Canadian Journal of General Internal Medicine

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The Canadian Journal of General Internal Medicine (CJGIM) publishes concise papers, which are subject to peer review. The Journal considers articles of original research, reviews, scholarly addresses, case reports, book reviews, historical interest, clinical tips, guidelines, letters to the editor, and so on. Requirements are in accordance with “Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals” (https://www.icmje.org). The editorial policies of the journal are in line with those of the Council of Science Editors.

Peer Review

Submissions to the Canadian Journal of General Internal Medicine (cjgim) are subject to double anonymous peer review; no identifying information is shared between the author(s) and reviewers. Letters to the editor, book reviews, and conference abstracts undergo editorial review but are not peer reviewed.

The CJGIM Editor-in-Chief or Deputy Editor first reviews submissions to ensure the content is suitable for peer review and potential publication in the journal based on quality and the editorial contribution the article provides. Once an initial decision is made, the article will be assigned and Associate Editor and continue through to the peer review process or be returned to the author rejected or revised and resubmit.

A minimum of two reviews are required for a decision. Reviewers may make the following recommendations:

Accept (no revisions needed)
Accept with minor revisions
Revise and resubmit for further review
Reject

Reviewer comments are anonymously shared with the author(s). Revised articles may be returned for further peer review, or reviewed by the editorial team. The Editor-in-Chief makes the final decision based on reviews.

Upon acceptance, the author is charged the Article Processing Charge (APC). See our Open Access page for more information.

The journal aims to provide authors with a final decision within eight weeks from the time of submission.

Manuscript Types and Requirements

cjgim welcomes submissions in the following categories. Please consult our Aim and Scope in addition to the guidelines below prior to submission.

Type	Description	Requirements
Original Research	Original research articles. Research may be conducted using any method (e.g., quantitative or qualitative methods) that is appropriate to the research question(s) posed.	Maximum length: 3,500 words (longer, only by agreement of the editors) Abstract: Max 250 words; structured with the following subheadings: Background, Methods, Results, Conclusions Lay Summary: Required. Recommended length: 300 words. Article should be structured with the following headings: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion. Introduction • explains the topic of study and states the objective of the study • provides context in which the research arose Methods • Includes setting, patients, study type/design, and main measurements or outcomes • The complete study protocol and/or study documents (e.g., questionnaires) may be included in the appendix Results • Reports the result for the main outcome reported in absolute and relative terms (when possible) • Includes confidence intervals and other measures of statistical significance • Includes quantitative results arranged in tables (not text) Discussion • Summarizes the main results of the study, discuss the findings in light of other related studies in the literature, explore limitations of the study, and indicate future directions for inquiry
Review Article	Critical evaluations of previously published research or policy. Format can be as a systematic review and meta-analysis, or as a narrative review. Review articles synthesize the relevant literature on the topic to provide readers with a deeper understanding of the topic of study through summary, classification or analysis.	Recommended length: 4,500 words, 50–75 references (longer, only by agreement of the editors) Abstract: Max 250 words; structured with the following subheadings: Background, Methods, Results, Conclusions Lay Summary: Required. Recommended length: 300 words.
Case Report	Reports on an important, complex, or unusual presentation, disease, or treatment with the aim of conveying concise, accurate, and relevant information related to the case.	Maximan length: 1,500 words, 5–10 references Abstract: Max 50 words, unstructured Lay Summary: Required. Recommended length: 300 words. Article should be structured with the following headings: Case Presentation, Diagnosis, Clinical Management, Discussion. Case Presentation • Present the case in brief, with the pertinent positive and negative findings. End this section by providing one or more pivotal tests that were used to make the diagnosis (e.g., “A percutaneous liver biopsy was performed.”). Diagnosis • State the diagnosis and how it was arrived at (e.g., “Acid-fast bacilli were seen in the liver biopsy, and the culture growth of M. abscessus”). Discussion • Discuss the relevant aspects of the case, concentrating on the “clinical pearl” or teaching point.
Clinical Images	Images of an important, complex, or unusual presentation, disease, or treatment with the aim of conveying concise, accurate, and relevant information related to the case.	Maximan length: 350 words, up to 2 images, up to 3 references Abstract: Max 150 words, unstructured. Lay Summary: Not required.
Brief Report	The intent of a Brief Report is to provide a shortened description of a small study or clinical report. Authors should provide a description of their study or a real clinical case, allowing the reader to see the results followed by a short discussion of its relevance and/or provide a discussion of a case and the “pearl” to be learned.	Recommended length: 1,500 words, up to 10 references Abstract: Max 150 words; structured with the following subheadings: Background, Methods, Results, Conclusions Lay Summary: Required. Recommended length: 300 words. Case Presentation • Present the case in brief, with the pertinent positive and negative findings. End this section by providing one or more pivotal tests that were used to make the diagnosis (e.g., “A percutaneous liver biopsy was performed.”). Diagnosis • State the diagnosis and how it was arrived at (e.g., “Acid-fast bacilli were seen in the liver biopsy, and the culture growth of M. abscessus”). Discussion • Discuss the relevant aspects of the case, concentrating on the “clinical pearl” or teaching point.
Letter to the Editor	Letters from readers commenting on articles recently published in cjgim or providing a short report of a finding from a study.	Recommended length: 400 words, up to 5 references Abstract: Max 150 words; unstructured Lay Summary: Not required
Editorial	Commentary by Editor-in-Chief or Associate Editor(s) invited by the Editor-in-Chief.	Recommended length: 400 words, 5 references Abstract: Not required Lay Summary: Not required

