How to Choose a Journal for a Case Report

Choose a journal for a case report by matching the case to the journal's scope and article types, checking that the journal is reputable and indexed, understanding its fees and timeline, and reading recent case reports in it. Avoid journals that solicit submissions aggressively or promise very fast publication without peer review.

Checklist

• Scope: does the journal publish case reports, and in your specialty?
• Article types: some journals accept only "learning points" or "clinical images"; check formats and word limits.
• Indexing: is it indexed in PubMed/MEDLINE or another database you value? (See How to Check Whether a Journal Is Indexed in PubMed.)
• Peer review: is the process described clearly?
• Reputation: ask your mentor; use a checklist such as Think. Check. Submit.
• Fees: is there an article processing charge? When and how is it requested? (See What Is an Article Processing Charge?)
• Open access policy and licence.
• Turnaround time and rejection rates, where published.
• Consent and ethics policies for case reports.

Process

1. Shortlist three to five journals.
2. Read their instructions for authors and two recent case reports.
3. Rank them by fit and quality.
4. Submit to the first, and have a plan for adapting to the second if rejected.

Illustrative example

Invented for teaching. A student considers four journals. One is a high-profile general journal that rarely publishes case reports, one is a specialty journal that regularly does, one charges a fee but is indexed in PubMed and one emails her unsolicited promising publication in 3 days. She chooses the specialty journal first and avoids the unsolicited one.

Common pitfalls

• Submitting to a journal that does not publish case reports.
• Paying fees before confirming reputation.

Key takeaways

• Fit, reputation, indexing and cost drive the choice.
• Check carefully before you pay or submit.

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.