Journal of Clinical Case Reports and ImagesInstructions for Authors
Instructions for authors
Practical requirements for preparing a case report, clinical image, case series or technical note for editorial assessment and peer review.
Before submission
Confirm the article type and read the Aims & Scope. The report should state the clinical problem, present the patient context and evidence, and identify a learning point without extending the conclusion beyond the record. Image-led and interdisciplinary submissions are eligible across clinical specialties when documented patient care remains central. Neither rarity nor a first-ever observation is required.
Prepare an editable manuscript file, separate figure files, a cover letter, contributor information, declarations and consent or ethics documentation before using the submission system.
Article types and working limits
| Article type | Word limit | Abstract | Figures/tables | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Case Report | 1,500–3,000 | 250 words, structured | Up to 8 | Up to 30 |
| Clinical Images | 500–1,000 | 100 words, unstructured | Up to 4 | Up to 10 |
| Case Series | 2,500–4,000 | 300 words, structured | Up to 10 | Up to 40 |
| Technical Note | 1,000–2,000 | 150 words, unstructured | Up to 5 | Up to 20 |
If reducing a manuscript to these limits would remove clinically necessary information, contact the editorial office before submission and explain the requested exception.
Manuscript structure
- Title page
- Informative title; all authors and affiliations; corresponding-author contact; ORCID iDs where available; word count and keywords.
- Abstract
- Summarize the clinical problem, finding and principal learning point using the abstract format specified for the article type. Clinical Images uses a concise image-led account with sufficient patient context; it need not adopt the full narrative structure of a Case Report.
- Case presentation
- For a Case Report, give a chronological history, examination, investigations, differential diagnosis, intervention, response, complications and follow-up. A Case Series must also state case selection, methods and how outcomes were assessed. A Technical Note must demonstrate the technique in a documented patient case or related cases, including application and safety considerations.
- Discussion
- Interpret the case against relevant literature, distinguish observation from inference, acknowledge alternatives and state the limits of case-based evidence.
- Conclusion
- State the supported clinical learning point without claiming general efficacy, causality, prevalence or safety from an individual case.
Case Report: CARE-based section order
- Title and structured abstract: identify the clinical problem and learning point.
- Introduction: explain the clinical context and contribution.
- Patient information and clinical findings: give relevant de-identified history, concerns, examination and prior care.
- Timeline: present the sequence of presentation, investigations, interventions and follow-up.
- Diagnostic assessment: explain diagnostic reasoning, the differential, tests, challenges and relevant alternatives.
- Interventions: describe treatment or procedures, changes and the reasons for them.
- Follow-up and outcomes: report clinical findings, response, complications, adverse events and relevant patient-reported outcomes.
- Discussion and conclusion: relate the findings to the literature, state limitations and identify the supported learning point.
- Patient perspective, where appropriate and available: include the patient's account of the experience without inventing a contribution or compromising privacy.
- Consent statement, declarations, references and figure or table legends.
Clinical Images: image-led section order
- Informative title and the 100-word unstructured abstract specified in the table.
- Concise patient context: relevant presentation, findings and the diagnostic question.
- Image findings and interpretation: explain the finding, relevant differential or clinical correlation, and outcome or follow-up where known.
- A focused diagnostic or educational learning point and appropriate limitations.
- Images and legends: label panels and provide modality, orientation, scale, stain or magnification where relevant.
- Patient consent statement, declarations and references.
Clinical images, figures and tables
File quality
Submit separate TIFF, JPEG or PNG files at a minimum of 300 DPI where that measure applies.
Interpretation
State modality, orientation, magnification, staining or scale where needed and explain the relevant finding in the legend.
Annotation
Use consistent arrows or labels that identify the feature without hiding or altering the underlying evidence.
Privacy & rights
Remove identifiers and metadata; obtain publication consent and third-party permission where required.
Permitted image adjustment
Adjustments for clarity must be applied consistently and must not add, remove, move or obscure clinical information. Keep original files available if the editor requests them.
Preparing tables
Supply editable tables, not screenshots. Number them in the order cited in the text and provide a concise title above each. Use descriptive column and row headers, include units, define abbreviations and symbols in footnotes, and identify denominators for percentages where relevant. Keep tables de-identified and avoid duplicating the same results in text and figures. The combined figure/table limits remain those in the article-types table.
References, reporting and supplementary files
Format references in Vancouver style and verify every citation. Cite literature that supports the diagnostic reasoning, differential, intervention and comparison with prior cases; do not pad the reference list.
The CARE checklist guides individual case reports. Case series should state selection, methods, outcomes and limitations and use reporting guidance appropriate to their design. Submit a completed checklist when requested. Supplementary files should add clinically relevant information, be named clearly and be cited in the manuscript. For clinical video or moving images, confirm supported file formats and publication arrangements with the editorial office before submission. Recordings require the same clinical context, interpretation, permissions and patient protection as still images.
Authorship and declarations
- Contributions
- Describe each author's accountable contribution to clinical care, data collection, imaging interpretation, analysis, drafting, revision or supervision.
- Approval
- All authors must approve the submitted version and identify one corresponding author responsible for journal communication.
- Competing interests
- Disclose relevant financial, professional, institutional or personal relationships, or state that none are declared.
- Funding & data
- Identify funding and its role. State the availability of supporting data within the limits imposed by patient consent, privacy, law and institutional policy.
- AI disclosure
- Disclose material AI assistance. AI tools cannot be authors; authors retain responsibility for accuracy, originality, confidentiality and attribution.
Patient consent, de-identification and ethics
- Obtain written informed consent from the patient for publication of case details and images and include a patient consent statement. Identifiable images and recordings require explicit publication consent.
- Remove names, record numbers, full dates of birth, institutional identifiers and identifying image metadata.
- Report ethics committee or institutional review board approval where required, including the approving body and reference where available.
- If approval is not required, state the institutional or jurisdictional basis where appropriate.
- If consent cannot be obtained, explain the circumstances to the editorial office before proceeding. Any exception requires assessment under journal policy, applicable law and institutional requirements. De-identification alone does not grant permission to publish.
The manuscript supplied to reviewers must contain the consent statement, not the signed consent form. Signed consent material is handled only by authorized editorial personnel through the agreed confidential channel and must not be circulated to reviewers or included in public supplementary files.
Submission, review, revision and proofs
- Submit
- Choose one approved route below and submit the complete manuscript record once.
- Review
- Peer review: Single-blind by default; double-blind review is available on request. Manuscripts that proceed to external peer review are normally evaluated by at least two independent subject-matter experts. Editorial decisions are based on scope, scientific quality, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, reporting quality, and relevance to the journal.
- Revision
- Return a point-by-point response identifying each change and explaining any reviewer request not followed.
- Proofs
- After acceptance, review the proof carefully for clinical details, names, figures, legends, references and declarations. Proof correction is not an opportunity to add unsupported claims.
Preparing for double-blind review
For double-blind review, remove author names, affiliations, acknowledgments, funding details, institution names, and other identifying information from the reviewer manuscript. Provide identifying information separately in the title-page file or submission form.
Approved submission routes
- Primary
- ManuscriptZone — submit and manage the manuscript through the editorial system.
- Alternative
- Simple manuscript submission form for JCCI — the journal is preselected.
- Assisted
- Editorial email: [email protected].
Authors must use only one submission route for the same manuscript.
Submission checklist complete?
Confirm the article type, manuscript file, figures, consent statement, ethics information, declarations and cover letter before choosing one submission route.
Journal of Clinical Case Reports and Images · JCCI · ISSN 2641-5518 · Open Access Pub