← Back to Journals

New England Journal of Medicine

✓ Can be checked ✓ Auto-fix Can be auto-fixed — Manual check

General Requirements

✓ Language
Manuscripts must be in English
— Units of Measurement
Express all measurements in conventional units, with SI units in parentheses throughout the text. Figures and tables should use conventional units with conversion factors in legends or footnotes.
— Abbreviations Discouraged
Abbreviations are strongly discouraged except for units of measurement. The first time an abbreviation appears, it must be preceded by the words for which it stands.
— Generic Drug Names
Use generic drug names. When proprietary brands are used in research, include the brand name and manufacturer in parentheses after the first mention of the generic name in the Methods section.
— Figure and Table Limit
For Original Articles, there is a limit of 5 figures and tables combined per manuscript.

Abstract Requirements

✓ Abstract Word Limit
Abstract must not exceed 250 words.
— Structured Abstract Sections
Abstract must have four labeled paragraphs: Background (problem being addressed), Methods (how study was performed), Results (salient results), and Conclusions (what authors conclude).
— Trial Registration in Abstract
For clinical trials, the trial registration number must be included in the abstract.

Text Formatting

✓ Auto-fix Double Spacing
Manuscript text must be double-spaced.
— Single File Compilation
Compile all text, references, figure legends, and tables into a single digital file (preferably MS Word, also accepts .txt or .rtf).

Reference Requirements

✓ Auto-fix Double-Spaced References
References must be double-spaced.
✓ Sequential Citation Order
References must be numbered consecutively as they are cited in the text.
✓ NEJM Reference Format
Use NEJM reference format: Author names, article title, journal abbreviation, year;volume:pages.
— Author Listing Limit
List all authors when there are six or fewer; when there are seven or more, list the first three followed by et al.
— Table/Figure Reference Sequencing
References first cited in a table or figure legend should be numbered to be in sequence with references cited in the text at the point where the table or figure is first mentioned.
— No Unpublished References
Numbered references to personal communications, unpublished data, or manuscripts 'in preparation' or 'submitted for publication' are not acceptable. Such materials should be incorporated in the text if essential.

Table Requirements

— Tables at End of Manuscript
All tables should be included at the end of the manuscript text file.
— Double-Spaced Tables
Tables including footnotes must be double-spaced.
— Table Titles Required
Each table must have a title.
— Supplementary Table Numbering
Tables in the Supplementary Appendix should be labeled Table S1, Table S2, etc.

Figure Requirements

— Figure Title and Legend Required
Each figure should include a title and a legend, which should appear on the same page as the figure itself.
— Vector Format for Data Visualizations
For data visualizations (bar graphs, line graphs, scatter plots, dot plots, survival curves, box-and-whisker plots, forest plots, flow diagrams, timelines, maps), submit editable vector files (ai, eps, svg).
— Medical Illustrations - Submit Sketches Only
For medical illustrations, do not submit finished illustrations. Provide a simple sketch, diagram, or PowerPoint slide with a clear legend and description. NEJM illustrators will develop final artwork.
— Outcome Scale Details Required
For outcome scales, provide in the figure legend or table footnotes the range, sign, and minimally important difference (if known), along with an informative reference citation.

Statistical Reporting Requirements

— P-Value Formatting
P values >0.01 should be reported to two decimal places; P values between 0.01 and 0.001 to three decimal places; P values <0.001 should be reported as P<0.001.
— Two-Sided P Values Required
All reported P values should be two-sided, unless one-sided tests are required by study design (e.g., noninferiority trials).
✓ Auto-fix Appropriate Precision
Results should be presented with no more precision than is scientifically meaningful. Measures of association (e.g., odds ratios) should ordinarily be reported to two decimal places.
— Confidence Intervals with Significance Tests
Significance tests should be accompanied by effect estimates with standard errors or confidence intervals.
— Log-Scale Confidence Intervals for Ratios
Confidence intervals for ratio quantities (relative risks, odds ratios, hazard ratios) should be computed in the log-scale for forest plots.
— Statistical vs Clinical Significance Distinction
Draw a clear distinction between statistical significance and clinical significance. Reserve the adjective 'significant' to mean 'statistically significant.'
— No P Values in Baseline Table (RCTs)
For randomized clinical trials, P values should not be included in the traditional Table 1 showing baseline variables by treatment group.
— Absolute Before Relative Risk
Editors prefer that absolute event counts or rates be reported before relative risk or hazard ratio estimates.
— Relative Risk Preferred Over Odds Ratios
Relative risk estimates are preferred. If using odds ratios, justification must be provided in Methods addressing concerns about overestimation and misinterpretation.
— No Causal Language in Observational Studies
Causal language should not be used in observational studies where only associations can be estimated.

Reporting Guidelines

— CONSORT Required for Clinical Trials
Authors must provide a flow diagram in CONSORT format. Submit all relevant CONSORT checklist information with the manuscript or supplementary appendix.
— Protocol and SAP Required
A protocol document and statistical analysis plan (SAP) should be submitted with each manuscript. Required for all interventional trials. Documents should be dated with changes and rationale described.
— Multiplicity Adjustment Prespecified
Methods to address multiplicity of hypothesis testing must be explicitly prespecified in the protocol or SAP.

Supplementary Appendix Requirements

— Appendix Structure
Supplementary Appendix should be paginated with table of contents, followed by list of investigators, text (such as methods), figures, tables, then references.
— Self-Contained Appendix References
Reference citations in the Appendix and the corresponding list of references should be self-contained with respect to the Appendix.
— Appendix Dual Format Submission
The Appendix must be submitted in two formats: PDF and MS Word (or another editable text format).

Title Page Requirements

— Required Title Page Elements
Title page must include: manuscript title, each author's name, highest degree, and affiliation/institution, and contact information for one corresponding author.

Ethics and Registration Requirements

— IRB/Ethics Approval Statement
Include a statement that the research protocol was approved by relevant institutional review boards or ethics committees and that all human participants gave written informed consent.
— Clinical Trial Registration Required
For clinical trials, include registration number and registry name in the manuscript.
— Data Analyst Identification
Identify those who analyzed the data in the manuscript.
— Microarray Accession Numbers
For studies containing microarrays, include accession numbers and repository name.

Missing Data Requirements

— Missing Data Reporting
Report the number of participants with missing data for baseline variables and for all variables used in analyses, including response and predictor variables.
— Complete Case Analysis Generally Unacceptable
Unless missingness is rare, complete case analysis is subject to potential bias and is generally not acceptable as the primary analysis.
— Missing Data Methods Required
Methods section must describe the approach used to address missing data, including assumptions about missing data mechanism with contextual justification.

Links