Instructions for authors
The instructions for authors adhere to the guidelines set forth by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) (https://www.icmje.org/about-icmje/), the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) (https://www.wame.org/), and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) (https://publicationethics.org/).
Manuscript submission to Medical Education & Clinical Practice
Manuscript sections
The first manuscript submission must include the following documents:
- Cover letter
- Title page
- Main manuscript, including tables
- Figures (if applicable)
- Reporting checklist (if applicable)
- Supplementary material (if applicable)
- Authorship, conflict of interest, AI use, and funding disclosure form
Title page
The title page must include the following information:
- Title: The article must include a title in both Spanish and English. A maximum length of 20 words is recommended.
- Short title: A brief version of the title, not exceeding 7 words, should be provided in the language of the manuscript.
- Authors’ full names: Each author must provide their full name. Authors may indicate their preferred name format for publication; otherwise, the standard format (first name followed by last name) will be applied.
- Affiliations: The institutional affiliation of each author must be specified, including the city and country.
- Professional background and academic degree: The profession and highest academic degree obtained by each author must be indicated. Examples include: MD (for Medical Doctor), MSc (Master of Science), PhD (Doctor of Philosophy), among others
- ORCID iD: All authors are required to provide their ORCID identifier.
- Individual contributions: For manuscripts with multiple authors, the specific contribution of each author to the development of the manuscript must be clearly stated (see Authorship criteria and Contributions section).
- Funding: Authors must state whether the study was self-funded or supported by external funding. If applicable, the full name of the funding organization must be provided (see Funding Sources section).
- Conflict of interest statement: Authors must disclose any personal, institutional, or financial relationships that could potentially influence the objectivity of the research (see Conflict of interest Disclosure section).
- Corresponding author contact information: The corresponding author must provide a valid email address and telephone number (see Corresponding Author section).
- Prior presentation of the content: If the article was previously presented at a conference, symposium, or academic event, or is part of a thesis, this must be clearly indicated along with relevant details.
- Artificial intelligence disclosure: If artificial intelligence tools were used in the preparation of the manuscript or the conduct of the study, their use must be explicitly described (see Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) use statement section).
Manuscript
The manuscript must include the following components:
- Abstract: An abstract must be provided in both English and Spanish, regardless of the language of the manuscript. It is mandatory for both original and brief original articles. The abstract must meet the following criteria: (i) it should be structured in the following order: introduction (optional), objectives, methods, results, and conclusions, and include the protocol registration number (if applicable); and (ii) it must not exceed 250 words.
- Keywords in English and Spanish: Between three and ten keywords must be included in English and Spanish, separated by semicolons. Authors are encouraged to select terms from the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mesh).
- Main text: The length and structure of the main text depend on the type of manuscript submitted (see Manuscript Types and Requirements section).
- References: References should be limited to those explicitly cited in the text. They must appear at the end of the manuscript, numbered consecutively in the order in which they are cited, and formatted in accordance with the Vancouver style, including the Digital Object Identifier (DOI), as recommended by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). For references with more than six authors, list the first six followed by et al. The use of reference management software is strongly recommended to ensure accuracy and consistency.
Manuscript types and requirements
The following types of manuscripts can be submitted to Medical Education & Clinical Practice:
Detailed information about each manuscript type is provided below.
Editorial
Original articles
Original articles must follow the structure below:
- Title
- Structured abstract
- Keywords
- Introduction
- Methods
- Results
- Discussion
- Acknowledgements (if applicable)
- References
It is recommended that the Methods section include the following information or subsections: i) study design; ii) study population; iii) procedures or interventions; iv) variables; v) data analysis; and vi) ethical aspects.
As part of the editorial evaluation process, all manuscripts must adhere to the appropriate reporting checklist according to the study design, to ensure sufficient methodological detail is provided (http://www.equator-network.org). Observational or quasi-experimental studies (e.g., comparative studies, analyses of large databases, or pre-post intervention evaluations) must follow the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) checklist. Qualitative studies must comply with either the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) or Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR) checklists. Diagnostic accuracy studies must follow the Standards for Reporting Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (STARD checklist); economic evaluations must adhere to the Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards( CHEERS) guidelines; and experimental animal studies must comply with the Animal Research: Reporting of In Vivo Experiments (ARRIVE) guidelines. Authors are strongly encouraged to visit http://www.equator-network.org/reporting-guidelines, download the checklist most appropriate to their study design, complete it, and include it as part of the manuscript submission package.
