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Annals of Internal Medicine
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General Requirements
- ✓ Language
- Manuscripts must be written in English
- — Title Word Limit
- Title should be concise, 15 words or fewer
- — Running Title Limit
- Short or running title of 7 or fewer words
- — Title Must Indicate Study Design
- Title should reflect the study design/article type (e.g., randomized controlled trial, systematic review)
- — Bias-Free Language
- Authors should adopt bias-free and person-first language, as outlined by the American Psychological Association
Abstract Requirements
- ✓ Abstract Word Limit
- Abstract must be 275 words or fewer
- — Abstract Sections (Original Research)
- Structured abstract with sections: Background, Objective, Design, Setting, Patients (or Participants), Interventions (if any), Measurements, Results, Limitations, Conclusion, Primary Funding Source
- — Abstract Sections (Cost-Effectiveness Studies)
- Structured abstract for cost-effectiveness studies with sections: Background, Objective, Design, Data Sources, Target Population, Time Horizon, Perspective, Intervention, Outcome Measures, Results of Base-Case Analysis, Results of Sensitivity Analysis, Limitations, Conclusion, Primary Funding Source
- — Abstract Sections (Systematic Reviews)
- Structured abstract with sections: Background, Purpose, Data Sources (must include start and end search dates), Study Selection, Data Extraction, Data Synthesis, Limitations, Conclusions, Primary Funding Source
- — Registration Statement in Abstract
- If the study is registered, specify the registry and the study's unique registration number at the end of the abstract
Text Formatting
- ✓ Poetry Line Limit
- Poetry (Ad Libitum) must be 80 lines or fewer
- — Text Structure (Original Research)
- Original research text must follow IMRAD structure: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion
- — Funding Source Disclosure
- Identify the funding source and its role under the last subheading of the Methods section titled 'Role of the Funding source'
- — No Footnotes in Text
- Footnotes are only allowed on the title page and in tables, not in the main text
- — Page Numbers Required
- All submitted manuscripts should include page numbers
Reference Requirements
- ✓ Personal Essay Reference Limit
- On Being a Doctor/Patient essays typically have no references, but up to 5 if necessary
- ✓ Reference Format (NLM Style)
- References should follow NLM/Vancouver style as specified in Citing Medicine, 2nd edition
- ✓ Citation Order
- Number references using Arabic numerals in parentheses in the order they first appear in the text
- — Author Limit in References
- List all authors when 3 or fewer; when more than 3, list only the first 3 and add 'et al.'
- — No ibid or op cit
- Do not use ibid. or op cit. in references
- — URL Access Date Required
- URLs used as references must include the date on which the author accessed the URL
- ✓ All References Must Be Cited
- All references must be cited in the text
Table Requirements
- — Combined Tables/Figures Limit
- Original research should have no more than 4-6 tables or figures combined
- — Table Numbering
- Number tables with Arabic numerals in the order they appear in the text
- — Table Titles Required
- Tables must have titles that concisely describe content so reader can understand without referring to text
- — Units of Measure in Tables
- Give the units of measure for all numerical data in a column or row
- — Footnote Symbol Order
- Use footnote symbols in order: *, †, ‡, §, ||, ¶, **, ††, ‡‡. Do not use numbers or letters
Figure Requirements
- — Figure Numbering
- Number figures with Arabic numerals in the order they appear in the text
- — Figure Legend Format
- Each figure should have a legend beginning with a short title; use phrases rather than sentences
- — Abbreviations Explained in Figures
- Explain all abbreviations and symbols on the figure, even if explanation appears in text
- — Histology Figure Requirements
- For pictures of histologic slides, give stain and magnification data at the end of the legend
- — Avoid Pie Charts
- Avoid pie charts and 3-dimensional graphics
- — Bar Plots Must Show Variability
- Avoid simple bar plots that do not present measures of variability
