Formatting checklist

  1. Author information: Have you provided up-to-date details of all of your co-authors? In the final published article author names, institutions and addresses will be taken from these completed fields and not from the submitted Word document. Have you got an ORCID iD? All BMJ journals publishing primarily original research now mandate ORCID iDs for all submitting authors at the time of article submission. 
  2. Manuscript length and formatting: Have you provided your abstract in the correct format? Have you supplied any required additional information for your article type, such as key messages? Have you checked that your manuscript doesn’t exceed the requirements for word count, number of tables and/or figures, and number of references? Does your article meet the style guidelines, including the use of standard abbreviations and symbols and the omission of trademark or registered trademark symbols?
  3. Tables: Are your tables in an editable format? Have you embedded them into the main word document? Have they been cited in the text? Have you provided appropriate table legends? Have you uploaded any lengthy tables as supplementary files for online publication?
  4. Figures: Have you uploaded figures separately from the text? Have they been supplied in an acceptable format and are they of sufficient quality? Are they suitable for black and white reproduction (unless you intend to pay any required fees for colour printing)? Have the files been labelled appropriately? Have the figures been cited in the text? Have you provided appropriate figure legends?
  5. References: Have all of the references been cited in the text?
  6. Supplementary files: Have you supplied these in an acceptable format? Have they been cited in the main text?
  7. Statements: Have you included the necessary statements relating to author contributorship, competing interests and funding, data sharing, patient consent and ethical approval?
  8. Acknowledgements: Have you acknowledged all contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship? Have you acknowledged if your work has been previously presented at a conference/published as a conference abstract?
  9. Suggested reviewers: Have you suggested reviewers for your paper (if required by the journal)?
  10. Research reporting checklists: Have you either provided the appropriate reporting guideline for your study type, or explained why a checklist isn’t required?
  11. Reproducing figures: Have you obtained permission from the copyright holder to re-use any previously published material? Has the source been acknowledged?