For systematic reviews, with or without meta-analysis, registration is required through PROSPERO (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/), the Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/), or another institutional registry. The registration number must be included at the end of the abstract. The reporting of this type of study must follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines (https://www.equator-network.org/reporting-guidelines/prisma/). Similarly, all clinical trials must be registered in a public trials registry, in accordance with ICMJE recommendations. Registration should occur prior to the enrollment of participants or, at the latest, at the time of first participant inclusion. The registration number must be reported at the end of the abstract. Clinical trial reporting must adhere to the CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) guidelines (https://www.consort-spirit.org/).
Brief original articles
Review articles
Special articles
Study protocol
This type of article presents the protocol of a study that is either in the planning phase or currently underway. Preference is given to protocols for cross-sectional studies with a national or multicenter scope, biobanks, cohort studies, and clinical trials. The maximum length for a study protocol is 3,000 words (excluding the abstract, acknowledgments [see Authorship Criteria and Contributions section], figure legends, tables, references, and supplementary material). An unstructured abstract of no more than 150 words is required. Manuscripts may include up to four tables or figures and a maximum of 30 references. The manuscript must include the following structure: introduction, study hypothesis, study objectives, a detailed description of the proposed methodology, ethical aspects, dissemination plan, and references.
Authors are encouraged to follow the Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials (SPIRIT) checklist (https://www.equator-network.org/reporting-guidelines/spirit-2013-statement-defining-standard-protocol-items-for-clinical-trials/) to ensure a clear and comprehensive presentation of clinical trial protocols.
All submitted protocols must have prior approval from a research ethics committee. For randomized clinical trials, compliance with CONSORT guidelines is required, along with registration in a recognized trial registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov (https://clinicaltrials.gov/), the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) (https://www.who.int/clinical-trials-registry-platform), or a national platform officially recognized by the relevant regulatory authority. Observational studies must adhere to the STROBE checklist.
Case report with systematic review
This section is intended for the presentation of clinical cases that address novel aspects of a disease, describe previously undocumented pathological entities, report unusual clinical presentations, highlight new associations in pathological processes, reveal unexpected links between diseases or symptoms, document previously unreported adverse events, or propose novel therapeutic interventions or alternative uses of existing medications.
All case reports must be accompanied by a systematic review of the literature, aimed at contextualizing the case within current scientific knowledge, identifying gaps in the existing evidence, and emphasizing the clinical relevance of the reported finding. The review must follow PRISMA guidelines, including a clearly defined search strategy, inclusion and exclusion criteria, and a synthesis of relevant studies. The review must also be registered in PROSPERO, and the registration number must be included in the abstract.
The maximum length for a case report is 1,500 words, with an unstructured abstract of no more than 150 words, up to five tables or figures, and a maximum of 20 references. The manuscript should follow this structure: unstructured abstract, introduction, case presentation, discussion, acknowledgments, and references. Case reports must comply with the CARE guidelines (https://www.equator-network.org/reporting-guidelines/care/) to ensure clear and precise reporting. Informed consent from the patient or their legal representative must be obtained, as well as authorization from the head of the department or service of the healthcare institution. Patient confidentiality must be strictly maintained (see Informed Consent section).
All images and photographs submitted as part of the case evidence must be of high resolution (above 600 dpi or 300 pixels per inch) and submitted separately in .jpg or .tiff format. The corresponding author must be a medical doctor, and the treating physicians are expected to be included as co-authors.
Letters to the Editor
Scientific letters
Commentary letters
Manuscript format and style
Language
Text formatting
Tables
Tables must be placed at the end of the manuscript, after the References section, with each table presented on a separate page. Tables should be numbered consecutively using Arabic numerals and must include a clear title, along with sufficient information to be understood independently of the main text.
To ensure compatibility with the editorial process, tables must be created in editable formats such as Word or Excel. Tables submitted as images (.jpg, .png, or other graphic formats) will not be accepted. All abbreviations and symbols used in the tables must be explained in footnotes, along with any necessary legends.
Figures
Figures may include statistical graphs, flowcharts, diagrams, clinical images, or maps. All figures must be submitted as separate files. Statistical graphs and diagrams should preferably be created in Excel or generated using statistical software. Clinical images, photographs, and maps must be submitted as independent files in .TIFF or .JPG format, with a minimum resolution of 600 dpi or 300 pixels per inch to ensure print quality during layout.
Figures must be numbered consecutively using Arabic numerals and should include a clear title and sufficient information to be understood independently of the main text. Figure titles must appear below each figure.
If a figure includes a patient’s face, their identity must be protected by obscuring the eyes or displaying only what is strictly necessary for case interpretation. In such cases, a signed written consent from the patient or their legal representative authorizing image use must be provided.
If previously published figures are included, the original source must be cited, and written permission from the copyright holder must be submitted.
Supplementary material