- — Forest Plot Raw Data
- For meta-analysis forest plots, provide the raw data (numerators and denominators) in the margins
- — Survival Plot Numbers at Risk
- For survival plots, provide the numbers of people at risk by group and time below the horizontal axis
Statistical Reporting
- ✓ Auto-fix Percentage Decimal Places
- Report percentages to one decimal place when sample size ≥200; no decimal places when sample size <200
- — Standard Deviation Notation
- Use 'mean (SD)' rather than 'mean ± SD' notation
- — Confidence Intervals Preferred
- Report confidence intervals rather than standard errors when possible
- — P-value Formatting
- P values 0.001-0.20: report to nearest thousandth; >0.20: nearest hundredth; <0.001: report as 'P<0.001'
- — Trend Term Usage
- Only use 'trend' when describing a test for trend or dose-response; avoid for P values near 0.05
- — Avoid P-values in Descriptive Tables
- Avoid reporting P values in tables that simply describe characteristics of groups (e.g., Table 1 of a clinical trial)
- — Statistical Software Specification
- Specify statistical software version, manufacturer, and specific functions used for analyses
Reporting Guidelines
- — CONSORT for Controlled Trials
- Follow CONSORT reporting guidelines for controlled trials
- — PRISMA for Systematic Reviews
- Follow PRISMA reporting guideline for systematic reviews and meta-analysis
- — STROBE for Observational Studies
- Follow STROBE reporting guidelines for observational studies
- — STARD for Diagnostic Studies
- Follow STARD 2015 reporting guidelines for diagnostic test studies
- — CHEERS for Cost-Effectiveness
- Follow CHEERS reporting guidelines for cost-effectiveness analyses
- — MOOSE for Meta-analysis of Observational Studies
- Follow MOOSE reporting guidelines for meta-analysis of observational studies
- — TRIPOD for Prediction Models
- Follow TRIPOD for multivariable prediction models for individual prognosis or diagnosis
- — SQUIRE for Quality Improvement
- Follow SQUIRE reporting guidelines for quality improvement studies
- — COREQ for Qualitative Research
- Follow COREQ reporting guidelines for qualitative research
Clinical Trial Requirements
- — Clinical Trial Registration Required
- Clinical trials must be registered in an ICMJE-accepted registry before patient enrollment begins
- — Protocol Submission Required for Trials
- Authors of manuscripts reporting clinical trial results must submit the original preenrollment protocol with any dated amendments
- — Data Sharing Statement Required
- Manuscripts reporting clinical trial results must contain a data sharing statement meeting ICMJE recommendations
Systematic Review Requirements
- — Flow Diagram Required
- Systematic reviews must include a flow diagram depicting the search and selection processes
- — Methods Subheadings Required
- Methods should have subheadings: Data Sources and Searches; Study Selection; Data Extraction and Quality Assessment; Data Synthesis and Analysis
- — Search Dates Required in Abstract
- Abstract Data Sources section must include start and end search dates
Ethics and Disclosure
- — IRB Approval Required
- Confirm that an Institutional Review Board approved the study prior to data collection, or provide documentation of exemption
- — ICMJE Disclosure Form Required
- Each author must complete an ICMJE disclosure of interest form
- — AI Use Disclosure Required
- Authors must attest whether they used AI-assisted technologies and describe how in both cover letter and manuscript
- — AI Cannot Be Listed as Author
- Chatbots and AI tools cannot be listed as authors
Authorship Requirements
- — ICMJE Authorship Criteria
- All authors must meet ICMJE criteria: substantial contribution, drafting/revision, final approval, and accountability
- — Brief Report Author Limit
- Brief research reports and case reports should typically have 5 or fewer authors
- — Correspondence Author Limit
- Correspondence letters should typically have 5 or fewer authors
Supplementary Material
- — Supplement Table of Contents Required
- Supplementary material should include its own Table of Contents page detailing the file contents
- — Supplement Component Numbering
- Supplement components must be labeled in numerical order (e.g., Supplement Table 1, Supplement Table 2)