About

Welcome to the website for the Michigan Journal of Medicine (MJM). We are a peer-reviewed, medical student-led journal focused on publishing and promoting clinical and scientific biomedical research generated by the members of the University of Michigan to the scientific community at large. The journal’s editorial work is conducted under the guidance of faculty at the University of Michigan Medical School, and the issues are produced in collaboration with Michigan Publishing, a division of the University of Michigan Library. 

We accept original research, reviews, perspective pieces, and brief communication articles created by graduate students at the University of Michigan. Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis!

Manuscript submissions should be initiated online via our submissions portal. Remember to follow us on Twitter @MichJMed!

Focus and Scope

The Michigan Journal of Medicine focuses on publishing original research, reviews, perspective pieces and brief communication articles created by graduate students at the University of Michigan.

Submission Checklist

Submission Checklist

Thank you for submitting to MJM! Before submitting, please ensure that at least one of the authors of your work is a graduate or professional student at the University of Michigan.

 

Please refer to submission guidelines below. All manuscripts should be submitted with a title page listing all authors, followed by a de-identified abstract and manuscript with appropriately labeled subsections. Each author must attest to reviewing journal policies.

 

Submissions are routed to reviewer and editorial teams prior to final reviews by the editors-in-chief. Authors whose manuscripts are still under review will receive periodic notifications by the journal’s managing editor informing them as such. Additionally, authors should anticipate receiving a decision on their submissions in 8-12 weeks. These decisions will be communicated to the authors via the managing editor to maintain a blinded process.

 

The authors are required to fill out the ICMJE Disclosure Form at the time of initial submission and update the form at the time of publication if there are any changes. Examples of conflict of interest (COI) include, but are not limited to: employment, consultancies, stock ownership or options, honoraria, patents, and paid expert testimony. Failure to report these relationships or activities on the disclosure form is a form of misconduct. All reported COI will be published with the article.

 

Please review ‘Style Guide’ for other important information

Original Research Article 

A report of an original study that has been performed by the authors. This can include clinical, translational, or basic science research.

 

Title page - see example here

 

Abstract requirements

• 350 words or less
• Include labeled sections: 
• Introduction
• Methods
• Results
• Conclusion
• Graphical abstract (optional) 

 

Manuscript body requirements

• 5000 words or less
• Include labeled sections:

·        Introduction

·        Methods

·        Results

·        Discussion

·        Conclusions

·        Acknowledgements (if applicable) 

·        References: Must be in AMA format

Disclosures document

Tables with appropriate titles and captions

Figures with appropriate titles and captions

 

Human Subjects Research: Manuscripts reporting data from research utilizing human subjects must include a statement in the Methods section stating that the study received ethical approval, reporting the name of the board and institution that approved the study protocol with the IRBMED number where applicable, and stating that informed consent was obtained from each patient.

 

Animal Research: Manuscripts reporting data from experiments using animals must include a statement in the Methods section stating that study protocols comply with the institution's guidelines, reporting the name of the board and institution that approved the study protocol, and the protocol number.

Review Article

An article that analyzes and/or summarizes prior primary research articles on a given subject matter.

 

Title page - see example here

 

Abstract requirements

• 350 words or less
• Include labeled sections: 
• Introduction
• Methods
• Results
• Conclusion

Manuscript body requirements

• 5000 words or less

 

Include labeled sections:

·        Introduction

·        Methods (if applicable)

·        Conclusions

·        Acknowledgements (if applicable)

·        References: Must be in AMA format

Disclosures document

Tables with appropriate titles and captions

Figures with appropriate titles and captions

Perspective Piece

An article that addresses an up-to-date topic relating to medicine that can offer a unique or updated viewpoint on a particular subject. These can be essays, personal vignettes, or opinion pieces.

