Overview
Submission Instructions
Recent Publications
Frequently Asked Questions
Research Topics
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The Medical Journal of Australia publishes medical content including editorials, research, research letters, guidelines and statements, narrative reviews, perspectives, ethics and law, medical education, reflections, competitions, and letters.
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Subject
Medicine, General & Internal
Impact Factor
8.5
Quartile
Q1
Open Access Type
Closed
ISSN
0025-729X
eISSN
1326-5377
Invitation Only
No
Cost Range
APC of US$3090, £2320, or EUR2630; CAUL institution authors paying themselves are eligible for a 10% discount.
Submission Instructions
The Medical Journal of Australia accepts the following article types. Click on an article type to view submission instructions.
Full Length Research Articles
Cover Letter
A cover letter is required. Cover letter should briefly outline the context of the work, explain what the manuscript adds to current knowledge, state why it should be published in the Medical Journal of Australia, and disclose any related manuscripts.
Abstract
A structured abstract is required. Abstract must be a maximum of 300 words. Abstract must be structured. Abstract must include the headings Objectives, Design, Setting, Participants, Intervention, Main outcome measures, Results, Conclusions, and Trial registration if applicable.
Manuscript
Main text should be approximately 3000 words. Manuscript must be structured with the sections Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, and References, and the Discussion should end with the subsections Limitations and Conclusion. Manuscript must include a Plain Language Summary box of no more than 100 words with the headings 'The known', 'The new', and 'The implications', and it must also include author contributions, acknowledgements, funding, conflicts of interests, artificial intelligence, data sharing, and data/code/materials sharing statements.
References
Manuscript should include 40 references. References must be cited as numbered citations in square brackets in order of citation. Reference list must provide the surnames and initials of all authors and, for journal articles, include the volume number, issue number, and full first and last page numbers.
Figures & Tables
Manuscript may include up to ten figures or tables, with some permitted in an appendix. Tables and figures with detailed titles must be placed at the end of the main manuscript after the References, and images must also be supplied as separate files. Graphs must be accompanied by a data table that allows redrawing if required.
Systematic Reviews
Cover Letter
A cover letter must be submitted with the manuscript. Cover letter should briefly outline the context of the work, explain what the manuscript adds to current knowledge, state why it should be published in the Medical Journal of Australia, and identify any authors under 18 years old.
Abstract
A structured abstract is required. Abstract must be no more than 300 words. Abstract must be structured. Abstract must include the headings Objectives, Study design, Data sources, Data synthesis, Conclusions, and Registration.
Manuscript
Main text must be 2000 to 3000 words. Main text must conform with PRISMA recommendations and be structured as Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion, with the Discussion concluding with the subsections Limitations and Conclusion. Manuscript must include a data, code and materials sharing statement, an AI statement, Author Contributions using CRediT roles, Acknowledgements, a Funding statement, Conflicts of interests, and one or more tables of study characteristics and quality or risk of bias in the main text if practical or otherwise in Supporting Information.
References
References are limited to a maximum of 100. References must be formatted in Chicago note style. Reference numbers in the Supporting Information file must match those in the main manuscript, and Supporting Information must include a separate reference list for items cited there.
Figures & Tables
Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses may include up to ten tables and/or figures. Images and tables must be placed at the end of the main manuscript after the References with detailed titles, and images must also be supplied as separate files. Graphs must be accompanied by a data table that allows redrawing in MJA style if required.
Meta-Analyses
Cover Letter
A cover letter must be submitted with the manuscript. The cover letter should briefly outline the context of the work, explain what the manuscript adds to current knowledge, state why it should be published in the Medical Journal of Australia, and identify any author under 18 years old.
Abstract
A 300-word structured abstract is required. Abstract must not exceed 300 words. Abstract must be structured. Abstract headings must be Objectives, Study design, Data sources, Data synthesis, and Conclusions.
