1. About the Journal
The Lancashire Medical Student Journal (LMSJ) is a student-led academic journal. The journal aims to prepare medical students for academic writing, quality assurance, and the publication process by providing a supportive and rigorous platform for scholarly work.
2. Scope of the Journal
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Clinical medicine and case-based learning
Medical education
Public health and population medicine
Quality improvement, audits, and student-led research
Ethical, social, and policy issues in healthcare
LMSJ publishes high-quality scholarly work relevant to medicine, healthcare, and biomedical sciences, with a particular focus on topics of interest to medical students and early-career clinicians. This includes (but is not limited to):
Submissions that fall outside the scope of the journal, lack sufficient academic merit, or do not align with the journal's educational mission may be rejected at the discretion of the editorial team.
3. Who Can Submit
At least one of the co-authors must be a medical student. Recent graduates may be considered (subject to editorial discretion).
4. Open Access and Article Processing Charges
LMSJ operates as an open access journal. All published articles are freely accessible to readers without subscription or access fees.
There are no article processing charges (APCs) for submission or publication. LMSJ does not charge authors at any stage of the publication process.
5. Indexing and Visibility
LMSJ is currently not indexed but is working towards meeting the standards required for inclusion in recognised indexing and archiving platforms.
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LMSJ is in the process of formal registration as a serial publication.
6. General Submission Requirements
All submissions must:
Be original work that has not been published, is not in press, and is not under consideration elsewhere.
Be written in a professional, academic tone.
Be evidence-based and appropriately referenced using reputable sources or reports.
Describe methods, including experiments, statistical analyses, and procedures, in sufficient detail to allow replication.
Comply with ethical standards relevant to the article type.
Avoid defamatory, discriminatory, or inflammatory content.
The editorial team reserves the right to reject submissions prior to quality review if they do not meet the journal's standards or submission requirements.
7. Quality Control and Assurance
All submissions are initially screened by the editorial team for suitability, scope, and adherence to journal guidelines.
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To minimise bias and promote fairness, LMSJ operates a double-blind quality review process, in which neither authors nor reviewers are aware of each other's identities.
Blinded Submission Requirement
Authors must submit two versions of the manuscript:
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AÂ blinded version(for quality review), with all identifying information removed
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AÂ full version(for editorial use), including author names, affiliations, and acknowledgements
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The blinded version must not contain author names, affiliations, or any identifying information and will be shared with reviewers. The full version is accessible only to designated editorial administrators and is not shared with reviewers.
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Initial Screening
Editorial team screens for suitability, scope, and adherence to journal guidelines.
2
Blinded Review
Manuscripts deemed suitable are sent for quality review. Reviewers are early career doctors, predominantly in SFP and ACF posts.
3
Supervisory Review
Where appropriate, manuscripts may also be reviewed by academic staff acting as editorial supervisors.
4
Final Decision
Clear and constructive feedback is provided. Final publication decisions are made by the editorial team in consultation with editorial supervisors.
8. Formatting Requirements
File Format
Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx)
Font
Arial
Font
12 pt throughout
Line Spacing
Double spacing throughout (including references)
Margins
2.5 cm (1 inch) on all sides
Text Alignment
Left-aligned (do not justify)
Page Numbers
Bottom right corner
Line Numbers
Continuous
Paragraphs
Do not indent; no extra spacing between paragraphs
Units
Standard SI units throughout
Spelling
British English
Headings
Use clear and consistent hierarchical headings to structure the manuscript. Up to three levels of headings may be used. Primary headings should be in bold, with lower levels clearly distinguishable.
Abbreviations
Define all abbreviations in full at first use, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses.
9. Title Page Requirements
All submissions must include a separate title page containing:
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Article type
Full title
Running title
Author name(s) and affiliation(s)
Corresponding author contact details
Abstract word count
Manuscript word count*
Number of figures
Number of supplementary figures
Number of tables
Number of supplementary tables
Number of references
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
*Manuscript word count excludes the title page, abstract, references, tables, figures, and supplementary sections.
Identifying information must be removed from the blinded version of the manuscript. All other title page information should be retained.
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4
3
8
7
6
5
12
11
10
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10. Figures and Tables
Figures and tables must be clearly labelled, numbered consecutively, and cited in the text
Each figure and table should include a concise title and an accompanying legend
Figures and tables should be embedded within the manuscript and placed close to, and preferably immediately after, their first mention in the text
Authors are responsible for ensuring clarity, accuracy, and appropriate resolution
Limits on the number of figures and tables are specified under each article type
11. Acknowledgements
Individuals who contributed to the manuscript but do not meet the ICMJE authorship criteria should be listed in this section. If not applicable, authors should state this.
Example (applicable)
"The authors would like to thank Dr Jane Smith for her statistical guidance and Mr John Doe for his assistance with data collection."
Example (not applicable)
The authors have no acknowledgements to declare."
The Acknowledgements section should appear after the Conclusion.
12. Ethics Approval and Consent Statement
Authors must state whether ethical approval was obtained and provide details of the approving body. Where applicable, confirmation of patient consent should also be included. If not applicable, authors should state this.
Example (applicable)
"Ethical approval was granted by the University of Lancashire Faculty of Health and Medicine Research Ethics Committee (Ref: FHM-2024-0123). Written informed consent was obtained from all participants."
Example (not applicable)
"This article is a narrative review and does not involve primary data collection. Ethical approval was therefore not required."
This section should appear after the Acknowledgements.