 

Title page - see example here

 

Manuscript body requirements

• De-identified viewpoint
• 1200 words or less
• Acknowledgements (if applicable)
• References:
• Maximum of 7 references
• Must be in AMA format

Disclosures document

Tables with appropriate titles and captions

Figures with appropriate titles and captions

Brief Communication

A short letter addressing a topic in medicine.

 

Title page - see example here

 

Manuscript body requirements

• De-identified viewpoint
• 750 words or less 
• Maximum of 7 references
• Must be in AMA format

Disclosures document

Acknowledgements if applicable

 

Style Guide

• Title page - see example here
• Spell out acronyms at first use.
• Headings, Figure Titles, and Table Titles are bolded.
• When using numbers to describe ranges, use dashes only. 
• No italics for integers.
• Capitalize prepositions 4 characters or longer in headings and titles.
• Data is plural.
• Use (1), (2), … for series list within running text.
• Use (1,2) for two consecutive numbers in superscript/note callouts, but en dashes for sequences of three or more (3–5).
• Okay to use comma (rather than space) in digits greater than four numbers.
• Please apply line numbering in your manuscript 

 

Title should tell the reader about the subjects and the setting in addition to one or two of the following (if applicable): Methods, Results, Conclusions, or Name of study or data set

 

The body of your submitted manuscript, if published, would be in the following font: ACaslon. This font, used by MJM’s typesetter for the final PDF design template, is unable to be changed. Thus, we recommend using ACaslon when creating your figures/graphs/tables.

 

The ACaslon font is available through Adobe Fonts. As a University of Michigan Medical School student, you have free access to the Adobe Creative Suite through the university. Here's the information to set up Adobe on your computer, and here's the page where you can “activate” ACaslon through Adobe Fonts. Once the font is activated, it will be available in any Adobe software (including Illustrator or Photoshop) as well as in other desktop applications like Word.

 

​​Articles with frequent, overt grammatical errors, or those which have not followed submission guidelines will not be reviewed and will be automatically advised to resubmit with revisions to protect the time and energy of fellow medical students reviewing these submissions.

 

Graphical Abstract 

The “graphical” or “visual” abstract is a concise, visual summary of main article findings. It can include part of the concluding figure or be a unique representation designed for displaying the central idea of the article at a glance. An example and editable outline are shown here, with additional external examples here.

De-identified data and investigation

Data should not contain any identifying factors over subjects, researchers, nor authors in order to maintain anonymity in the reviewing process. MJM is in support of an equitable and impartial process for reviewing, editing, and publishing manuscripts. Reviewers are unaware of author information aiding this unbiased process and allowing all submissions to be evaluated solely on their content and relevance to the scientific field.

Disclosures 

Conflicts of interest may occur when authors have financial or personal associations that may impact or effect bias of author actions, research, or text. These associations are required to be disclosed under the Acknowledgement section of the manuscript and within the Disclosures document.

 

Recommended Reviewers 

When submitting your manuscript, you will be asked to suggest 2-3 potential faculty reviewers. You do not need to know recommended faculty reviewers personally, though you may. They can be faculty at any institution, but may not be co-authors on the manuscript. Suggest researchers in your field who may able to provide insightful feedback.  

Resubmissions 

All revised manuscripts should be submitted with changes to the text highlighted in yellow. Additionally, authors should provide a revisions rebuttal, outlining each individual revision request and the corresponding changes and/or rebuttal.  MJM provides a template in the form of a microsoft excel file, here, that may be used.    

 

Copyright Notice

Copyright - More Information   
© the author(s). All rights reserved.

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 - More Information   
Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes. ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original. No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.

Peer Review

This journal uses a double-blinded, peer review process. On submission, your work will be assigned a review team who will compile feedback and a suggested decision for your manuscript. Following initial review, your work will be reviewed by an Editor-in-Chief who will issue a final decision on your manuscript.

Publication Fees

The Michigan Journal of Medicine currently does not charge any fees for submission.

Publication Cycle

The MJM currently publishes an annual issue. 

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