Submitting to BMJ journals
What we hold as BMJ’s house rules, and where each one was read. A journal’s own guide for authors always comes first: a rule here is used only where that guide is silent.
Journals
active in Scopus
House rules on record
all read on BMJ’s own pages
Last read
each rule carries its own date
Read on BMJ’s own author pages
Verified: BMJ states these for its journals. Only rules like these can count as a blocker in a check, and a journal’s own guide still comes first.
Reference style
Vancouver
Verified
Read on BMJ Author Hub: Formatting your paper, 16 September 2026.
“BMJ formats references using Vancouver style; references are sequentially numbered within the text of the main document”
Figure formats
.tif, .tiff, .eps, .jpeg, .jpg, .pdf
Verified
Read on BMJ Author Hub: Formatting your paper, 16 September 2026.
Figure resolution, floor
300 dpi
Verified
Read on BMJ Author Hub: Formatting your paper, 16 September 2026.
“a minimum resolution of 300 dpi is required, except for line art which should be 1200 dpi”
Line art resolution
1200 dpi
Verified
Read on BMJ Author Hub: Formatting your paper, 16 September 2026.
“a minimum resolution of 300 dpi is required, except for line art which should be 1200 dpi”
Figures in the manuscript
Must be separate files
Verified
Read on BMJ Author Hub: Formatting your paper, 16 September 2026.
“these should be uploaded as separate files”
What the journal decides, not BMJ
These vary between BMJ journals, so we do not hold a house value for them. Your journal’s own guide for authors is where to look.
Citation format · Reference format at submission · Abstract · Abstract length · Keywords, fewest · Keywords, most · Separate title page · Line numbering · Greyscale resolution · Colour resolution · Cover letter · Declarations
Journals in this family
Archives of Disease in Childhood: Education and Practice Edition · Archives of Disease in Childhood: Fetal and Neonatal Edition · BMJ Surgery, Interventions, and Health Technologies · Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry · Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health · Journal of Scleroderma and Related Disorders · Gynecology and Obstetrics Clinical Medicine · Occupational and Environmental Medicine · Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery · European Journal of Hospital Pharmacy · Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine · BMJ Nutrition, Prevention and Health · BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine · Family Medicine and Community Health
Check your manuscript against what is on record for your journal.
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