Manuscript
Main text must be 2000 to 3000 words. Manuscript should be structured with Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion, and the Discussion should end with the subsections Limitations and Conclusion. Manuscript must include a data, code and materials sharing statement, Author Contributions using CRediT roles, Acknowledgements, a Funding statement, an Artificial Intelligence statement, and a Conflicts of Interests statement.
References
The manuscript should include 100 references. References must be formatted in Chicago note style. References should be cited in the text as numbers in square brackets in order of citation, with surnames and initials of all authors given in the reference list.
Figures & Tables
The manuscript may include up to ten tables and/or figures. Tables and figures with detailed titles must be placed at the end of the manuscript after the References, and some may appear in the Supporting Information file. All images must also be supplied as separate files, and graphs must be accompanied by a data table that allows redrawing if required.
Narrative Reviews
Cover Letter
A cover letter must be submitted with the manuscript. Cover letter should briefly explain the context of the work, what it adds to current knowledge, and why it should be published in the journal.
Abstract
A 250-word unstructured abstract is required. Abstract should not exceed 250 words. Abstract must be unstructured.
Manuscript
Main text should be approximately 3000 words. Main text must include a concise description of the literature review sources and selection criteria immediately after the Introduction. Manuscript must include Author Contributions, Acknowledgements, a Funding statement, an Artificial Intelligence statement, Conflicts of Interests, and a Data Sharing statement.
References
Manuscript should include 75 references. References must be cited as numbered citations in square brackets in order of appearance. Reference list must provide surnames and initials of all authors and full publication details for each source.
Figures & Tables
Tables, figures, and their titles must be included at the end of the manuscript after the references. Tables must be supplied as editable Word text rather than images or PDFs.
Research Letters
Cover Letter
A cover letter must be submitted with the manuscript. The cover letter should briefly outline the context of the work, explain what the manuscript adds to current knowledge, state why it should be published in the Medical Journal of Australia, and disclose closely related manuscripts or overlap with other submitted or published work.
Abstract
Research Letters should include an abstract. The abstract should be 50 words. The abstract should be unstructured. For randomised controlled trials, the abstract must include the trial registration number and trial registry name.
Manuscript
The main text should be approximately 750 words. The manuscript should be structured like a research article with Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion including limitations, and associated end matter statements. The manuscript must include a data, code and materials sharing statement and an Artificial Intelligence statement if an AI tool was used in part of the submission.
References
Research Letters should include ten references. References must be cited as numbers in square brackets in order of citation, and reference entries must give the surnames and initials of all authors.
Figures & Tables
Research Letters may include up to two tables or figures. Tables, figures, and their titles must be included at the end of the manuscript after the references. Tables must be supplied as editable Word text rather than images or PDFs.
Guideline Summaries
Cover Letter
A cover letter must be submitted with the manuscript. The cover letter should briefly outline the context of the work, explain what the manuscript adds to current knowledge, state why it should be published in the Medical Journal of Australia, and disclose any related manuscripts.
Abstract
A 300-word abstract is required. Abstract must not exceed 300 words. Abstract must be structured. Abstract must use the headings "Introduction", "Main recommendations", and "Changes in management as a result of the guideline/statement".
Manuscript
Main text should be approximately 3000 words. Main text must include the headings Background, Methods, and Recommendations. Guideline summaries must reference the full guideline, must not include unpublished information or information not contained in the full guideline, and recommendations must include an assessment of evidence quality and strength using GRADE or an acceptable alternative system.
References
The article should include 50 references. References must be cited in the text as numbers in square brackets in order of citation, and reference entries must list the surnames and initials of all authors.
Figures & Tables
The article may include up to two figures, tables, or boxes. Tables, figures, and their titles must be included at the end of the manuscript after the references.
Consensus Statements
Cover Letter
Cover letter must be submitted online with the manuscript. Cover letter should briefly outline the context of the work, explain what the manuscript adds to current knowledge, and state why it should be published in the Medical Journal of Australia.
