Case Studies

These are submissions in which the author has focused on a particular patient or group of patients and their treatment through the medical process. A manuscript submitted as a case study may fall under any of the following categories:

  • A manuscript describing a single patient case. This should represent a particularly salient case, either because of an unusual diagnosis, presentation, or natural history of the disease. Alternatively, the case may be a classic presentation of the disease, which can contribute to the reader’s understanding of that illness and its management.
  • A manuscript describing a series of related patients/cases. This may represent patients with the same unusual/rare disease, complication, or atypical therapy and/or outcome.
  • (Optional) Manuscript may be accompanied by a literature review

Manuscript Format

TEXT

  • All text, including table and figure legends, should be in Times New Roman font. 

  • Spacing throughout the manuscript should be 1.5-spacing.

  • Should be in a .doc or .docx file

  • Should have a word limit within 500-1500 words, excluding references.

TITLE PAGE

  1. Article title: The title should be succinct (no more than 10 words) and capture the purpose of the complete article.
  2. Author names: Author names should be listed below the article title followed by a superscript that corresponds to author information.
  3. Author information: Authors’ institutional affiliation should be listed. For authors who have changed affiliation since the time of involvement in the research, a second line (with superscript symbol) should indicate current institutional affiliation.
  4. Corresponding author contact information: Should include author name, email, phone number, and fax number.
  5. Conflict of Interest declaration: Conflicts of interests should be described as per the ICMJE disclosure rules. If none, state: “The authors do not have conflicts of interest to disclose.”
  6. Word count: A word count for the main body of the article (excluding abstract, acknowledgements, tables, figures, legends and references), as well as a complete count of all words in the manuscript.
  7. Number of figures and tables.
  8. Acknowledgements should include conflicts of interest, non-author contributors, grants, and other forms of support provided during the research process. 
  9. Keywords: Indicate 5 words that best represent the article, which readers can use to search for the published article. If one of the keywords is jargon, provide a brief description
  10. Funding: List all sources

SUBJECT MATTER

  1. Abstract tells the story of the author’s research manuscript in 200 words. Within this section, please include a small summary of the review article.
  2. Learning Points (optional): Authors are encouraged to provide a sidebar of particularly “high-yield” points related to this topic of research, which may be appropriate for board examinations and/or clinical rotations. These should be presented as succinct bullet points. Mnemonics, brief algorithms and other memory aids are appropriate here.
  3. Key Words connect the research to topics in 3-5 words. If one of the key words is jargon, provide a brief description. 
  4. Case Presentation, including headings and subheadings, should be logically organized according to the discretion of the author. 
    1. Include a brief synopsis of the presenting symptoms of the patient. Relevant medical/surgical history, social and family history and concomitant medications should be described. If appropriate and available, a table of laboratory findings, radiological or pathological images may be included here.
    2. Describe key clinical findings, and include a brief discussion of the differential diagnosis. Therapeutic interventions (if applicable) and rationale for their choice should be described, concluding with progress/follow-up (if applicable). The case presentation should follow a clear and logical timeline and key events and decisions should be explained.
  5. Conclusion applies the author’s research to the current medical environment. The author(s) can also propose a future trajectory for their research or contemplate the implications for their research in the future.
  6. Literature Review (if included): If a case report or series includes a literature review, this should follow the general guidelines applicable to any comprehensive literature review. A set scope for the review (i.e. all case reports describing a particular manifestation of the involved disease, published within a certain period of time) should be defined and described at the beginning of the literature review.
  7. References: Articles must contain a minimum of 5 references. Authors should be aware that SJM holds a greater weight towards references that are from peer-reviewed, published journals and books. 
    1. Each citation should be structured using the American Medical Association’s Manual of Style, 10th edition. 
    2. References should be cited in the text by sequential numbers in superscript. 
    3. In the references section, references should be numbered in the order they appear in the text.

TABLES AND FIGURES

  • Figure and table legends should be less than 100 words and use 10-point, italicized Times New Roman font. A legend should be able to stand on its own, like a legend. 

  • Placement of figures and tables should be indicated throughout the manuscript. If a previously published table or figure is included in the author’s manuscript, the author must provide written permission from the figure’s main author.

  • Figures are cited sequentially in the text using Arabic numerals (for example, Figure 7).

  • Tables and Figures will be uploaded as a Word document titled “Article Name Tables and Figures,” separate from the original article document.
  • Each page will contain at most 1 figure or table, and include an underlined descriptor (i.e. Figure 1: Picture of a table or Table 2: Descriptions of figures) at the top of the page.
  • Tables should be set to a simple format, similar to the following example:
Table Column 1 Table Column 2
Text Text
Text Text
Text Text
  • Screenshots of tables are no longer accepted

Submission Format

Create a labeled folder using the following format: LAST NAME, FIRST NAME_Full Article Title_SJM CS Sub.” Within this folder, please put:

  1. Your title page and acknowledgment section in a word document labeled “LAST NAME, FIRST INITIAL – Title_Acknowledgements”
  2. Formatted manuscript (excluding the title page and acknowledgments), with its file name and the document itself labeled with full manuscript title. Please make sure that ALL personal information from this particular document is removed.
  3. Tables and Figures as separate images that have been labeled as “Table or Figure X – Title”. The legends for the tables and figures should be put in a separate word document and labeled to their corresponding figure.