Author Submission Guidelines

All cjgim submissions, reviews, and editorial work is done through our online manuscript submission system. Manuscripts are received with the understanding that they are submitted solely to cjgim and that none of the material contained in the manuscripts has been published previously or is under consideration for publication elsewhere, excluding abstracts.

At the time of submission, complete contact information (affiliation, postal/mail address, email address, and telephone numbers) for the corresponding author is required. First and last names, email addresses, and institutional affiliations of all coauthors are also required. As part of the acceptance of your work for CJGIM, we also ask you to provide a brief bio and high-resolution photo of the corresponding author (see details regarding illustrations below), your social media handle(s) and a short, 140-character summary that can be shared with followers on Twitter. After the manuscript is submitted, the corresponding author will receive an acknowledgment confirming receipt and a manuscript number. Authors will be able to track the status of their manuscripts via the online system.

Authors must provide the names of 2-3 experts as possible peer reviewers for their submission. These recommendations should not be familiar with the author or submission in order to ensure an ethical double anonymous review.

Manuscript Components

Manuscripts should include the following components:

title page
abstract and keywords
introduction
methods
results
discussion
case presentation and diagnosis (Clinical Case Report and Clinical Brief Report only)
acknowledgements, as applicable
references
figure captions and legends, as applicable
tables, as applicable

Figures should be supplied in separate image files as detailed below. Number the pages consecutively, beginning with the title page as 1. The last name of the corresponding author should be typed at the top of each page.

Cover Letter

All manuscripts must be accompanied by a covering letter detailing what is being submitted and indicating the author to whom we should address correspondence and page proofs in the case of multiple authors (please include a contact address, telephone number, and e-mail address).

Title Page

Title pages should include the following items:

main article title
a short running title of 55 characters or less
all authors’ full names, qualifications, and affiliations
the name of the institution from which the work originated

Abstracts

Structured Abstracts

Structured abstracts are required for Original Research, Review Articles, Systematic Reviews, Clinical Case Reports, and Clinical Brief Reports. Structured abstracts should include the following subheadings:

Background: This should include a clear statement of the aim of the study and the research question.
Methods: This should include the research design, setting of the study, and participants, including number participating and criteria for selection, entry, and exclusion. The interventions, if applicable, should be clearly outlined, as well as primary and secondary outcome measures.
Results: The main findings should be quantified with 95% confidence intervals and the number needed to treat or harm, if applicable. Absolute, rather than relative, risks are preferable.
Conclusion: This should state the overall conclusions that can be drawn from the study as well as any limitations and needs for further inquiry.

Unstructured Abstracts

Unstructured abstracts are required for Letters to the Editor and Position Statements. Unstructured abstracts should include a brief description of the manuscript.

Lay Summary

Lay summaries are being produced to increase discoverability of the research by the general public, media outlets, or policy makers. All published cjgim articles will require a lay summary to be submitted. An effective lay summary should explain in non-technical language what the article is about, why it is important, and add any additional perspectives from the author on the piece of work.

