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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

The Journal of Clinical Pathology (JCP) is committed to the advancement of all disciplines within the broader remit of human pathology. This also encompasses molecular biology and its applications in the understanding of human biology and pathology. The journal is intended to have world-wide readership and will publish articles that have a wide appeal even though they are regionally based.

Issues with a narrower restricted focus may be submitted as Letters to the Editor or as correspondence. JCP wishes to publish cutting edge, original clinical and laboratory-based articles, especially those with a clear clinical relevance. Provision of an educational platform for trainees, scientists and pathologists is an important function and aim of the journal. As such, state of the art reviews, viewpoints and editorials will be published.

The editorial team wishes to produce a balanced, informative and meaningful journal that is sensitive to the needs of its readership and the specialty at large, as well as being in tune with contemporary issues.

In pursuit of these goals we wish to publish work that is ethical (morally and scientifically), of a high quality and governed by a fair, independent peer review system.

Open Access

Authors can choose to have their article published Open Access for a fee of £1950 (plus applicable VAT).

Colour figure charges

During submission you will be asked whether or not you agree to pay for the colour print publication of your colour images. This service is available to any author publishing within this journal for a fee of £250 per article. Authors can elect to publish online in colour and black and white in print, in which case the appropriate selection should be made upon submission.

Article types and word counts

• Original articles
• Short reports
• Letters to the Editor (original research)
• Best Practice
• My Approach / Demystified
• Reviews
• Leading Articles / Editorials
• Correspondence
• Supplements
• Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

Take home messages:
To aid understanding and clarity of their paper, Authors are asked to provide three to four key facts that summarise the essence of their work and/or what they intend the reader to focus on. These "take home messages" should be placed at the end of the manuscript, before the references. Please see the current issue for examples.

The word count excludes the title page, abstract, tables, acknowledgements and contributions and the references.

Original articles

Original articles should report original research of relevance to the understanding and practice of clinical pathology. They should be written in the standard form: abstract; introduction; methods; and discussion. A paragraph about what the paper adds should also be added underneath the abstract.

The journal uses a structured form of abstract in the interests of clarity. This should be short (no more than 250 words) and include four headings:

• Aims - the main purpose of the study
• Methods - what was done, and with what material
• Results - the most important results illustrated by numerical data but not p values
• Conclusions - the implications and relevance of the results

Authors of original articles are required to comply with one of the appropriate reporting guidelines endorsed by the EQUATOR Network. The following are the most commonly used guidelines for this journal. Authors are expected to submit the checklist that is most appropriate for their manuscript type:

• Experimental studies - CONSORT Statement
• Observational Studies - STROBE Statement
• Diagnostic accuracy studies - STARD Statement
• Biospecimen reporting  - BRISQ
• Reliability and agreement studies - GRRAS

If none of the above listed guidelines are suitable for the manuscript, the author is requested to either search for the most relevant set of guidelines supplied by the EQUATOR Network or explain during the submission process why none of the guidelines are appropriate for their study type.

Word count: up to 2000 words.
Structured abstract: up to 250 words.
Tables/Illustrations: at editorial discretion.
References: up to 150.

Short reports

Short technical notes and brief investigative studies are welcomed and usually published in the form of a Short/Technical report. At the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief some short reports will be published in the Correspondence section but will undergo the usual peer review process.

Word count: up to 1200 words.
Abstract: up to 150 words.
Tables/Illustrations: up to 6. If more are required the text must be reduced accordingly.
References: up to 12.

Letters to the Editor (original research)

eLetters provide an opportunity for rapid online publication of correspondence related to articles published in the Journal of Clinical Pathology. The letter must be pertinent/relevant to a recently published article in Journal of Clinical Pathology. 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. Some letters in response to an article may be published in the print version of the journal.

Authors are reminded that eLetters do not serve as a forum for seeking medical/health advice.

References should not exceed a maximum of four.

Best Practice

Best Practice articles are published by editorial invitation. Unsolicited best practice articles are unlikely to be accepted but the editor is always pleased to receive suggestions. The 'Best Practice' series is geared to practising pathologists as well as trainees on how to approach some of the more difficult/contentious issues in Pathology. We are looking for diagnostic algorithms, investigative trees and/or any other useful hint(s) that will facilitate making the best/right diagnosis. These can include molecular techniques which may not be within the remit of every laboratory but certainly something that is doable.

Word count: between 2500 and 3000 words.
Abstract: up to 250 words.
Illustrations: at editorial discretion.
References: up to 150.

My Approach / Demystified

My Approach and Demystified articles are published by editorial invitation. Unsolicited demystified articles are unlikely to be accepted but the editor is always pleased to receive suggestions. These articles are geared to practising pathologists as well as trainees on how to approach some of the more difficult/contentious issues in Pathology.

We are looking for diagnostic algorithms, investigative trees and/or any other useful hint(s) that will facilitate making the best/right diagnosis. These can include molecular techniques which may not be within the remit of every laboratory but certainly something that is doable.

Word count: between 2500 and 3000 words.
Abstract: up to 250 words.
Illustrations: at editorial discretion.
References: up to 150.

Reviews

Any proposals for reviews should be discussed with the editor before submission.

Word count: between 2500 - 3000 words.
Abstract: up to 250 words.
Tables/Illustrations: at editorial discretion.
References: up to 150.

Leading Articles / Editorials

Leaders and Editorials are published by editorial invitation. Unsolicited leaders or editorials are unlikely to be accepted but the editor is always pleased to receive suggestions.

Word count: between 2500 words.
Abstract: up to 250 words.
Tables/Illustrations: at editorial discretion.
References: up to 150.

Correspondence

Single case reports of outstanding interest or clinical relevance are mostly published as Correspondences. The title should be brief. No abstract, keywords or subheadings are required. The correspondence should include a brief introduction of a few sentences followed by a succinct report and discussion. A detailed literature review is not required.

Letters in response to articles published in the Journal of Clinical Pathology and short technical notes, and brief investigative studies may be published in this section at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief.

Word count: up to 900 words.
Abstract: Not required. Tables/Illustrations: up to 4.
References: up to 8.

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

MCQs based on submitted manuscripts may be solicited by the editor for publication on the BMJ Online Learning site. An invitation to submit MCQs may be extended to you by the editor at the time of acceptance of your manuscript.

The journal requires between 5-10 multiple choice questions (MCQs) with 5 options each, based on your article for the online learning programme. You may choose to include images as well. The questions need to be submitted to the journal within 4-6 weeks. Please see below for some more helpful guidelines:

Please include in your MCQ:

• A seperate Word document which also includes the article title and author names.
• The title and authors of the article to which the MCQs are associated with must be provided
• The author of the MCQs (even if the same) must be clearly stated
• The MCQs set must contain at least 5 questions
• Each question must have 5 possible answers, with only *one* answer being correct (the correct answer must be marked with an asterisk)
• Additional explanation text (for user to see after taking the test) can be submitted for *each individual answer* if appropriate. It is ok to have some answers with explanation and some without.
• Figures if applicable can be included in questions (must be submitted as gif/jpg files)

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.