Authors

BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine is an open-access journal covering all aspects of sport and exercise medicine and associated areas such as physical activity for chronic disease prevention. We will consider a broad array of topics within the themes of physical activity, exercise as medicine, and sports medicine; and are inclusive of scientific approaches ranging from qualitative methods, epidemiology, to measurement development and evaluation. We aim to publish original research, reviews (in particular systematic reviews) and study protocols considered to be coherent and technically sound, ensuring that the latest research is reviewed and disseminated rapidly to a global audience. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine adheres to the highest possible industry standards concerning publication ethics. To read the journal's detailed guidelines, please see our policies.

Editorial policy

BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine adheres to the highest standards concerning its editorial policies on publication ethics and scientific misconduct. The journal follows guidance produced by bodies that include the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), the Council of Science Editors and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). To view all BMJ Journal policies please refer to the BMJ Author Hub policies page, including information about our Editors' roles and responsibilities. Authors are required to submit a statement that their study obtained ethics approval (or a statement that it was not required and why) and that participants gave informed consent. Our Editors will consider whether the work is morally acceptable as determined by the World Medical Association’s Declaration of Helsinki. In addition to this, in line with General Medical Council guidelines, an article that contains personal medical information about an identifiable living individual requires patients explicit consent (in the format of a signed BMJ patient consent form) before we will publish it. Please find further details on BMJ research ethics policies (human participants and animals) and consent for publication; including a link to the downloadable consent form.
To make the best decision on how to deal with a manuscript, BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine needs to know about any competing interests authors may have; this includes any commercial, financial or non financial associations that may be relevant to the submitted article. Authors must download and complete a copy of the ICMJE Conflict of Interest disclosure form. In addition to this BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine ensures that all advertising and sponsorship associated with the journal does not influence editorial decisions, is immediately distinguishable from editorial content and meets all other BMJ guidelines. Please find more information about competing interests and a link to the form. We take seriously all possible misconduct. If an Editor, author or reader has concerns that a submitted article describes something that might be considered to constitute misconduct in research, publication or professional behaviour they should forward their concerns to the journal. The publisher will deal with allegations appropriately following ICMJE and COPE guidelines. Corrections and retractions are considered where an article has already been published; corrections, expressions of concern or a retraction notices will be published as soon as possible in line with the BMJ correction and retraction policy

Copyright and authors’ rights

As an open access journal, BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine adheres to the Budapest Open Access Initiative definition of open access.. Articles are published under an exclusive licence or non-exclusive licence for UK Crown employees or where BMJ has agreed CC BY applies. For US Federal Government officers or employees acting as part of their official duties, the terms are as stated in accordance with our licence terms. Authors or their employers retain copyright. Such open access articles can be reused under the terms of the relevant Creative Commons licence to facilitate reuse of the content. please refer to the BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine Author Licence. More information on copyright and authors’ rights.
When publishing in BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, authors choose between two licence types – CC-BY-NC and CC-BY (Creative Commons open access licences require payment of an article processing charge). As an author you may wish to post your article in an institutional or subject repository, or on a scientific social sharing network. You may also link your published article to your preprint (if applicable). What you can do with your article, without seeking permission, depends on the licence you have chosen and the version of your article. Please refer to the BMJ author self archiving and permissions policies page for more information.

Preprints

Preprints foster openness, accessibility and collaboration by allowing authors to make their findings immediately available to the research community and receive feedback on an article before it is submitted to a journal for formal publication. BMJ fully supports and encourages the archiving of preprints in any recognised, not-for-profit server such as medRxiv. BMJ does not consider the posting of an article in a dedicated preprint repository to be prior publication.
Preprints are reports of work that have not been peer-reviewed; Preprints should therefore not be used to guide clinical practice, health-related behaviour or health policy. For more information, please refer to our Preprint policy page.