Abbreviations

Abbreviations must be defined at the first mention in the abstract and at the first mention in the text. Abbreviations and acronyms should be written out in the table notes, even if the first usage has already occurred in the text. Abbreviations should be avoided in article titles.

Units of Measure

All measurements should be in SI units (International System of Units).

Names of Drugs and Other Products

Use generic names of drugs and other products, unless the specific brand name of a drug is essential to the manuscript.

Acknowledgements

Brief acknowledgements may appear at the end of the manuscript before Contributions. See also the definition of Authorship. Substantial contributions to the research or manuscript that do not qualify as authorship should be included in Acknowledgement.

Submit a Permission to Acknowledge Form (PDF) for all individuals you wish to publicly acknowledge.

Contributions

Author contributions to the article should appear after the Acknowledgments. They should be structured according to the CRediT taxonomy and author names should be listed with first and middle initials and last name. For example:

Conceptualization: S Peterson and NM Wang
Data curation: NM Wang
Funding acquisition: NM Wang
Investigation: S Peterson
Methodology: NM Wang
Writing – Original Draft: S Peterson and NM Wang
Writing – Review & Editing: S Peterson and NM Wang

References

Authors are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of references and for correct text citation. Please follow these guidelines:

Exhaustive lists of references are not encouraged.
Identify references in the text with superscript numerals on the line
Type the reference list double-spaced, separate from the text, with each reference numbered consecutively in the order in that it is mentioned in the text
Number references cited in figures and tables, but not in the text, following the text references
Do not cite in the reference list personal communications, manuscripts in preparation, and other unpublished data and instead mention such data in the text in parentheses
Identify abstracts with the abbreviation ‘Abst’ and letters to the editor by ‘Lett’ in parentheses; abstracts should not be cited if they are more than 2 years old
Use the reference style of Index Medicus. Journal references should contain inclusive page numbers; book references, specific page numbers; and Web site references, the date of last update, if available, and date of access (references to other types of electronic documents should include the format of the document). Abbreviations of journals should conform to those used in Index Medicus, National Library of Medicine. 2.1, 2017. URLs should be included for all references publicly accessible via the Internet.

Sample journal article reference:

Kohl P, Day K, Noble D, et al. Cellular mechanisms of cardiac mechano-electric feedback in a mathematical model. Can J Cardiol 1998;14:111–9.

Sample book reference:

Svensson LG, Crawford ES. Cardiovascular and Vascular Disease of the Aorta. Toronto: WB Saunders Company, 1997:184–5.

Sample book chapter reference:

Trehan S, Anderson JL. Thrombolytic therapy. In: Yusuf S, Cairns JA, eds. Evidence Based Cardiology. London: BMJ Books, 1998:419–44.

Sample website reference:

National Library of Medicine. Images from the History of Medicine. www.ihm.nlm.nih.gov/ (Accessed January 5, 1999).

Personal Communication

Authors may cite personal communication or unpublished data in manuscripts. Personal communication must be accompanied by written permission from each source of such information. Personal communication should be cited parenthetically and should not be listed in the references.

Tables

Use the table tool in Word to create tables on a separate page from the rest of the text.

Number tables in the order of table citation within the text
Add a brief and descriptive title to each table (10–15 words)
Add explanatory comments in footnotes below the table
If abbreviations are used within the table but not elsewhere within the text, an alphabetical listing must be included in the table footnotes

Figures and Images

All photos must be anonymized by cropping, blurring, or covering facial features and identifiable marks not relevant to the discussion.
All figures should be submitted in their original formats. The lettering, decimals, lines and other details within figures should be sufficiently large to withstand reduction and reproduction.
Images should have a resolution of 300 dpi (dots per inch) or higher. Photographs and graphics should be submitted as graphic digital files saved as a high-resolution .jpeg, .tiff or .pdf file.
Graphs should be created using Microsoft Word (.doc/.docx), Microsoft PowerPoint (.ppt/.pptx), Microsoft Excel (.xls), or Adobe Illustrator (.ai or .eps).
All figure and image files should be uploaded separately from the manuscript file. Add a section to the manuscript file listing all figures. Figures will be included in the package for peer review.

