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Medicine

Case Reports

What is a Case Report?

"A case report is a description of a single case with unique features. This includes a previously unreported clinical condition, previously unreported observation of a recognised disease, unique use of imaging or diagnostic test to reveal a disease, previously unreported treatment in a recognised disease, or previously unreported complication of a procedure. Case reports should be short and focused, with a limited number of figures and references. The structure of a case report usually comprises a short unstructured (or no) abstract, brief (or no) introduction, succinct but comprehensive report of the case, and to the point discussion" (Peh & Ng, 2010). 

Peh WC, Ng KH. Writing a case report. Singapore Med J. 2010 Jan;51(1):10-3; quiz 14. PMID: 20200769

BMJ Case Reports

BMJ Case Reports search box

BMJ Case Reports accepts cases in a wide range of clinical and non-clinical specialties, so there are opportunities for students, staff and faculty in medicine, nursing and public health. 

If you're interested in publishing with BMJ, they offer a variety of resources in order to help potentials authors during the writing process. These resources include a pre-submission checklist, a case template word document, and a patient consent document. These and other resources can all be found on their "For Authors" page.

Dell Medical School offers a Fellowship that allows students and faculty to publish with BMJ Case Reports for free! For more information, contact Dell Medical School Librarian Imelda Vetter

Why should you write a case report?

For medical students and residents, case reports can act as a first step in being published in medical journals. They also offer an opportunity to engage with scientific writing and practice critical thinking skills. 

Case Report Resources

Writing a Case Report

 

Guide from CARE (CAse REports) on how to write a case report step-by-step.

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