Which journal to submit to?

[docpetey]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

Hey everyone,

I have a case that I wrote up (with a surgeon) and I'm wondering which journals are friendly to student papers?

Any thoughts on good journals to submit to in the field of:

Family Med
Sports Med
Orthopedics

Thanks!

 

[DropkickMurphy]

Chances are they aren't going to look at it as a student's paper. They will see the MD/DO after the surgeons name and go fromt here. Ask the doc where to submit it as he has a lot of say in that decision.

 

[fantasty]

Agreed with Praetorian - as long as the coauthor is a professional, the fact that you are a student should not matter much.

As for targets, you might look to see if there are any abstract and/or article competitions in the related field. Even if you decide not to submit it for that comp, they usually tell you want journal the winner would be published in.

Usually, the journal of the main academic society would be a good choice.

Also, you might check the impact factor for journals in those fields, and then browse a couple recent issues to see if they are print a lot of case reports.

 

[Adcadet]

When I've inquired about trying to get something published in a journal more likely to be read by people in a field I'm going into (i.e.-a more clinical journal) vs. a more "correct" journal (i.e.-a more basic science journal), I was told clearly that the "right" journal is the place to go. I'm still not totally convinced that this is the case 100% of the time, but I agree in general.

 

[MJM - Editor]

Depending on what the attending thinks about the case (ie. uniqueness, appropriateness, etc.), you may want to try submitting to a major journal in the areas you suggested.

Another option, however, is also to go with one of the many student journals around. The two (there used to be three, but JAMA's folded to my knowledge) main international student journals are the Student BMJ and the McGill Journal of Medicine (biased plug, of course). There are also many institution-based student journals, found at a large number of large medical schools.

 

[BigRedZippo]

If it's a very interesting case with a high powered, known academic attending, go big. If it's smaller with a private or younger guy, aim at the smaller journals. Let the attending guide you.

 

[modisrules]

If it's a very interesting case with a high powered, known academic attending, go big. If it's smaller with a private or younger guy, aim at the smaller journals. Let the attending guide you.

I agree with the advice given above. One thing that hasn't been discussed is appropriateness - submit to the most appropriate journal. If there are a few, aim high - you can always resubmit lower if rejected (but can't go higher if accepted, most of the time).

My $.02

 

[Adcadet]

If it's a very interesting case with a high powered, known academic attending, go big. If it's smaller with a private or younger guy, aim at the smaller journals. Let the attending guide you.

Ideally the name recognition of the attending would have nothing to do with your ability to publish.