Instructions for Authors
Comprehensive guidelines for preparing and submitting your medical informatics research to JMID.
Your Roadmap to Publication
This guide covers everything you need to know to prepare a high-quality submission for the Journal of Medical Informatics and Decision Making. Following these instructions will expedite the review process.
JMID publishes the following manuscript categories:
| Category | Word Limit | Abstract | Figures/Tables | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original Research | 3,000-6,000 | 300 words (structured) | Up to 10 | Up to 50 |
| Review Article | 4,000-8,000 | 300 words (structured) | Up to 12 | Up to 100 |
| Technical Report | 2,000-4,000 | 200 words (unstructured) | Up to 8 | Up to 30 |
| Perspectives | 1,500-3,000 | 150 words (unstructured) | Up to 4 | Up to 25 |
Original research articles should follow this structured format:
- Title Page: Title, authors, affiliations, corresponding author contact, word count, keywords
- Abstract: Structured with Background, Methods, Results, and Conclusions sections
- Introduction: Background, rationale, and objectives of the study
- Materials and Methods: Study design, data sources, algorithms, evaluation metrics
- Results: Findings presented with supporting data and visualizations
- Discussion: Interpretation, comparison with literature, clinical implications
- Conclusions: Key findings and impact on informatics practice
- Data/Code Availability: Statement on data sharing and code repositories
- References: Vancouver style formatting
Text Formatting
- Microsoft Word (.doc/.docx) format
- Double-spaced, 12-point font
- Continuous line numbering
- Standard margins (1 inch all sides)
- No embedded figures in text
Figure Requirements
- Minimum 300 DPI resolution
- TIFF, JPEG, or PNG formats
- Clear labels on system diagrams
- Algorithm flowcharts encouraged
- Screenshots with annotations where helpful
JMID strongly encourages transparency in computational research:
Code Availability
For studies involving custom software, machine learning models, or data pipelines, authors should deposit code in a public repository (GitHub, GitLab, Zenodo) and provide the URL in the manuscript.
Data Availability
Authors must include a Data Availability Statement. Where possible, share de-identified datasets via recognized repositories. For restricted data, describe access procedures.
Reproducibility Standards
For machine learning studies, include: dataset description, preprocessing steps, model architecture, hyperparameters, training/validation/test splits, and performance metrics with confidence intervals.
All medical informatics research must comply with ethical standards:
- IRB/Ethics Committee approval for studies involving patient data
- Informed consent documentation or waiver justification
- HIPAA compliance for US-based studies
- GDPR compliance for EU-based studies
- De-identification methods described for secondary data analysis
References should be numbered consecutively in the order they appear in the text:
- Journal Article: Smith AB, Jones CD. Clinical decision support for diabetes management. J Med Inform Decis Mak. 2025;12(3):245-250.
- Conference Paper: Lee M, Chen R. Deep learning for EHR analysis. Proceedings of AMIA 2024; 2024 Nov 9-13; San Francisco, CA. p. 156-162.
- Prepare: Format your manuscript according to these guidelines
- Register: Create an account on ManuscriptZone submission portal
- Upload: Submit your manuscript, figures, code links, and supplementary materials
- Review: Your submission undergoes double-blind peer review (4-6 weeks)
- Revise: Address reviewer feedback if revision is requested
- Accept: Pay the APC after your manuscript is accepted
- Publish: Your article goes live within 2 weeks of payment
Ready to Submit?
Your informatics research can transform healthcare delivery.