Article processing charges

BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine is an open access journal and levies an Article Processing Charge (APC) of 2,163 GBP (exclusive of VAT for UK and EU authors). Charges for publishing a study protocol, short research reports and viewpoints are 1,622 GBP. There are no submission, colour or page charges. There is a 25% discount for articles where the corresponding author is a British Association of Sport and Exercise Medicine member. Corresponding authors who are members of the affiliations listed below are eligible for a 15% discount. There is a 25% discount where the corresponding author has reviewed for BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine within the previous 12 months. These discounts cannot be combined. As one of the founding members of the HINARI Access to Research in Health Programme, we provide free access to all of our journals, and journals archive to local, not-for-profit institutions in low-income countries. In addition, we appreciate that some authors do not have access to funding to cover publication costs and we offer waivers through our Open Access Waiver Fund. Further information can be found at the BMJ Author Hub. We will accept part payment where only limited funds are available, and we offer waivers to authors in exceptional circumstances, on request.

Waivers and discounts

BMJ journals offer waivers for the full Article Processing Charge (100% discount of the APC) where all authors are based in low-income countries. See full waiver list*. Requests for waivers should be made before or during initial submission**. If an article reports funding from a funder with an open access mandate or policy that covers paying APCs, BMJ expects that the APC will be paid. Visit our author hub to learn more about our waivers policy and how to request one. You might be eligible for institutional funding. A number of institutions have open access agreements with BMJ which can either cover the whole cost of open access publishing for authors at participating institutions or can allow authors to receive a discount of the Article Processing Charge (APC). Visit BMJ’s open access agreements page to find out whether your institution is a member and what discounts you may be entitled to. *These lists are based on the HINARI Core Offer Groups A and B, and the World Bank Country and Lending Groups, downloaded in July 2021. They will be updated annually. **Please note that applications for waivers or discounts should be made during initial submission and not after an article has been accepted. Editors are not involved in this process and the ability to pay has no bearing on editorial decisions. Payment will not be required unless your article is accepted. Accepted articles will not be published until payment has been received. BMJ does not refund APCs once paid.

Data sharing

BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine adheres to BMJ's Tier 3 data policy. We strongly encourage that data generated by your research that supports your article be made available as soon as possible, wherever legally and ethically possible. All research articles must contain a Data Availability Statement. For more information and FAQs, please see BMJ's full Data Sharing Policy page.

Affiliations

Corresponding authors who are members of one of the following twenty-five organisations will receive a discount off the article publishing charge (APC) as detailed:

Provenance and peer review

BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine submissions are predominantly unsolicited, all articles submitted are subject to peer review. The journal operates single anonymised peer review whereby the names of the reviewers are hidden from the author; usually two external reviewer reports are obtained before an Original research or Review article is accepted for publication. Articles authored by a member of a journal’s editorial team are independently peer reviewed; an editor will have no input or influence on the peer review process or publication decision for their own article. For more information on what to expect during the peer review process please refer to BMJ Author Hub – after submitting. BMJ is committed to transparency. Every article we publish includes a description of its provenance (commissioned or not commissioned) and whether it was internally or externally peer reviewed. BMJ requests that all reviewers adhere to a set of basic principles and standards during the peer review process; these are based on the COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers. Please refer to our peer review terms and conditions policy page.
Plagiarism is the appropriation of the language, ideas or thoughts of another without crediting their true source and representation of them as one’s own original work. BMJ is a member of CrossCheck by CrossRef and iThenticate. iThenticate is a plagiarism screening service that verifies the originality of content submitted before publication. BMJ runs manuscripts through iThenticate during the peer review process. Authors, researchers and freelancers can also use iThenticate to screen their work before submission by visiting www.ithenticate.com. Reader responses, questions and comments to published content are welcomed by BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine; these should be submitted electronically via the journal's website. Please find further details on how to publish a response and the terms and requirements. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine will consider appeals on rejected manuscripts provided the authors can demonstrate that the decision on their manuscript was flawed or not in line with the journal’s policies. For an appeal to be considered, authors must provide a detailed point-by-point response to all the concerns raised by the reviewers or editors involved with the manuscript. We ask that authors do not provide a revised manuscript during the appeal. All decisions made on appeals are final, and the decision process could take longer than with original submissions. Appeals must be made within 30 days of the reject decision.

