How to Write and Publish a Case Report

There are several factors to keep in mind when selecting a journal to submit your case report to:

• Journal Fit: Does the journal accept case reports, is your case on topic, and is the journal for your desired audience?
• Predatory Publishing: Is the journal predatory?

How do you find a journal that will be a good fit to submit your case report to for publication?

Questions to ask yourself to help guide your search:

1) Do you already have a journal in mind and if so does this journal publish case reports?

2) Does the journal publish on your topic?

3) Who is your desired audience?

Tips:

• Look up the website for the journal you have in mind to check if they accept case report submissions
• Check where your colleagues, mentors, and collaborators are publishing by searching their name in PubMed or looking at their CV
• Seach JANE (Journal Author Name Estimator) to find journals that publish on your topic

• Search PubMed and other databases for your topic and then filter results for "case reports" in the side navigation bar

Or check out this article

What is predatory publishing?​

• Predatory publishers run online journals that will accept almost any paper submitted for a fee.  Many also run conferences. ​

• They charge an APC and offer little in terms of copy editing or peer review. ​

• Predatory publisher journal websites may include false information about impact factors, editorial board members, and other affiliations. ​

• The line between predatory and low quality is often blurry.

How big is the problem?

• It’s hard to know for sure. One 2015 study estimated that there are more than 600 predatory journals which published 420,000 articles in 2014. Another study puts the number at far fewer: around 120,000 articles for 2014.​

• Many are scientific journals, but all disciplines are represented.​

• Scholars of all ranks and from all over the world have been taken advantage of by these publishers

Information to investigate when determining if a journal is predatory

• Who is on the editorial board? ​
• Does the journal have a connection with a scholarly society? ​
• How is it reviewed (blind, double blind, etc)?

Although it seems counter-intuitive, it's a good idea to figure out what journal you want to try to submit to before finishing your writing. You will want to tailor your case report to the journal's specific guidelines for submission during the writing process to avoid having to re-do work.