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Osteopathic Medicine: Writing Resources

Where Should You Begin?

"Educational Resource: 'Writing Process'" by Ken Whytock, used under CC BY / Title removed from original.

Interested in Writing a Case Report?

Find Background Information:

  • You will want to search through published literature to see what is already available on the topic.  
  • Please contact me if you are interested performing in a literature search or if you would like my assistance in doing so.  I'm happy to help!
  • If you have questions about Institutional Review Boards (IRB), please see the Lincoln Memorial University IRB webpage.  If you are thinking of doing research with human subjects you will have to consult with the IRB beforehand. 

Decide on a Journal to Submit to:

  • Use PubMed to search for your topic and limit to case reports (left hand column -> article type -> check "case reports" -> show -> select "case reports" to limit).  
  • This will show you which journals publish case reports relating to your topic.

Suggested journal: BMJ Case Reports.

  • LMU is a fellow of BMJ Case Reports.  Only fellows are allowed to publish articles in BMJ Case Reports. If you're interested in publishing there, instructions for authors are available here (log in with your LMU e-mail and password.) 
  • The journal requires that you use their patient consent form and their article template, both of which are available through the links on this page.

Discuss Authorship:

  • Is there more than one author on this paper?
  • If so, you need to discuss who recieves first authorship, etc. on the paper.
  • If you're confused about determining authorship, Cals and Kotz have a short article (including a checkist) on the topic here.

Get to Writing!

Suggested Writing Resources for LMU-DCOM Students