13. Data Availability Statement
Authors must describe how the data supporting the findings can be accessed. Where data are not publicly available, the reason should be stated, and whether data may be available upon reasonable request. If not applicable, authors should state this.
Example (applicable)
"The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. Data are not publicly available due to patient confidentiality restrictions."
Example (not applicable)
"This article is a narrative review and does not report original data. No new datasets were generated or analysed."
This section should appear after the Ethics Approval and Consent Statement.
14. Conflict of Interest Statement
Authors must declare any potential conflicts of interest that could be perceived to influence the work. If no conflicts exist, this should be stated.
Example (conflict exists)
"Author A has received research funding from Company X. Author B has served as a consultant for Organisation Y. All other authors declare no conflicts of interest."
Example (no conflict)
"The authors declare no conflicts of interest."
This section should appear after the Data Availability Statement.
15. Funding Statement
Authors must disclose all sources of funding. If no funding was received, this should be stated.
Example (funded)
"This research was supported by a grant from the University of Lancashire Medical School Research Fund (Grant No. 2024-MED-045)."
Example (no funding)
"This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors."
This section should appear after the Conflict of Interest Statement.
16. Artificial Intelligence Statement
Any use of artificial intelligence tools in the preparation of the manuscript must be transparently declared. AI tools may be used for language editing or formatting support but must not be listed as authors. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of the content. If not applicable, authors should state this.
Example (AI used)
"The authors used ChatGPT (OpenAI, version GPT-4) for language editing and grammar checking. The authors reviewed and take full responsibility for all content."
Example (no AI used)
"No artificial intelligence tools were used in the preparation of this manuscript."
This section should appear after the Funding Statement.
17. Third-Party Permissions Statement
Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce any material (including figures, tables, or substantial text) that is not their own. Evidence of permission must be provided at the time of submission where applicable. If not applicable, authors should state this.
Example (applicable)
"Figure 2 is reproduced with permission from Smith et al. (2023), originally published in The Lancet under a Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 licence."
Example (not applicable)
"All figures, tables, and content presented in this manuscript are original work by the authors. No third-party permissions were required."
This section should appear after the Artificial Intelligence Statement.
18. CRediT Authorship Contribution Statement
Authors are required to specify individual contributions using the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy). This promotes transparency and appropriate recognition of contributions. Contributions should be presented concisely.
CRediT Roles
Conceptualisation
Data curation
Formal analysis
Writing - original draft
Methodology
Writing - review and editing
Project administration
Funding acquisition
Investigation
Visualisation
Software
Validation
Supervision
Resources
This section should appear after the Third-Party Permissions Statement.
19. Referencing
Style: Vancouver (Superscript)
References should be formatted using the Vancouver style, with in-text citations presented as consecutive, unbracketed superscript numbers. Authors must ensure all references are complete, accurate, and consistently formatted.
References should appear after the CRediT Authorship Contribution Statement.
20. Article Types and Specifications
20.1Â Original Research Articles
Max 3000 words
Original research, including systematic review and meta-analysis.
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Must include:
Title Page, Structured Abstract (max 250 words), Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion
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Followed in order by:
Acknowledgements, Ethics Approval and Consent Statement, Data Availability Statement, Conflict of Interest Statement, Funding Statement, AI Statement, Third-Party Permissions Statement, CRediT Statement, References
Figures/Tables:
Max 6 (figures + tables combined)
References:
No limit (must be relevant and not excessive)
20.2Â Review Articles
Max 3000 words
Narrative, scoping, or structured reviews.
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Must include:
Title Page, Abstract (structured where appropriate; max 250 words), Introduction, Main Body (with subheadings), Discussion, Conclusion
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Followed in order by:
Acknowledgements, Ethics Approval and Consent Statement, Data Availability Statement, Conflict of Interest Statement, Funding Statement, AI Statement, Third-Party Permissions Statement, CRediT Statement, References
Figures/Tables:
Max 4 (figures + tables combined)
References:
No limit (must be relevant and not excessive)
20.3Â Case Reports
Max 1000 words
Fully anonymised reports of individual clinical cases demonstrating clinical reasoning and evidence-based management.
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Must include:
Title Page, Introduction, Report, Discussion (abstract is not required)
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Followed in order by:
Acknowledgements, Ethics Approval and Consent Statement, Data Availability Statement, Conflict of Interest Statement, Funding Statement, AI Statement, Third-Party Permissions Statement, CRediT Statement, References
Figures/Tables:
Max 2 (figures + tables combined)
References:
Max 10
20.4Â Commentary, Perspectives, and Insights
Max 750 words
Academic discussion of medical, scientific, or societal issues.
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Must include:
Title Page, Main Body (single continuous section)
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Followed in order by:
Acknowledgements, Ethics Approval and Consent Statement, Data Availability Statement, Conflict of Interest Statement, Funding Statement, AI Statement, Third-Party Permissions Statement, CRediT Statement, References
Figures/Tables:
Max 1 (figures + tables combined)
References:
Max 5
20.5Â Letters to the Editor
Max 500 words
Focused discussion highlighting an issue or gap in the literature.
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Must include:
Title Page, Main Body (single continuous section)
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Followed in order by:
Acknowledgements, Ethics Approval and Consent Statement, Data Availability Statement, Conflict of Interest Statement, Funding Statement, AI Statement, Third-Party Permissions Statement, CRediT Statement, References
Figures/Tables:
Figures and tables are not permitted
References:
Max 5