Reporting patient and public involvement in research

BMJ encourages active patient and public involvement in clinical research as part of its patient and public partnership strategy. To support co-production of research we request that authors provide a Patient and Public Involvement statement in the methods section of their papers, under the subheading ‘Patient and public involvement’. We appreciate that patient and public involvement is relatively new and may not be feasible or appropriate for all papers. We therefore continue to consider papers where patients were not involved. The Patient and Public Involvement statement should provide a brief response to the following questions, tailored as appropriate for the study design reported (please find example statements here):
  • At what stage in the research process were patients/the public first involved in the research and how?
  • How were the research question(s) and outcome measures developed and informed by their priorities, experience, and preferences?
  • How were patients/the public involved in the design of this study?
  • How were they involved in the recruitment to and conduct of the study?
  • Were they asked to assess the burden of the intervention and time required to participate in the research?
  • How were (or will) they be involved in your plans to disseminate the study results to participants and relevant wider patient communities (e.g. by choosing what information/results to share, when, and in what format)?
If patients were not involved please state this. In addition to considering the points above we advise authors to look at guidance for best reporting of patient and public involvement as set out in the GRIPP2 reporting checklist. If the Patient and Public Involvement statement is missing in the submitted manuscript we will request that authors provide it.

Article transfer service

BMJ and the British Association of Sport and Exercise Medicine are committed to ensuring that all good quality research is published. Our article transfer service helps authors find the best journal for their research while providing an easy and smooth publication process. As part of this service, once authors agree to transfer their manuscript all versions, supplementary files and peer reviewer comments are automatically transferred; without the need to resubmit or reformat. Authors who submit to the British Journal of Sports Medicine and are rejected will be offered the option of transferring to BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine.
Please note that the article transfer service does not guarantee acceptance but you should receive a quicker initial decision on your manuscript. Contact the Article Transfer Service Manager for more information or assistance.

ORCID

BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine mandates ORCID iDs for the submitting author at the time of article submission; co-authors and reviewers are strongly encouraged to also connect their ScholarOne accounts to ORCID. We strongly believe that the increased use and integration of ORCID iDs will be beneficial for the whole research community. Please find more information about ORCID and BMJ’s policy on our Author Hub.

Rapid responses

A rapid response is a moderated but not peer reviewed online response to a published article in BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine; it will not receive a DOI and will not be indexed. Find out more about responses and how to submit a response.

BOSEM Mentorship Program

As an editorial team, we believe it is essential to give our time and expertise to support researchers from less supportive or resource-limited backgrounds to publish their research and ultimately contribute to the body of knowledge in their field. We have therefore launched the BOSEM Mentorship Program. Please note that acceptance into the mentorship programme does not, in any way, guarantee acceptance for publication nor a guaranteed waiver of publication fees.

Submission guidelines

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, yet if you feel your manuscript warrants additional length, consult the editorial office and/or mention the reason in your Cover letter. We encourage authors to submit previous reviews by other journals and specify what action they took to address reviewer comments. Submitting previous reviews may significantly reduce article processing times. When you submit a previously reviewed manuscript to BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, please name the journal and submission ID in the cover letter and append any previous reviews and your responses. 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.

10 tips on preparing your scientific manuscript for BMJ Open Sports & Exercise Medicine

  • Read our instructions for authors carefully. Familiarize yourself with our style guide, formatting requirements and word count limits.
  • Look at our recent publications to get an idea of what topics are currently being explored. For our journal, the topic must have relevance for clinicians with the key question ‘will the findings change what practitioners do?’’
  • Gather background information. Conduct a thorough literature review of your topic and ensure your paper reflects the current state of the literature. Make sure to include only the most relevant, trustworthy and up-to-date sources. It is also important to reflect on contradictory sources if it is a relevant discovery of the literature review.
  • Write clearly and concisely. Aim for clarity and brevity. Avoid jargon and use simple language and assumptions on the knowledge base of the reader. Clearly expand any acronyms used earlier on in your paper. Ensure your paper is directed to our broad audience.
  • Create a catchy title and abstract. Capture the reader’s attention with a compelling title and concise, informative abstract. Your title should also accurately reflect your paper. As you conduct your literature review note any particular naming conventions for your type of paper and reflect this, if appropriate.
  • For your introduction, we encourage short introductions when the rationale of the study is obvious, i.e. it may be as short as 3 short paragraphs if that addresses the question “Why we did it”.
  • We encourage the use of the headings Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, and subheadings where appropriate.
  • Organize your data and results in tables and diagrams to present the data in an easy-to-understand format. As we are an online journal, we can include colour Figures in your manuscript without additional costs.
  • Discuss the results and implications and explain the significance of the findings. We find it hard to imagine a discussion that has fewer than two subheadings.
  • Edit and proofread your paper. Check for spelling, grammar and punctuation errors. Have someone review the manuscript before submitting it. You may also wish to use the language editing and translation services provided by BMJ Author Services.

