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Instructions for Authors

For guidelines on BMJ Journals policy and submission please click on links below.
Manuscript Formatting
Editorial policies
Patient consent forms
Licence forms
Peer Review Process
Online First process

Editorial policy

Medical Humanities (MH) aims at being the pre-eminent medical humanities journal with high quality articles relevant to all those interested in medical humanities, particularly to health care professionals, humanities and arts scholars, social scientists and policy-makers, medical educators, and patients.

We welcome original papers from any part of the world, from all relevant approaches, as well as interesting empirical studies. We also welcome educational case studies, book, film, and art reviews, letters, personal viewpoints, and original poetry and prose relevant to the experience of illness.

Papers should be written in a non-specialist language and should ideally be readable by any well informed individual, in particular by both health care professionals without specific expertise in the humanities, arts or social sciences and by scholars in the humanities, arts or social scientist with no practical health care experience. For our part The Editors will:

  1. Ensure that all important issues in medical humanities are welcome in the journal.
  2. Ensure that a fair, independent peer review system is in place.
  3. Adhere to the highest ethical standards concerning editorial and research conduct.

 

Open Access

Authors can choose to have their article published Open Access for a fee of £1,950 (plus applicable VAT).

Article types and word counts

Original articles

Original articles should be between 3500 and 5000 words excluding references, although longer papers may be accepted in this category if the editor feels the longer word count is justified. This is the main category for original research papers on all topics.

Word count: usually between 3500 and 5000 words.
Unstructured abstract: up to 250 words.
Tables/Illustrations: up to 5, any more at editorial discretion.
References: excluded in word count total.

Brief reports

A short original paper 1500 words including references with 2 images or tables, with a brief abstract.

Letters to the editor (original research)

Letters should be 400 words including references and are for more general comments concerning a specific development in medical humanities, or health policy.

Educational case studies (original research)

Educational case studies should be 900 words including references and are for more brief descriptions of medical humanities educational initiatives.

For an example of an Educational Case Study please click here.

Review essay

A long review of one or more significant publications in medical humanities. Ideas for review essays should generally be discussed with the Editor in Chief responsible for commissioning before they are written/submitted.

Word count: up to 3500 words.
Abstract: up to 250 words.
Illustrations: at editorial discretion.
References: included in word count total.

Current controversies

An original paper on an issue of current controversy relevant to the delivery of healthcare, the formulation of public health policy, the experience of being ill and of caring for those who are ill. Will usually be published on the web prior to publication. This category is only for papers where there is truly current controversy.

Word count: up to 3500 words.
Abstract: up to 250 words.
Tables/Illustrations: at editorial discretion.
References: included in word count total.

Debate

Short comments on papers or current controversies, 500 words including references. Usually only published on the web.

Student Original Article

An original research paper by a student. The paper will be peer reviewed in the same way as all other papers, but the author will be given help to make the necessary changes if the referee reports are favourable.

Papers should be between 3500 and 5000 words excluding references, although longer papers may be accepted in this category if the editor feels the longer word count is justified.

Word count: usually between 3500 and 5000 words.
Unstructured abstract: up to 250 words.
Tables/Illustrations: up to 5, any more at editorial discretion.
References: excluded in word count total.

Book, film, and art reviews

Ideas for reviews should generally be discussed with the Editor in Chief responsible for commissioning before they are written/submitted.

Poetry or prose

Short patient, carer, or health care professional story or poem, 50 to 500 words in length. No references. Please note: at the editor's discretion, a selection of fillers may be published in each paper issue. The majority will however be published as e pages to issues.

Correpondence

Letters in response to articles published in MH are welcome and should be submitted electronically via the website. Contributors should go to the abstract or full text of the article in question. At the top right corner of each article is a "contents box". Click on the "eLetters: Submit a response to this article" link.

Letters relating to or responding to previously published items in the journal will be shown to those authors, where appropriate.

Word count: up to 400 words.
References: included in word count total.

Supplements

The BMJ Publishing Group journals are willing to consider publishing supplements to regular issues. Supplement proposals may be made at the request of:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. The BMJPG itself may have proposals for supplements where sponsorship may be necessary.
  4. 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.

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

For further information on criteria that must be fulfilled, download the supplements guidelines (PDF).

Plagiarism detection

BMJ Group is a member of CrossCheck by CrossRef and iThenticate. iThenticate is a plagiarism screening service that verifies the originality of content submitted before publication. iThenticate checks submissions against millions of published research papers, and billions of web content. Authors, researchers and freelancers can also use iThenticate to screen their work before submission by visiting www.ithenticate.com.