Type of Report |
Word Limit |
Table/Figure Limit |
Reference Limit |
Peer Review |
Full Report |
2,000 |
Minimum necessary to support succinct data presentation.
|
25 |
Yes |
Brief Report |
1,000 |
2
|
10 |
Yes |
Outbreak Report |
2,000 |
Minimum necessary to support succinct data presentation.
|
25 |
Yes |
Case Report |
1,000 |
Minimum necessary to support succinct data presentation.
|
10 |
Yes |
Surveillance Snapshot |
500 |
1
|
10 |
No |
Letter to the Editor |
1,000 |
Typically not applicable. |
5
|
Reviewed by MSMR editors.
|
Historical Perspective |
2,000 |
Typically 2; additional may be considered upon request.
|
25 |
Yes |
Notice to Readers |
500 |
Typically not applicable. |
-- |
No |
Images in Health Surveillance |
500 |
As required to support aim of submission.
|
5
|
No |
Guest Editorial |
2,000 |
Typically 2; additional may be considered upon request.
|
25 |
As applicable; at the discretion of the editor-in-chief.
|
Full Reports
Full Reports present the verified results of a completed epidemiologic investigation or study that answers a question of military health importance. All Full Reports are submitted to two voluntary, independent reviewers for peer review.
The Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion sections of a Full Report should not exceed 2,000 words. Full Reports exceeding 2,000-words may be considered if a supported justification is presented to the editor. Cited references in a Full Report are limited to 25, and data tables and figures should complement the text succinctly and logically. Recommendations presented in the Discussion of a Full Report should reflect the quality and nature of the study design.
Full Report submissions comprise 10 required elements or sections, in the following order:
- Title: Brief and descriptive, indicative of the major result(s), using as few words as possible; refrain from using colons if possible. (A title page is not necessary.)
- Authorship and Affiliations: List all authors and affiliations immediately below the title, according to the MSMR authorship guidelines in Submission Formats. MSMR policy requires that all authors satisfy all International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) authorship criteria:
- Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, or acquisition, analysis or interpretation of data for the work
- Drafting of the work and critical revision of important intellectual content
- Final approval of version to be published
- Agreement to accountability for all aspects to ensure questions of accuracy or integrity are appropriately investigated and resolved.
- Military Relevance: With a maximum of 100 words, convey succinctly what is novel about the findings and describe how they can inform decisions and actions supporting readiness and force health protection: MSMR aims to disseminate actionable medical surveillance information to military medical and public health professionals to enhance health, fitness, and readiness. This information is presented in a text box with two key questions: What are the new findings? and What is the impact on readiness and force health protection?
- For the new findings statement, in 50 words or less, describe, in plain English, the findings of the analysis or report that either are new or provide confirmation of earlier reports.
- For the impact on readiness and force health protection statement, in 50 words or less describe in plain English how the findings can be applied to decisions or actions on behalf of military operational readiness or force health protection. See MSMR November 2018 – Volume 25 / 11 for examples.
- Structured Abstract: With a maximum of 175 words, summarize the report, with a focus on the main findings, in sections labeled: Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion.
Body of the manuscript—Maximum 2,000 words
- Background: Include contextual information (e.g., brief, relevant literature review) and relevance to U.S. military populations or operations. Conclude with the objective or specific question(s) the report aims to answer.
- Methods: Specify, as appropriate, the target population, time period, definitions, exposures, outcomes or endpoints, other characteristics of interest, sources and methods of data collection, and data summary and statistical analysis methods. The Methods section must contain sufficient detail to allow reproduction or verification of the study. If the analysis involved databases or methods previously published, limited text should be devoted to such information available elsewhere, with references. For descriptive studies, the Methods section must describe how the data were obtained, including the source(s), case and covariate definitions, and the most recent date the data sources were refreshed.
- Results: Communicate, logically and concisely, the findings and analysis results. With the exception of emphasis on important or significant observations, do not repeat numerical data presented in tables and graphs; limit tables and figures to those required to explain and support the argument and report key outcomes identified in Methods. Descriptive studies should limit analyses to those appropriate for hypothesis-generating submissions.
- Discussion: Provide interpretive comments that address the importance of the study findings. Contextualize the main findings within broader military or general public health conditions or concerns, including previously published comparative studies, as applicable. Articulate both study strengths and limitations, including likely impacts of the limitations (e.g., shortcomings of data sources, sources of bias). Propose specific strategies for future studies or changes in practice. Descriptive (hypothesis-generating) studies should limit their discussions to new or noteworthy trends, strengths and limitations, and suggestions for future work. Analytic (hypothesis-testing) studies should include comparisons to the published literature (if any) and whether their findings confirm or refute those studies.
