJ's current area of focus.

Reviews are structured around five to six clinical questions that are clearly answered in the text and by tables and visuals that help to present complex information. They should offer clear advice on how to apply existing evidence in clinical practice. 

Article should be evidence-based and authors should comment on the referenced articles, instead of merely adding a reference number (e.g., "A well-designed randomized controlled trial found that…", "Most of the evidence that supports this intervention comes from small observational studies…").

Structure:

• 2,800 word limit (excluding words in figures, boxes, tables, reference lists); up to four authors; up to 40 references formatted in the Vancouver style
• title should be short (up to 50 characters) and compelling
• includes brief introduction (150 words) to indicate the direction of the article; must answer "Why should I read this article?"; also includes a comment on the overall quality of the evidence
• include a box describing the evidence used to develop the paper: details of your search (search terms, databases, limits), brief description of the number of articles, type and quality of the literature
• focus on answering five to six clinical questions, with supporting evidence
• include a box with unanswered questions where evidence is lacking
• include up to four key points – each in a short sentence – highlighting the article's main message
• visual elements encouraged (e.g., high-resolution image with caption, table, video, etc.)

Editorial contact: Prospective authors who have a well-developed idea and wish to discuss it before submission should complete the pre-submission inquiry form, and send it to Dr. Shannon Charlebois ([email protected]).

For examples, see Review.

Contributions are welcome in the following areas:

Medicine and Society articles address what influences the way we think about health, how that thinking has changed over the years, and who benefits from one perspective over another. We welcome scholarship from across multiple disciplines including history, sociology, anthropology, and bioethics.

Medicine and Society articles show how specific health problems reflect larger social issues. Simply describing a technological development without connecting it to a political, economic, or ethical issue is not enough, however. For example, the history of 19^th century tuberculosis research in First Nations communities is an opportunity to reflect on medicine's colonial legacies. Tracing the growth of an idea or social movement offers insights into how we think about health and disability.

Medicine and Society articles are peer reviewed by field experts.

Submissions should be no more than 1400 words (excluding references, up to a maximum of 13 formatted in the Vancouver style). If necessary, we will consider an online appendix for data tables and additional context. Please situate your work (briefly, in one or two lines), in the context of related scholarship. Avoid specialized jargon as much as possible. 

For examples, see Medicine and Society.

Editorial contact: Dr. Dorian Deshauer, associate editor ([email protected])

We welcome correspondence and comment on articles published in CMAJ. To submit a letter, find the relevant article on cmaj.ca, then, in the right-hand 'This Article' column, select 'Respond to this article'.

For more information, see Submitting a Letter to the Editor.

Proposals for print and online supplements will be considered. Payment of a publication fee is required, and is negotiated separately with the publisher.

Contact [email protected] to discuss proposals.