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/Unlocked articles

Authors are able to make their articles freely available online, immediately on publication, for a fee, using the Unlocked service. This service is available to any author publishing original research in a BMJ Journal for a fee of £1,200(+VAT)/€1,775(+VAT)/$2,220.

Article types and word counts

• Papers
• Short reports
• Letters to the Editor (original research)
• Best Practice
• My Approach / Demystified
• Reviews
• Leading Articles / Editorials
• Correspondence
• Supplements

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.

Papers

Papers 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.

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

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

Short reports

Single case reports of outstanding interest or clinical relevance, 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 some case/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 2 (or 1 of each). If more are required the text must be reduced accordingly.
References: up to 10.

Letters to the Editor (original research)

Letters must be typed in double line spacing, should normally be no more than 500 words and have no more than five references.

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

Letters in response to articles published in the Journal of Clinical Pathology 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. Some letters in response to an article may be published in the print version of the journal.

Word count: up to 600 words.
Tables/Illustrations: up to 2.
References: up to 10.

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.

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