10 tips to writing a good Cover Letter to support your manuscript

  • Address the letter to the appropriate journal editor.
  • Introduce yourself and your author team, and briefly explain your credentials.
  • Highlight your article’s relevance to our journal’s mission and scope.
  • Provide a brief summary of your article and any supporting information.
  • Explain why your article is original and timely.
  • Include a few sentences that outline the intended audience.
  • Show your enthusiasm for our journal and any support you can provide.
  • Explain why the journal should publish your article.
  • Mention any potential conflicts of interest.
  • Thank the editor for their time and consideration.

Editorial

The purpose of an editorial is to provide an analysis and discussion of a current issue of interest to the BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine readership. It reviews or criticizes a particular topic, and provides a platform for debate and discussion.
  • Editorials are by invitation only.
Word count: up to 1000 (excluding references and tables) Tables/figures: up to 2 tables and/or figures References: up to 10

Viewpoint

The purpose of a viewpoint is to provide an informed, research-based opinion or perspective on a particular subject of interest to the BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine readership. It is based on evidence from academic sources such as peer-reviewed journals, books, and other reliable sources. An academic viewpoint allows readers to gain an understanding of a particular issue from a scholarly perspective and can help to inform decisions or create further research.
  • We encourage the use of subheadings where appropriate. Typically, any discussion section should have two or more subheadings.
  • Additional material may be presented as supplementary information, which will be published in a single Word/PDF file in the Appendix should the article be accepted.
Word count: up to 1500 words (excluding references and tables) Abstract: up to 200 words, unstructured Tables/illustrations: up to 4 tables and/or figures References: up to 30 Include the key messages of your viewpoint after your abstract using the following headings. These key points 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 current scientific knowledge and/or clinical practice on your viewpoint’s subject
  • What this study adds - summarise the viewpoint’s take home messages, highlighting their scientific and/or clinical relevance.
  • How this study might affect research, practice or policy - summarise the intended study’s potential impact and implications.
This will be published as a summary box after the abstract in the final published article.

Short report

The purpose of a scientific short report is to provide a concise summary of a scientific study. A short report communicates the findings of a study to a broad audience, such as colleagues, funding sources, or policy makers. Short reports are, in general, suitable for the presentation of research that extends previously published research or provides preliminary results.
  • We encourage the use of the headings introduction, methods, results, discussion, and subheadings where appropriate.
  • We require every research article to include a statement that the study obtained ethics approval (or a statement that it was not required and why), including the name of the ethics committee(s) or institutional review board(s), the number/ID of the approval(s), and a statement that participants gave informed consent before taking part. Generic statements such as “ethical approval was granted from the institutional board” will not be accepted.
  • Additional material may be presented as supplementary information, which will be published in a single Word/PDF file in the Appendix should the article be accepted.
Word count: up to 1500 words (excluding references and tables) Abstract: up to 200 words, structured including the headings; Objectives, Methods, Results and Conclusion Tables/illustrations: up to 4 tables and/or figures References: up to 30 Include the key messages of your short report after your abstract using the following headings. These key points 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 current scientific knowledge and/or clinical practice on your report’s subject
  • What this report adds - summarise the report’s take home messages, highlighting their scientific and/or clinical relevance.
  • 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.