Figure and Image Captions

At the end of the manuscript (following references), add a section listing figures in the same order in which figures are presented in the text.

Number figures in the order of appearance within the text
Add a brief and descriptive title to each figure (10–15 words)
If useful for clarity, add explanatory comments in footnotes below the figure
If abbreviations are used within the figure but not elsewhere within the text, an alphabetical listing must be included in the figure footnotes

Figure and Image Permissions

If authors do not hold copyright to images to be included in the article, written permission must be obtained from the copyright holder to reproduce any images using the Copyright Permission Form. Permissions must include the title of the article and the journal and must provide a non-exclusive, worldwide license for online publication in perpetuity.

Editorial Policies for Authors

Authorship

Defining Authorship

All authors must have significantly contributed to the research; “guest”/”gift” authorship is strictly prohibited. With submission of the manuscript, a letter of transmittal must indicate that all authors have participated in the research, and have reviewed and agree with the content of the article.

According to the guidelines of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), authorship is based on the following criteria:

Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; and
Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; and
Final approval of the version to be published; and
Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

All authors listed in a manuscript as authors should meet these criteria, and all who meet the criteria should be identified as authors in the manuscript. Individuals who do not meet these criteria for authorship should be acknowledged in an Acknowledgement section.

Submit a Permission to Acknowledge Form (PDF) for all individuals you wish to publicly acknowledge.

Author Contributions

Author contributions to the article should be included and structured according to the CRediT taxonomy. Please refer to our guidelines for Contributions.

Changes in Authorship

Authors must determine the order of authorship. Any changes to authorship, such as the order, addition, or deletion, should be approved by all authors and communicated in writing to the Editor-in-Chief.

Acknowledgements

Substantial contributions to the manuscript that do not qualify under the definition of authorship must be included in Acknowledgements. Individuals who do not meet the criteria for authorship but made substantial contributions to the research reported in this manuscript (e.g., data collection or analysis, writing or editing assistance) should be included with their full names, affiliations, and specific contributions in the Acknowledgments section of the manuscript. Authors must obtain written permission to include the names of all individuals included in the Acknowledgements section.

Corresponding Author

Authors should identify a corresponding author for each manuscript. The corresponding author will be primary point of contact with the editorial team and publisher during the submission, review, and publication processes. If the manuscript is accepted, the corresponding author will review an edited manuscript and proof, handle all post-publication communications, and will be identified as the corresponding author in the published article.

The corresponding author is also responsible for ensuring that acknowledgements, funding, conflict of interest and other disclosures, and authorship information is complete and accurate.

Conflict of Interest

All authors must disclose any commercial associations or any other arrangements (e.g., financial compensation received, patient-licensing arrangements, potential to profit, consultancy, stock ownership, etc.) that may pose a conflict of interest in connection with the article using the Disclosure of Interest form (PDF). This information will be made available to the editor and reviewers, and will be included as part of the published paper in the disclosure section.

Funding

All financial and material support for the research should be clearly and completely identified in the manuscript under the subheading Funding. At the time of submission, information on the funding source (including grant identification) should be included in the online manuscript submission and review system.

Ethics of Human Experiments

Methods

For studies involving human subjects, the Methods section of the manuscript must include a description of the process for obtaining informed consent from participants.

Approval by Ethics Review Board

cjgim requires that all studies involving human subjects are conducted ethically, meet the legal requirements of the study country, and are approved by an ethics review board. Authors are accountable for obtaining ethics approval certificates and must certify that approval was secured as part of the submission process. Editors may request documentation of the formal review and recommendations of the ethics review board.

Authors will be required to make a statement to that effect when submitting their manuscript and provide evidence of the ethical/legal approval obtained from the ethics review committee at the institution or practice at which the studies were conducted, where such a committee exists, prior to the research being undertaken.

Informed Patient Consent

cjgim respects patients’ right to privacy. Any identifying characteristics or information that might reveal a patient’s identity including names, initials, or hospital numbers, should not be published in written descriptions, photographs, x-rays, MRIs, charts, and pedigrees unless the information is essential for scientific purposes. If human subjects are involved and personal information is essential for scientific purposes, when submitting manuscripts authors must indicate that all patients and/or participants gave informed consent and that the protocol was approved by an ethics review board. For articles containing detailed information about a patient, it is necessary for the patient (or parent, guardian, legal representative or estate) to give written informed consent for publication. Authors should disclose to these patients whether any potential identifiable material or information might be available upon publication. Patient consent should be written and archived with the authors and confirmation that informed consent was obtained will be requested with manuscript submission.