Abstract
Abstract is required. Abstract must be 300 words. Abstract must be structured. Abstract must use the headings Introduction, Main recommendations, and Changes in management as a result of the guideline/statement.
Manuscript
Main text should be approximately 3000 words. Main text must include the headings Background, Methods, and Recommendations. Manuscript must include Author Contributions using CRediT roles, Acknowledgements, a Funding statement, an Artificial Intelligence statement, a Conflicts of Interests statement, and a Data Sharing statement.
References
References should include 50 items. References must be cited in the text as numbers in square brackets in order of citation, with surnames and initials of all authors given in the reference list.
Figures & Tables
Submission may include two figures, tables, or boxes. Tables, figures, and their titles must be included at the end of the manuscript after the References. Tables must be supplied as editable Word text rather than images or PDFs.
Position Statements
Cover Letter
Cover letter must be submitted online with the manuscript. Cover letter should briefly outline the context of the work, explain what the manuscript adds to current knowledge, state why it should be published, and identify any author under 18 years old.
Abstract
Abstract is required. Abstract must be 300 words. Abstract must be structured. Abstract must use the headings "Introduction", "Main recommendations", and "Changes in management as a result of the guideline/statement".
Manuscript
Main text should be approximately 3000 words. Main text must include the headings Background, Methods, and Recommendations. Manuscript must include Author Contributions using CRediT roles, Acknowledgements, a Funding statement, an Artificial Intelligence statement, a Conflicts of Interests statement, and a Data Sharing statement.
References
Manuscript should include 50 references. References must be cited as numbers in square brackets in order of citation.
Figures & Tables
Manuscript may include two figures, tables, or boxes. Tables, figures, and their titles must be included at the end of the manuscript after the references.
Lessons From Practice
Cover Letter
A cover letter is required. Cover letter should briefly outline the context of the work, explain what the manuscript adds to current knowledge, and state why it should be published in the Medical Journal of Australia.
Abstract
A 100-word unstructured abstract is required. Abstract should be 100 words. Abstract must be unstructured.
Manuscript
Main text should be approximately 750 words. Manuscript must use the headings “Clinical record” and “Discussion”. Manuscript must include a separate box with up to four brief bullet points highlighting the main lessons and include a statement that consent has been obtained.
References
Manuscript should include ten references. References must be cited as numbers in square brackets in order of citation, with surnames and initials of all authors provided in the reference list.
Figures & Tables
Tables, figures, and their titles must be included at the end of the manuscript after the references. Lessons From Practice should provide high resolution clinical images.
Letters On New Topics
Cover Letter
A cover letter must be submitted with the manuscript. Cover letter should briefly outline the context of the work, explain what the manuscript adds to current knowledge, state why it should be published in the Medical Journal of Australia, and confirm that the content has not been concurrently submitted or previously published elsewhere.
Abstract
A 50-word abstract is required. Abstract should be 50 words.
Manuscript
Main text should be approximately 350 words. Include Author Contributions using CRediT roles, Acknowledgements, a Funding statement, an Artificial Intelligence statement, Conflicts of Interests, and a Data Sharing statement.
References
Include five references. References must be cited in the text as numbers in square brackets in order of citation, and reference entries must list the surnames and initials of all authors.
Figures & Tables
A maximum of one small text box, table, or figure may be included. Tables, figures, and their titles must be included at the end of the manuscript after the references.
Comments On Published Articles
Cover Letter
A cover letter must be submitted online with the manuscript. Cover letter should briefly outline the context of the work, explain what the manuscript adds to current knowledge, and state why it should be published in the Medical Journal of Australia.
Abstract
Abstract requirements are not specified.
Manuscript
Main text should be approximately 350 words. Title must be the same as the article being commented on for indexing purposes. Manuscript must include Author Contributions using CRediT roles, Acknowledgements, a Funding statement, an Artificial Intelligence statement, a Conflicts of Interests statement, and a Data Sharing statement.