Protocol

A study protocol's purpose is to keep researchers and funding bodies current in their fields by exposing them to research activity that would otherwise go unnoticed. This can help to avoid redundant work and, hopefully, enable collaboration. Protocol publication in its entirety also makes more information available than trial registries currently require and increases transparency, making it easier for others (editors, reviewers, and readers) to see and understand any deviations from the protocol that may have occurred during a study.
  • BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine will consider protocols for any study design, including observational studies and systematic reviews.
  • Protocol manuscripts should report planned or ongoing research studies. If data collection is complete we will not consider the protocol. The inclusion of pilot data supportive of the protocol is encouraged.
  • Protocols for studies that will require ethical approval, such as trials, will not be considered without having received that approval.
  • Additional material may be presented as supplementary information, which will be published in a single PDF file in the Appendix should your protocol be accepted.
  • Authors who have previously published their protocol in BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine are eligible for a 25% discount on open access charges of their results paper, should it be accepted for publication in our journal.
Word count: up to 4000 (excluding references and tables) Abstract: up to 250, unstructured Tables/illustrations: up to 6 tables and/or figures References: up to 30 Include the key messages of your protocol after your abstract using the following headings. These key points 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 current scientific knowledge and/or clinical practice on your intended study’s subject
  • What this study adds - summarise the report’s take home messages, highlighting their scientific and/or clinical relevance.
  • How this study might affect research, practice or policy - summarise the intended study’s potential impact and implications.
This will be published as a summary box after the abstract in the final published protocol.

Original research

The purpose of an original research report is to communicate the results of a scientific experiment or study to other scientists, researchers, and the public. Scientific reports provide an objective account of the methods used, the results obtained, and the implications of the results. They are used to inform and persuade readers, and to help them make decisions about future research and policy.
  • We only accept (randomised) trials that have been pre-registered. In your methods section provide the name of the registry and your study’s registration number.
  • We require every research article to include a statement that the study obtained ethics approval (or a statement that it was not required and why), including the name of the ethics committee(s) or institutional review board(s), the number/ID of the approval(s), and a statement that participants gave informed consent before taking part. Generic statements such as “ethical approval was granted from the institutional board” will not be accepted.
  • Additional material may be presented as supplementary information, which will be published in a single PDF file in the Appendix should your article be accepted.
  • You must also complete and submit the appropriate reporting guideline, which will be published as an appendix should your article be accepted. Which guideline to use is dependent upon the design of your study.
  • Following the lead of The BMJ and its patient partnership strategy, BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine is encouraging active patient involvement in setting the research agenda. As such, we require authors of Original Research articles to add a Patient and Public Involvement statement in the Methods section.
Word count: up to 3000 words (excluding references and tables) Abstract: up to 250 words and structured including the headings; Objectives, Methods, Results and Conclusion Tables/illustrations: up to 6 tables and/or figures References: up to 40 Reporting guidelines: dependent upon the design of your study Include the key messages of your study after your abstract using the following headings. These key points 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 current scientific knowledge and/or clinical practice on your intended study’s subject
  • What this study adds - summarise the report’s take home messages, highlighting their scientific and/or clinical relevance.
  • How this study might affect research, practice or policy - summarise the intended study’s potential impact and implications.
This will be published as a summary box after the abstract in the final published article. Your discussion section should include a section on “Clinical Implications” (or Research/Policy Implications if more appropriate) and a “Limitations” section.

Qualitative research

The purpose of a qualitative research study is to gain an understanding of a particular phenomenon from the perspective of the participants. It is used to explore and interpret a particular phenomenon in depth, often through in-depth interviews, focus groups, or observations. Qualitative research can provide insight into the motivations, feelings, and experiences of people, to identify patterns, and to uncover underlying meanings.
  • You should clearly state your qualitative approach, data collection and analysis methods. Additionally, sufficient descriptions of theoretical and/or conceptual underpinnings should be included were applicable.
  • We strongly advise you to describe your approach to rigor and trustworthiness throughout the study.
  • We require every research article to include a statement that the study obtained ethics approval (or a statement that it was not required and why), including the name of the ethics committee(s) or institutional review board(s), the number/ID of the approval(s), and a statement that participants gave informed consent before taking part. Generic statements such as “ethical approval was granted from the institutional board” will not be accepted.
  • Additional material may be presented as supplementary information, which will be published in a single PDF file in the Appendix should your article be accepted.
  • You must also complete and submit the appropriate reporting guideline, which will be published as an appendix should your article be accepted. For qualitative research these are Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR) & Consolidated Requirements for Qualitative Research (COREQ).
Word count: up to 4500 words (excluding references and tables) Abstract: up to 300 words, unstructured Tables/illustrations: up to 6 tables and/or figures References: up to 40 Include the key messages of your study after your abstract using the following headings. These key points 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 current scientific knowledge and/or clinical practice on your intended study’s subject
  • What this study adds - summarise the report’s take home messages, highlighting their scientific and/or clinical relevance.
  • How this study might affect research, practice or policy - summarise the intended study’s potential impact and implications.
This will be published as a summary box after the abstract in the final published article. Your discussion section should include a section on “Clinical Implications” (or Research/Policy Implications if more appropriate) and a “Limitations” section.

