Common Reasons Case Reports Get Rejected
Case reports are rejected most often because the lesson is not new or useful enough, the case is poorly documented, consent or ethics statements are missing, the literature review is weak, or the paper does not fit the journal. Many of these problems can be fixed before submission.
Frequent reasons and fixes
| Reason | What editors see | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Not novel | Many similar reports exist | Search thoroughly; refine the lesson or choose another case |
| Weak or no lesson | No clear take-home message | State the lesson in one sentence |
| Diagnosis unclear | Insufficient evidence for the diagnosis | Include test results and alternatives excluded |
| Missing consent statement | Ethics non-compliance | Obtain and state consent |
| Identifiable details | Privacy risk | De-identify |
| Poor structure | Hard to follow | Use CARE and a timeline |
| Weak discussion | Textbook-style or no comparison | Compare with literature and state limits |
| Overclaiming | Causality claimed from one case | Use cautious wording |
| Scope mismatch | Journal does not publish case reports | Choose a suitable journal |
| Language or format errors | Does not follow instructions | Edit; follow the journal format |
| Duplicate or salami content | Overlaps with another paper | Disclose and avoid duplication |
After rejection
Read the editor's comments, improve the paper, check whether the next journal has different expectations and resubmit. Do not submit the same paper to several journals at once.
Illustrative example
Invented for teaching. A case report is rejected because "similar cases have been reported". The authors run a better search, find that earlier cases differ in onset time, restructure the discussion around this difference and resubmit to a different journal.
Common pitfalls
- Resubmitting without changes.
- Arguing with a rejection rather than learning from it.
Key takeaways
- Fix novelty, consent, structure and fit before submitting.
- Treat rejection as feedback.
References and further reading
- Gagnier JJ, Kienle G, Altman DG, et al. The CARE guidelines: consensus-based clinical case reporting guideline development. J Clin Epidemiol. 2014;67(1):46-51. doi:10.1016/j.jclinepi.2013.08.003
- International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals. Link
- Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE): guidance and flowcharts. Link
Related reading
This page is general educational information about research methods. It is not medical, legal or regulatory advice; follow your institution's ethics board and your target journal's instructions.