The title page establishes authorship, funding transparency, and ethical accountability. Clear attribution prevents delays during editorial screening and production.

Include group authorship details, clinical consortium names, and corresponding author responsibilities so editorial queries can be resolved quickly. If multiple institutions are involved, confirm the primary site for ethics oversight.

• Full author names, affiliations, and ORCID identifiers
• Corresponding author email, phone, and postal address
• Funding sources, grant numbers, and sponsor roles
• Conflict of interest and author contribution statements
• Ethics approval identifiers and consent statements

Use a structured abstract to help readers and indexers quickly understand the clinical relevance of your work. Match abstract data to the main text and keep results specific.

When reporting diagnostic accuracy, include key performance metrics. For interventional or comparative studies, state the primary endpoint and follow-up duration in clear, concise language.

• Structured sections: Objective, Methods, Results, Conclusion
• State study design, population, and primary outcomes
• Report key numeric findings, effect sizes, or confidence intervals
• Include trial registration number when relevant

Follow IMRAD structure and provide enough detail for replication. Clear methodology and statistical reporting reduce reviewer queries and improve confidence.

State primary and secondary outcomes, define adverse event collection, and explain any interim analyses. For observational studies, describe confounder handling and adjustments.

• Define study design, setting, and participant selection
• Describe interventions, comparators, and outcomes
• Report statistical methods and software versions
• State missing data handling and sensitivity analyses
• Discuss limitations and clinical implications

Figures and tables should communicate results clearly and respect patient confidentiality. Provide editable tables and full legends that explain clinical context.

For imaging studies, include modality, acquisition parameters, and relevant scales. Ensure that labels match the narrative and that tables report absolute numbers along with percentages.

• Images at 300 dpi in TIFF, JPEG, or PNG format
• Remove patient identifiers from imaging and photos
• Include scale bars, labels, and abbreviations
• Upload tables as editable files with units

Supplementary files strengthen transparency by providing protocols, extended tables, appendices, and analytic code. Ensure all supplemental files are cited in the main text and clearly labeled.

• Supplementary tables and figures referenced in order
• Protocols or checklists for clinical trials and registries
• Analytic code or statistical scripts when possible
• Data dictionaries and variable definitions for datasets

Accurate references speed production and improve discoverability. Use Vancouver style and verify DOI links before submission.

When citing guidelines or clinical trial reports, use the most current version and confirm that trial registry links resolve correctly. Cite datasets and protocols when they inform the analysis.

• Vancouver style with numbered citations
• Include DOI links whenever available
• Cite trial registrations and datasets as needed
• Confirm accuracy for author names and journals