Submitting a letter to the editor
Letter submission
The way to submit a Letter is via the e-response system at cmaj.ca (go to the article to which you wish to respond, and click on the 'Responses' tab at the top of the article beneath the title and author info). Select e-letters are considered for formal publication as Letters.
Please note that you will be required to submit your name, email address, occupation and affiliation when you submit a letter. Anonymous letters and those with incomplete affiliations will not be posted.
If you mention a patient in your letter who would be able to identify themself from your description, please download, complete and submit a patient consent form.
Purpose of letters
Letters represent the post-publication peer review of an article and, as such, should contribute to the scientific discourse. Therefore, CMAJ considers letters that
- respectfully point out potential methodological or analytic errors, or general mistakes in an article,
- offer a well-substantiated alternative interpretation of results,
- compare or contrast an article's findings or conclusions with work published elsewhere, or with policy or guidance in other jurisdictions, OR
- offer a patient's perspective on, or experience of, a particular medical condition that could enhance readers' understanding.
Moderation
Letters are moderated at a regular meeting of at least 2 senior medical editors and the manager of submissions and peer review.
Letters will not be posted if they
- are defamatory or contain ad hominem remarks toward an author, CMAJ staff, the CMA or their staff, or a particular clinician or institution,
- are disrespectful, e.g., contain language that is offensive or abusive,
- contain accusations of plagiarism or academic misconduct (such will be considered and investigated in a separate careful process as appropriate),
- contain commercial advertising, OR
- make no substantial point or contain only a web-link.
Formal publication of letters
Select e-letters are considered for formal publication (article type: Letter).
Letters flagged by 2 senior editors as potentially suitable for publication are discussed at a regular meeting of the wider editorial team, at which a decision is made after considering the following questions:
- Is the letter sufficiently topical?
- Does the letter make a succinct, clear, important and evidence-based point and contribute substantially to the topic of the article to which it responds?
- Is the letter properly referenced?
- Is a general medical journal – and CMAJ in particular - a suitable venue for discussion of the topic?
- Is the letter likely to cause harm?
Peer review of letters
External peer review of letters is not routinely undertaken but may sought in certain circumstances, e.g., for the purposes of evaluating statistical critique or if letters discuss race, religion or custom and adequate expertise is lacking among editorial staff. In these cases, appropriate experts will be consulted prior to posting of a letter.