Acknowledgements (optional): Recognize contributors who do not qualify as authors.
Disclaimers (optional): Disclose any necessary legal, service-specific, or DOD disclaimers. Submissions from within any DOD service or agency must receive a legal and public affairs review by the authors’ organization(s).
- References: Cite a maximum of 25, directly related to the topic of discussion. All references must be cited within the text, using superscripted notations. List references using AMA style. See Submission Formats for formatting requirements.
- Tables and figures: The number of tables and figures should complement the text, succinctly and logically. Submit in a separate Excel file. See Submission Formats for formatting requirements.
Brief Reports
Brief Reports condense eight of the 10 elements of a Full Report—Military Relevance and Structured Abstract are not required—to 1,000 words maximum. Brief Reports are generally more descriptive in nature and suitable for most descriptive (hypothesis-generating) studies, due to their simplified and limited Methods and Discussion sections. All Brief Reports are peer-reviewed. Brief reports are generally limited to one or two tables and figures, to focus the scope of the report, with a maximum of 10 references.
TIP: Simplicity expedites the review of a Brief Report, which only summarize an analysis of data or prior reporting. Example.
Outbreak Reports
Outbreak Reports detail the chronology of an epidemiologic investigation with a surveillance period of 12 months preceding the submission date. Outbreak Reports include all 10 elements required for Full Reports and should not exceed 2,000 words. The Methods section should summarize the full investigation with case definitions, case-defining activities, and epidemiologic study design. The Results should describe case characteristics (e.g., clinical characteristics) as well as person, place, and time measurements. The Discussion may include a brief summary of public health interventions, interpretation of results, implications for public health practice, and recommendations for future prevention and control. All Outbreak Reports are peer-reviewed.
TIP: This type of report may include clusters of disease where no specific etiology was discovered after a thorough investigation. Example.
Case Reports
Case Reports, limited to 1,000 words, describe a disease occurrence to share timely, pertinent, and potentially actionable information for medical, scientific, or educational purposes. Case Reports should clearly establish a relevance to matters of public health importance. Case Reports should include a Summary of each case(s) followed by a Discussion, and may contain images, as appropriate. Specific section headers may be proposed by authors. Acknowledgements, Disclaimers, and References should be included, when applicable. All Case Reports are peer reviewed. Example.
Surveillance Snapshots
Surveillance Snapshots depict the incidence or distribution of disease in a single chart. Surveillance Snapshots can include one or two paragraphs of text (with no section heading), limited to 500 words. Surveillance Snapshots are not peer-reviewed but are subject to editorial review that may include consultation with other AFHSD staff. Acknowledgements, Disclaimers, and References should be included, as applicable. Example.
Letters to the Editor
Letters to the Editor offer timely and concise opinions or interpretations of articles previously published in MSMR. Letters should not include unpublished data and should be submitted within one year of publication of the referenced article. They are not peer reviewed, but it is customary for the editorial team to send each letter to the author(s) of the original work for an opportunity to reply; the authors’ response is generally published as a companion to the letter. Text for a letter to the editor is limited to 1,000 words, with references limited to five. Tables and figures are discouraged but may be considered on an individual basis. Acknowledgements, disclaimers, and references should be included, as applicable. Letters are subject to abridgement and editing for style and content. Example.
Historical Perspectives
Historical Perspectives discuss the historical impact(s) of a disease or condition, on a specific military operation or the military overall. Historical Perspectives are limited to 2,000 words and can contain one or two images. The section headers can be proposed by the authors; Acknowledgements, Disclaimers, and References should be included, as applicable. Historical Perspectives may be peer-reviewed by historians or relevant subject matter experts. Example.
Notices to Readers
Notices to Readers announce changes in recommended public health practices (e.g., vaccine recommendations) or the availability of clinical or surveillance resources (e.g., laboratory testing), in 500 words or less. Notices to Readers are not peer-reviewed. The MSMR does not publish meeting announcements or summaries of past meetings. Example.
Images in Health Surveillance
Images in Health Surveillance illustrate militarily relevant public health information with photographs, drawings or other images, with accompanying text limited to 500 words, with no section headers. Acknowledgements, Disclaimers, and References should be included, as applicable. Example.
Guest Editorials
Editorials are usually invited but may be proposed. An editorial may serve as an opinion piece, or a comprehensive narrative relevant to public health professionals serving MHS beneficiaries. This may include a narrative review of literature or knowledge base, an update on the current understanding and state-of-the art of the topic, theory, and practice of epidemiology and/or military public health sciences. Editorials are generally limited to 2,000 words and may contain up to two tables or figures. The section headers of this report may be proposed by the authors. Acknowledgements, Disclaimers, and References should be included, as applicable. Example.
Other article types
May be proposed in an email to the editor.