Submissions

Author Guidelines

Other information for authors:  Manuscript Preparation - References - Formatting and Style Guidelines - Publication Agreement - Submitting Original Research - Submitting Brief Reports - Submitting Quality Improvement - Submitting Case Reports - Submitting KJM Journal Club Articles - Submitting Reviews - Submitting Commentaries - Submitting Images - Submitting Letters to the Editor

Submission Process Overview

Manuscripts are considered for publication in the Kansas Journal of Medicine with the understanding that neither the manuscript nor any part of its text, figures, or tables have been published in, accepted for publication in, or submitted at the same time to another journal. This does not preclude consideration of a complete report that follows publication of preliminary findings elsewhere. When submitting a paper, the author should make a full statement to the Editor about all submissions and previous reports that might be regarded as prior or duplicate publication of the same or very similar work. Copies of such material should be included with the submitted paper to help the Editor decide how to deal with the matter. Kansas Journal of Medicine endorses the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals (ICMJE). Each manuscript will be peer reviewed by members of the Editorial Board or assigned specialty reviewers. 

Peer Review: All submitted manuscripts are reviewed initially by a Kansas Journal of Medicine editor. Manuscripts are evaluated according to the following criteria: material is original and timely, writing is clear and succinct, study methods are appropriate, data are valid, conclusions are reasonable and supported by the data, information is important, and topic has general medical interest. From these basic criteria, the editor assesses a paper's eligibility for publication. Manuscripts with insufficient priority for publication are rejected. Manuscripts deemed appropriate for publication are sent to expert consultants for peer review. Peer reviewer identities are kept confidential. Author identities are de-identified. The existence of a manuscript under review is not revealed to anyone other than peer reviewers and editorial staff. Peer reviewers are required to maintain confidentiality about the manuscripts they review and must not divulge any information about a specific manuscript or its content to any third party without prior permission from the journal editors. If necessary, the manuscript will be returned to the author(s) for revision(s) prior to a final decision. All attempts are made to obtain prompt reviews and a decision regarding need for revision, acceptance, or rejection. 

Revisions: After receiving a decision from the Editor and revising the manuscript as instructed, the final revision should include a cover letter explaining revisions based on reviewers' comments, the final/revised manuscript, and accompanying files. 

Proofs: Once your article is accepted for publication, galley proofs will be sent via e-mail to the corresponding author for correction prior to publication.

Statistical Support: The Kansas Journal of Medicine currently does not offer statistical support for submissions. Authors are responsible for ensuring that their statistical analyses are accurate and appropriately reported. We recommend consulting with a professional statistician if needed. JMIR Publications provides a helpful guide for the proper way to report statistical results. 

Change of Authorship: For papers in Review Round 2 or later, any changes to authorship must be accompanied by a letter signed by all original and any additional authors. The letter should clearly explain the reason for the change, confirm that all authors agree with the addition, removal, or reordering of authors, and outline the new authorship order.

Before Submitting your Manuscript: When preparing a manuscript for the Kansas Journal of Medicine, authors must determine the manuscript type and prepare the manuscript according to the specific instructions outlined below. Manuscripts that do not follow the author instructions will not be considered for review. Authors should carefully follow instructions for manuscript preparation and ensure that the manuscript is proofread before submission. 

After Submitting your Manuscript: Given the high volume of submissions and our thorough review process, we anticipate that it may take six to eight weeks from the submission date to conclude the initial editorial evaluation. We strive to respond to all authors as promptly as possible and sincerely appreciate your patience during this period. 

Not all submitted articles will be accepted for publication. A manuscript that is thought by the Editors to not be relevant to readers, is outside of scope, or fails to comply with journal author instructions may be rejected without review. 

All Submissions Must Include:

1. Cover letter to the Editor providing corresponding author's information (name, address, telephone number, and email address) and stating the category of article the manuscript represents.
2. Title page, abstract (for original research and brief report manuscripts), main text, references, up to five MeSH keywords, and acknowledgments; tables and figures in separate files (tables formatted in Word and .jpg or .tiff figures). Include a legend for tables and figures. If abbreviations are used, list and define all on a separate page.
3. If appropriate, a copy of the permission to reproduce previously published materials from the publisher or owner of the material; permission to use photographs of identifiable subjects; and permission for the use of personal communications.

Submitted manuscripts will not be returned. Once accepted for publication, all manuscripts are subject to editorial changes. The Editor reserves the right to edit manuscripts to comply with the Kansas Journal of Medicine's format, remove redundancies, and improve clarity without altering the meaning. Copyright of the material will be retained by the authors.

If a manuscript is accepted for publication, all authors must submit a conflict-of-interest form, and one author must sign a Creative Commons License agreement on behalf of all authors. The manuscript will not be published until all documents are received. 

Use of Artificial Intelligence for Authors
The Kansas Journal of Medicine encourages authors to appropriately use technology throughout the research process. Software that uses generative artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML) may be used. However, it does not permit the inclusion of ML tools, such as ChatGPT, as authors. If any such tool is used to generate drafts of the submitted manuscript, it must be explicitly disclosed. These tools often use existing text and may not effectively incorporate proper citations. Borrowing text from others without proper attribution constitutes plagiarism, whether intentional or unintentional. All human authors of manuscripts assisted by a ML tool are accountable for ensuring that any ideas or text derived from previously published work are appropriately and accurately cited. Data should not be generated through AI, and the corresponding author must be prepared to submit actual data for editorial review with the manuscript if requested by the Editor. 

Use of Artificial Intelligence for Reviewers
The Kansas Journal of Medicine does not allow the use of AI tools in the peer review of manuscripts. Uploading manuscripts into Artificial Intelligence Generated Content tools potentially compromises authors' proprietary rights and confidentiality. 

Submitting Papers Rejected from Other Journals
The Kansas Journal of Medicine welcomes submissions of papers that may have been rejected from other journals. If reviews are available, please include them along with your responses to reviewer comments in your submission. Clearly state in your cover letter that you are including these materials. Also include a statement as to why the article was rejected or withdrawn. Additionally, all submissions to the Kansas Journal of Medicine should adhere to the required elements outlined in Manuscript Preparation.