Journal of Maritime Medicine

Author Guidelines

These guidelines are intended to make submission to the Journal of Maritime Medicine as simple and predictable as possible, while maintaining a consistent format that is useful for clinicians, operators and medico-legal readers.

Please read this page before preparing a manuscript. A downloadable article template (Word .docx) is available so that you can type directly into the suggested structure.

1. Article Types

The journal is practice-focused. The following broad article types are currently welcomed:

  • Case reports and case series: de-identified cases with clear learning points for maritime and expedition practice.
  • Clinical reviews: practical summaries of topics relevant to shipboard or remote care (for example, chest pain at sea, neurological presentations, sepsis in remote settings).
  • Operational and medico-legal articles: documentation, complaint handling, interfaces with operators and insurers, risk management.
  • Checklists and tools: forms, aide-mémoires or structured notes that clinicians can use on board.
  • Short commentaries: brief, experience-based pieces on specific problems in maritime or expedition medicine.

2. Manuscript Format

Please prepare manuscripts in a simple, consistent format. The journal will handle layout and final styling.

  • File format: Microsoft Word .docx. (Mac Pages and LibreOffice users can export to .docx.)
  • Font: 12-point Times New Roman.
  • Spacing: double-spaced throughout, including references.
  • Alignment: left-aligned text (no full justification necessary).
  • Titles: use Title Case (for example, Successful Conservative Management of Acute Appendicitis in Antarctica).
  • Headings: Title Case for major section headings (for example, Clinical Course and Decision-Making).
  • Subheadings: sentence case (for example, Initial assessment and baseline risk).
  • Numbers and units: use SI units where possible; be consistent.

A Word template is available and strongly recommended. It contains the structure below and example text to guide layout and referencing.

Template: Download the article template (Word .docx) from the link provided in this section once uploaded to the site.

3. Article Structure

Not all articles will fit the same pattern, but most clinical and case-based submissions should follow this structure:

  • Title: concise, in Title Case.
  • Author information: names, qualifications and roles (for example, Ship Physician, Expedition Doctor, Telemedicine Consultant), plus corresponding author contact.
  • Abstract: up to 250 words. Structured where possible: Background; Case/Methods; Findings; Conclusions / Key message.
  • Keywords: 3–6 keywords (for example: maritime medicine; expedition medicine; acute appendicitis; Antarctica; conservative management).
  • Main text: suggested sections:
    • Introduction
    • Case Description / Clinical Context
    • Assessment and Decision-Making at Sea
    • Management and Follow-Up
    • Discussion (including relevant literature and guidance)
    • Learning Points / Practical Implications
  • Tables and Figures: placed near where they are first mentioned, with clear legends and explanation of all abbreviations.
  • References: numbered Vancouver-style list at the end.
  • Declarations: conflicts of interest, funding, consent/ethics if applicable.

4. Confidentiality and De-Identification

The journal will not publish identifiable patient or company details. Authors are responsible for thorough de-identification before submission.

  • Do not include names, dates of birth, cabin numbers, booking numbers, medical record numbers or similar identifiers.
  • Do not name ships, companies or ports in a way that identifies individual cases or organisations.
  • Adjust ages, dates and timing details as needed to reduce identifiability, while preserving the clinical message.
  • Remove identifying information from images and scans (faces, labels, numbers, etc.).
  • Where appropriate, confirm that consent for publication has been considered, even when cases are de-identified.

5. References & Vancouver Style

Use numbered references in the order they first appear in the text (Vancouver style). Use bracketed numbers consistently, for example: “…as previously reported.^1” or “…as previously reported (1).”

Examples:

  • 1. Smith AB, Jones CD. Acute appendicitis at sea: a review of decision-making. J Marit Med. 2025;1(1):Article 1.
  • 2. Brown EF. Medical risk management on cruise ships. Int Marit Health. 2020;71(2):123–130.
  • 3. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Appendicitis: diagnosis and management. NICE guideline. YEAR.

For online resources, provide as much detail as possible (organisation, title, year, URL and date accessed). The editorial process may standardise minor variations in style.

6. Article IDs and Pagination

The journal uses Article IDs rather than shared page ranges. Each article is assigned an ID within its issue (for example, Article 1, Article 2, etc.). A typical citation might read: J Marit Med 2025;1(1):Article 1.

Authors may number pages within their own manuscript and final PDF (for example, pages 1–6), but there is no need to align these with a journal-wide page sequence.

7. Declarations

Where applicable, please include brief statements at the end of the manuscript covering:

  • Conflicts of interest: any financial or professional interests that could be perceived as influencing the work.
  • Funding: educational grants, sponsorship, or institutional support.
  • Ethical considerations and consent: including confirmation that de-identified case material may be published.

8. Submission Process

At this stage, submissions are received directly by the editor rather than through a fully automated manuscript system.

  • Prepare your article using the Word .docx template and the guidelines above.
  • Ensure all clinical and operational details are sufficiently de-identified.
  • Submit the file via the Contact page, selecting the appropriate enquiry type, or as otherwise indicated on the journal website.

If the article appears potentially suitable, you may be asked for clarifications or minor revisions before it is scheduled for an issue and assigned an Article ID.

9. Costs and Services

The Journal of Maritime Medicine operates on a cost-recovery model to support high-quality peer review, digital infrastructure and long-term archiving. There is no submission fee. Charges apply only to accepted manuscripts.

  • Peer review management fee – USD 100 per article: a flat fee to cover coordination of external peer reviewers, reviewer honoraria, and administrative work associated with managing the peer review process. This fee is independent of article type or length.
  • Administrative and infrastructure fee – USD 50 per article: contributes to plagiarism/originality checking, DOI registration and maintenance, indexing applications and metadata management, long-term digital archiving and backup, and server/hosting costs.
  • Editorial services: basic technical checks (formatting, reference style and completeness of submission) are included at no extra cost. If an article requires substantial language or structural editing beyond routine checks, the editorial office will provide:
    • a brief description of the required work, and
    • an individual quotation based on the estimated time and complexity.
    Authors may accept this quotation or choose to arrange their own professional editing, provided that the final manuscript meets journal standards.

Payment and invoicing: An invoice combining the peer review management fee (USD 100), administrative and infrastructure fee (USD 50), and any optional editorial services will be issued after acceptance. Payment instructions and timelines will be communicated by email. Publication may be deferred until payment is received.

Editorial independence: All manuscripts are evaluated solely on scientific, clinical and ethical merit, relevance and quality. Ability to pay does not influence editorial decisions. Fees are requested only after an article has been accepted for publication.