Systematic review

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. Systematic reviews provide Level One evidence; they form a critical part of the literature.
  • We are looking for experts to synthesise the literature and to comment on the outcomes of the review in a meaningful and clinically relevant way
  • The topic must be of relevance to clinicians with the key question ‘will the findings change what practitioners do?’’
  • Succinct and focussed reviews, with questions that are topical, novel or controversial that will attract readers and researchers to the journal are more likely to be accepted
  • The literature search should have been completed within 12 months of manuscript submission.
  • All titles should include ‘a Systematic Review’
  • Systematic review registration: registry and registration number (only prospectively registered systematic reviews will be considered)
  • A completed PRISMA checklist is required and should accompany the submission as supplemental material
  • All systematic reviews (with or without meta-analysis) should address all items recommended in the PRISMA statement.
  • For all reviews we ask you to provide in 3-4 bullet points subheadings “What is already known”, and “What are the new findings”, highlighting the clinical relevance of your work.
Word count: up to 4500 words (excluding references and tables) Abstract: up to 250 words and structured including the headings; Objectives, Design, Data sources, Eligibility criteria for selecting studies, Results and Summary/Conclusion Tables/illustrations: up to 6 tables and/or figures References: up to 100 Reporting guidelines: Prisma checklist/statement and flowchart

Review

A narrative review in science is a type of review article that is written to summarize and evaluate the current state of knowledge and study trends on a specific topic. It is a comprehensive overview of the literature that synthesizes the current research, presents the key findings, and highlights gaps in the existing literature. Narrative reviews are an important tool for researchers to identify research trends and to inform future research directions.
  • Authors should clearly outline in their cover letter why a narrative review is appropriate rather than a systematic review.
  • All titles should include ‘a Narrative review’
Word count: up to 4000 Abstract: up to 250, unstructured Tables/illustrations: up to 6 tables and/or figures References: up to 80 Include the key messages of your review after your abstract using the following headings. These key points 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 current scientific knowledge and/or clinical practice on your intended study’s subject
  • What this study adds - summarise the report’s take home messages, highlighting their scientific and/or clinical relevance.
  • How this study might affect research, practice or policy - summarise the intended study’s potential impact and implications.
This will be published as a summary box after the abstract in the final published review.

Consensus statement

Please follow the steps in the Agree Reporting Checklist and upload as Research Checklist when submitting your article. Word count and references can be discussed with the editor.

Supplements

The BMJ Publishing Group journals are willing to consider publishing supplements to regular issues. Supplement proposals may be made at the request of:
  • The journal editor, an editorial board member or a learned society may wish to organise a meeting, sponsorship may be sought and the proceedings published as a supplement.
  • The journal editor, editorial board member or learned society may wish to commission a supplement on a particular theme or topic. Again, sponsorship may be sought.
  • The BMJPG itself may have proposals for supplements where sponsorship may be necessary.
  • A sponsoring organisation, often a pharmaceutical company or a charitable foundation, that wishes to arrange a meeting, the proceedings of which will be published as a supplement.
In all cases, it is vital that the journal's integrity, independence and academic reputation is not compromised in any way.
For further information on criteria that must be fulfilled, download the supplements guidelines. When contacting us regarding a potential supplement, please include as much of the information below as possible.
  • Journal in which you would like the supplement published
  • Title of supplement and/or meeting on which it is based
  • Date of meeting on which it is based
  • Proposed table of contents with provisional article titles and proposed authors
  • An indication of whether authors have agreed to participate
  • Sponsor information including any relevant deadlines
  • An indication of the expected length of each paper Guest Editor proposals if appropriate