FAQs

1. What is BMJ Case Reports? BMJ Case Reports is an online resource with a high volume of peer reviewed cases in all disciplines so that healthcare professionals, researchers and others can easily find clinically important information on common and rare conditions. Further information: About BMJ Case Reports.
2. What sort of case can I submit? We are interested in cases that have educational value – novelty or rarity are not important. Further information: What cases do we want to publish? We do not publish case reports that assess the efficacy or effectiveness of interventions. This includes case reports of patients enrolled in phase II trials.
3. Where can I submit cases? You must submit your cases online using BMJ Case Reports‘ submission site.
4. If I have problems submitting my article where can I get help? The submission site has a get help now link in the top right hand corner of its home page. If you continue to have problems contact the editorial office.
5. Why do I need to use your Word templates? We require all case reports to be written using our Word templates to speed up peer review and publication.
6. How many figures am I allowed to submit and what format do you require? We have no limit on the number of figures submitted with a case and we encourage the use of colour. We accept most file formats (JPG, TIF, GIF, PowerPoint, EPS) and the preferred resolution is 300 dpi. Please try to keep them under 2 MB. You may also submit video files in either WAV or AVI formats. Please only submit images of affected areas to preserve patient anonymity. Cropping should be as tight as possible to eliminate unwanted detail. For more information about image resolution visit BMJ’s Author Hub.
7. Do I need patient consent? We have a very strict policy regarding patient confidentiality and your case report will not be sent for review until we receive explicit consent from the patient or guardian. We expect authors to use the BMJ consent form, which is available in several languages.
8. Why do I have to pay? BMJ Case Reports has a unique business model whereby users (authors and/or readers) become Fellows. Individuals pay an annual fellowship fee. During your 12 month fellowship period you can submit as many cases as you like, access all the published material, and re-use any published material for personal use and teaching without further permission. When submitting work, a Fellow must act as the corresponding author on their submission. We also offer institutional fellowships – faculty, staff and students at these institutions do not have to pay individual fees. For further information and pricing (based on the number of full time equivalents at the institution) contact our institutional sales team. Authors can choose to publish their article open access for a fee of £499 (plus VAT where applicable). Please note, this charge is separate from the annual Fellowship fee.
9. Do you waive the fees for anyone? Readers based in Hinari countries can access the published content for free, but they do have to pay Fellowship fees if they wish to submit any articles.
10. When will my case be published? We publish cases every week following a copy edit and final author approval process. To keep up to date with everything we publish sign up for weekly email alerts.
11. How do I become a peer reviewer for BMJ Case Reports? If you are interested in becoming one of our reviewers please send an email to the Editor with a brief outline of your areas of expertise and experience.
12. What is BMJ Case Reports’ Impact Factor? BMJ Case Reports does not have an Impact Factor. Case reports are rarely cited and so the Impact Factor would always be low. We measure the success of BMJ Case Reports not on citations, but on its educational value to healthcare professionals wherever they practice. BMJ Case Reports is not an edition or supplement of The BMJ.
13. These FAQs have been no help at all, what shall I do now? Please contact the editorial office by email.
14. Does BMJ Case Reports accept case series? BMJ Case Reports does not accept case series. However, if we feel that an article makes a point better by including more than one case we will consider the article. If your case report involves more than three patients, please contact the editorial office so that we can assess your case.
15. Who can write for BMJ Case Reports? All healthcare professionals are encouraged to submit their manuscripts to BMJ Case Reports for consideration.