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The BMJ (British Medical Journal)

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General Requirements

Language
English
Word Count
No fixed limits (make concise and make every word count)
Reference Limit
Ideally no more than 20 (varies by article type)
Drug Names
Use recommended international non-proprietary name (rINN)

Abstract

Format
Structured abstract with specific headings
Word Limit
250-300 words (up to 400 for CONSORT/PRISMA)
Required Sections
Objectives, Design, Setting, Participants, Interventions, Main outcome measures, Results, Conclusions, Trial registration

Text Formatting

✓ Auto-fix Sentence Spacing
Single space at the end of each sentence
✓ Auto-fix Emphasis
Do not use bold face for emphasis
✓ Auto-fix Decimal Points
Standard format (numbers, not specified as midline)
Confidence Intervals
Written as (15 to 27) using 'to' rather than hyphen

References

Style
Vancouver numbering style
Format
Superscripted number after any punctuation mark
Author Limits
6 or fewer: list all; 7 or more: first 3 followed by et al

Figures and Images

Resolution
Minimum 300 dpi at printed size
Minimum Width
At least 107 mm
Image Formats
GIF, TIFF, EPS, or JPEG

Reporting Guidelines

RCTs
CONSORT checklist and flowchart required
Systematic Reviews
PRISMA checklist and flowchart
Observational Studies
STROBE checklist and extensions