References
References should be limited to five. Citations must be numbered in square brackets in order of citation. The published article being commented on must be listed as the first reference.
Figures & Tables
Tables, figures, and their titles must be included at the end of the manuscript after the References.
Recent Publications
Continuity of Care in General Practice in Australia: A Whole‐Of‐Population Serial Cross‐Sectional Study
Jennifer Welsh, Rachel Freeman‐Robinson, Danielle C. Butler, Rachael Eddowes, Amelia Yazidjoglou, Angus Douglas, Kirsty A. Douglas, Nina Lazarevic, Hsei‐Di Law, Grace Joshy, Susan Trevenar, Tsheten Tsheten, Adrian Webster, Michael Frost, Bernice Cropper, Sally Hall Dykgraaf, Christine B. Phillips, Emily Banks, Rosemary J. Korda
10.5694/mja2.70229
View Publication
Short‐Term Safety and Adverse Event Risk Profiles for SARS‐CoV‐2 Booster Vaccine Doses in Australian Adults: A Survey Study
Evelyn Tay, Michael Dymock, Lucy Dawes, Lucy Deng, Thuy Nguyen, Alan Leeb, Julie A. Marsh, Nicholas Wood, Kristine Macartney, Thomas L. Snelling
10.5694/mja2.70227
View Publication
Hospital‐Admitted Injection‐Related Infections Among Incarcerated People Who Inject Drugs in Australia: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Andrew Palmer, Matthew Carter, Jeremy Yeo, Cecilia Shim, Jason Connor, Jeremy Hayllar, Gerald Holtmann, Naomi Moy, Elliott G. Playford, Naomi Runnegar, Paul J. Clark
10.5694/mja2.70224
View Publication
The Management of Withdrawal From Alcohol and Other Drugs in Australian Custodial Settings: A Consensus Statement
Grace FitzGerald, Jocelyn Chan, Jon Cook, Mark Stoove, Michael Curtis, Suzanne Nielsen, Rebecca J. Winter, Thileepan Naren
10.5694/mja2.70225
View Publication
Impact of the 2025 New South Wales Respiratory Syncytial Virus Prevention Program on Infant Notifications and Hospitalisations: A Population‐Based Analysis
Janaki Amin, Sally L. Ellis, Christopher Lambeth, Jessica Gugusheff, Christine Selvey
10.5694/mja2.70222
View Publication
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to publish?
Manuscripts not being considered for further review are usually notified within two weeks of submission. Reviewers are currently given two weeks to complete a full research manuscript review, although the overall process may take longer. Authors are generally given three weeks to return a revised manuscript. Authors are given 21 days to appeal after rejection.
Reformat to The Medical Journal of Australia using Livewrite PremiumIs a cover letter required?
A cover letter should be submitted online with the manuscript. It should include a brief outline of the context of the work, what the manuscript adds to current knowledge, why it should be published in the journal, confirmation that the content has not been concurrently submitted or previously published elsewhere, and information about any related manuscripts.
Reformat to The Medical Journal of Australia using Livewrite PremiumWhat are the publication costs?
Gold open access APC is US$3090, £2320, or EUR2630. Authors affiliated with CAUL institutions who pay the APC themselves are eligible for a 10% discount.
Reformat to The Medical Journal of Australia using Livewrite PremiumResearch Topics
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Pasture and Agricultural Systems
Australian Indigenous Culture and History
Diverse Scientific and Economic Studies
Australian History and Society
Indigenous Health, Education, and Rights
Human auditory perception and evaluation
Invertebrate Taxonomy and Ecology
Education Systems and Policy
History of Medical Practice
Commonwealth, Australian Politics and Federalism
Legal case studies and regulations
Primary Care and Health Outcomes
Healthcare Quality and Management
Health Sciences Research and Education
Child and Adolescent Health
Medical Research and Practices
Earthquake and Disaster Impact Studies
Health and Medical Research Impacts
Medical History and Innovations
Educational Robotics and Engineering
Healthcare Policy and Management
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