Submissions

Author Guidelines

AUTHOR GUIDELINES & SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Aims & Scope

The National Journal of Medical Education (NJME) is a peer-reviewed scholarly journal dedicated to advancing innovation and research in medical education. The journal provides a platform for educators, clinicians, researchers, and policy makers to disseminate evidence and best practices that inform teaching, learning, assessment, and curriculum development.

The scope of the journal includes, but is not limited to:

• Undergraduate and postgraduate medical education
• Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME)
• Teaching–learning methods and instructional design
• Best practices in teaching–learning and assessment
• Assessment, evaluation, and feedback
• Curriculum development and reform
• Faculty development and leadership
• Educational technology, digital learning, and artificial intelligence in medical education
• Professionalism, ethics, communication, and medical humanities
• Interprofessional and health professions education
• Medical education policy and systems research

Article Types Accepted

Original Research Articles report empirical studies in medical and health professions education. These manuscripts should not exceed 4,000 words excluding the abstract and references and must include a structured abstract of up to 250 words. The main text should generally be organized under the headings Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, and Conclusion. A statement on ethical approval and informed consent, where applicable, must be included. References should normally not exceed 40.

Review Articles, including systematic and narrative reviews, synthesize existing evidence relevant to medical education. These manuscripts may be up to 5,000 words in length. Abstracts may be structured or unstructured (up to 250 words). Systematic reviews should clearly describe the search strategy, selection criteria, and methods of synthesis, while narrative reviews should outline the rationale, scope, and approach to literature selection. References should generally be limited to 60.

Short Communications present concise reports of preliminary findings, pilot studies, educational innovations at an early stage, or methodological advances. These articles should not exceed 2,000 words and require an unstructured abstract of up to 150 words. The main text may be organized flexibly but should clearly state the background, key methods or approach, principal findings, and implications. References should be limited to 20.

Educational Innovations describe novel or adapted teaching, learning, or assessment strategies with evidence of implementation and outcomes. These manuscripts may be up to 3,000 words and must include a structured abstract of up to 200 words. The main text should typically include sections such as Context and Rationale, Description of the Innovation, Implementation, Evaluation, and Lessons Learned. References should normally not exceed 30.

Perspectives or Commentaries provide scholarly opinions or reflections on emerging issues, policy developments, or debates in medical education. These articles should be no more than 1,500 words, do not require an abstract, and should be logically structured with clear arguments supported by relevant literature. References should be limited to 15.

Letters to the Editor may respond to articles published in NJME or highlight issues of general interest to the journal’s readership. Letters should not exceed 800 words, may include a small number of references (up to 5), and do not require an abstract.

Manuscript Preparation Guidelines

Manuscripts submitted to NJME should be prepared in a clear, structured, and scholarly manner, consistent with international standards for biomedical and educational publishing. Authors are encouraged to ensure clarity, transparency, and methodological rigor in reporting.

General Formatting

Manuscripts must be submitted in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) format, typed double-spaced using 12-point Times New Roman font with 1-inch margins. Pages should be numbered consecutively, and continuous line numbering is encouraged to facilitate peer review.

Structure of Manuscripts

Submissions should include a title page (uploaded separately), abstract and keywords, main text, references, and tables and figures where applicable.

Reporting Guidelines

Authors are expected to follow appropriate reporting standards relevant to their study design. These include CONSORT for randomized controlled trials, STROBE for observational studies, PRISMA for systematic reviews and meta-analyses, SRQR for qualitative research, SQUIRE for quality improvement studies, or other appropriate reporting standards, as applicable.

References

References should be formatted according to the ICMJE / Vancouver style and numbered consecutively in the order of appearance in the text.

Ethical Considerations

All research involving human participants must have prior approval from a recognized Institutional Ethics Committee. Manuscripts must include a clear statement regarding ethical approval and informed consent. Studies involving students, trainees, or subordinates should explicitly address issues related to voluntariness and potential power imbalances. NJME adheres to internationally accepted ethical standards for research involving human participants, including the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki, and follows COPE and ICMJE guidance in matters related to publication ethics.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools: The use of artificial intelligence–based tools (e.g., for language editing, data analysis, or image generation) in manuscript preparation must be transparently disclosed by the authors, either in the Methods section or in the Acknowledgments, as appropriate. AI tools cannot be listed as authors, as authorship implies responsibility and accountability that can only be attributed to humans

Authorship Criteria

NJME follows the authorship criteria of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). All listed authors must have made substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data; must have drafted or critically revised the manuscript; must have approved the final version; and must agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work. Author contribution details are required at the time of submission.

ORCID iDs: Authors are encouraged to provide their ORCID iD at the time of submission to ensure accurate author identification and attribution.

Conflict of Interest & Funding Disclosure

Authors must disclose all financial and non-financial conflicts of interest that could influence the work. All sources of funding must be declared, or authors should explicitly state if there was no external funding. These disclosures will be published with the article.

Plagiarism Policy

All submitted manuscripts are screened using plagiarism-detection software. Manuscripts with an overall similarity index exceeding 15%, or more than 5% similarity from a single source (excluding references), may be rejected. Redundant publication, duplicate submission, salami slicing, and inappropriate self-plagiarism are not permitted and will be handled in accordance with COPE guidelines.

Submission Process

Manuscripts must be submitted only through the online submission system of the journal. Offline or email submissions are not accepted. During submission, authors are required to upload a blinded manuscript file, a separate title page, and a cover letter. All submissions undergo an initial editorial screening before being considered for peer review.

Copyright, Licensing & Open Access

NJME is an open-access journal. Authors retain copyright of their work, and articles are published under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license unless otherwise specified. This licensing model permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is fully compliant with DOAJ open-access requirements.

Article Processing Charges (APCs)

No article processing charges are levied at present. Any changes to this policy will be clearly communicated on the journal website in advance.

Before You Submit: Author Checklist

Authors are requested to ensure that the following requirements are met before final submission. Careful adherence to this checklist will help avoid delays due to technical or administrative corrections.

Manuscript Suitability

• The manuscript falls within the scope of the National Journal of Medical Education
• The article type selected is appropriate for the content and structure of the manuscript
• The work represents original scholarship and is intended for an academic readership

Ethical and Publication Requirements

• Ethical approval from a recognized Institutional Ethics Committee has been obtained where applicable
• Informed consent has been obtained and appropriately stated in the manuscript
• Issues related to voluntariness and power imbalance (particularly in student-based research) have been addressed
• All ethical and publication practices comply with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki and the guidance of COPE and ICMJE

Authorship and Contributions

• All listed authors meet ICMJE authorship criteria
• The order of authorship has been agreed upon by all contributors
• A corresponding author has been clearly identified with a valid email address
• Author contributions, conflicts of interest, and funding sources are ready to be declared

Submission Files

• A blinded manuscript file has been prepared with no identifying information
• A separate title page includes full author details, affiliations, running title, and word count
• A cover letter confirms originality, exclusive submission, and disclosure statements

Manuscript Presentation

• The manuscript is double-spaced with page numbers
• Abstract format and word limits conform to the selected article type
• Three to six keywords are provided
• Tables and figures are cited in the text and appropriately labelled
• References are formatted according to the journal’s reference style
• Track Changes and identifying file metadata have been removed

Language and Originality

• The manuscript has been carefully checked for clarity, grammar, and consistency
• Abbreviations are expanded at first mention
• All sources are appropriately cited, and the manuscript is free from plagiarism or redundant publication

All manuscripts must be submitted only through the online submission system. Submissions that do not comply with these requirements may be returned for technical correction prior to peer review.