"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).
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.
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.
The ACP's (American College of Physician) guide on how to write an abstract for a case report.
Short article from C. Fielder Camm that explains why a case report was selected as the European Heart Journal's case report of the year.
Comprehensive article that offers an overview of journals publishing case reviews.
Article that provides information on writing case reports and discusses their place as a time-honored medical tradition.
Youtube video from research fellow Bishoy Gubran that provides an overview of the writing process.
See chapter on Case Reports
See chapter on Case Reports and Case Series
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