Studies Involving Animals

cjgim expects authors to adhere to the ARRIVE guidelines and treat animals in a humane manner when animals are used in research, and to follow national or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals.

Randomized Trials

cjgim requires that reports of randomized controlled trials adhere to CONSORT guidelines and be registered in a clinical trials registry.

Data Sharing Policy

cjgim encourages authors to share and make available to readers all data and other artefacts on which the conclusions of the paper rely whenever ethically feasible. Authors should include in their paper a data accessibility statement and include a link to the appropriate public repository used whenever applicable.

Editorial Conflicts of Interest

Following peer review, final decisions regarding publication are usually made by the Editor-in-Chief. In the event that the Editor-in-Chief has a potential conflict of interest with the manuscript or its authors, there is a recusal process and the manuscript is assigned to an Associate Editor or an alternative member of the editorial team who does not have a conflict of interest related to the manuscript.

In the event that a manuscript is authored or co-authored by a member of the editorial team (i.e., Editorial Board members, Associate Editors, or Editor-in-Chief), the manuscript will be assigned to another editorial team member in order to avoid a conflict of interest. For example, if the Editor-in-Chief is a co-author of a paper for peer review, an Associate Editor will act as the Editor-in-Chief for that paper. The editorial team member who is an author or co-author of a submitted paper will have access to the same information regarding the submitted paper as any non-editorial team author/co-author of any other paper.

Publishing Agreement

Following a decision of acceptance, authors will receive author agreements in electronic format. Each author receives and completes a separate agreement. In this agreement, authors transfer copyright to the Canadian Society of Internal Medicine (CSIM). Authors who are employed by a federal government are exempt from this agreement, and instead must submit a copy of the federal governmental office’s copyright license.

Reproduction or Reuse

Manuscripts published in cjgim are copyrighted to the Canadian Society of Internal Medicine. Requests by third parties for permission to reproduce content published in cjgim should be made to the University of Toronto Press using the Permission Request Form.

Useful Forms

All submissions to cjgim must be the author’s original work, not previously published, and not currently under consideration for publication in another journal. Submissions must include the Disclosure of Interest Form (PDF) for each co-author and may require one of the following other forms as applicable.

Further Author Resources

Additional resources available for authors include the following:

Please Note:

Authors can also initiate a submission for an NIH-funded article whether or not the journal is in the NLM Catalog. To submit a manuscript, first log in to https://www.nihms.nih.gov per https://support.nlm.nih.gov/knowledgebase/article/KA-05242/en-us. Then, from your My Manuscripts page, click the Submit New Manuscript button and proceed using the guidance provided in the interactive "walkthrough" feature (accessible by clicking the icon on the right-hand side of the page). It may be helpful to review the submission tutorial at https://trace.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/core/assets/nihms4/help/NIHMS_Submission_Tutorial.pdf.

Journal Menu ☰

Submission Guidelines

Contents

Peer Review

Manuscript Types and Requirements

Author Submission Guidelines

Manuscript Components

Cover Letter

Title Page

Abstracts

Structured Abstracts

Unstructured Abstracts

Lay Summary

Abbreviations

Units of Measure

Names of Drugs and Other Products

Acknowledgements

Contributions

References

Sample journal article reference:

Sample book reference:

Sample book chapter reference:

Sample website reference:

Personal Communication

Tables

Figures and Images

Figure and Image Captions

Figure and Image Permissions

Editorial Policies for Authors

Authorship

Defining Authorship

Author Contributions

Changes in Authorship

Acknowledgements

Corresponding Author

Conflict of Interest

Funding

Ethics of Human Experiments

Methods

Approval by Ethics Review Board

Informed Patient Consent

Studies Involving Animals

Randomized Trials

Data Sharing Policy

Editorial Conflicts of Interest

Publishing Agreement

Reproduction or Reuse

Useful Forms

Further Author Resources

Please Note:

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