- Open access · CC BY 4.0
- ISSN 2689-5773
- Published by Open Access Pub
Instructions for Authors
How to prepare and submit a manuscript to the Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Pathology: submission routes, article types, manuscript structure, reporting standards, ethics statements and fees.
- Submission routes
- Article types
- Preparing the manuscript
- Reporting guidelines
- References, tables and figures
- Ethics and declarations
- Peer review and decisions
- Fees
- Final checklist
Submission routes
- Primary route
ManuscriptZone. The publisher’s online submission and review system. Register or sign in, choose the Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Pathology and upload the manuscript files. Open ManuscriptZone
- Alternative route
Simple manuscript submission form. A single online form that opens with the Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Pathology selected. Open the form
- Assisted route
Editorial email. For authors who are unable to use either online route. Send the manuscript files with a cover letter to info@openaccesspub.org.
Authors must use only one submission route for the same manuscript.
Article types
JCDP publishes the article types below. There are no fixed length limits for any article type; manuscripts should be concise and proportionate to their content. The scope of each type is set out in the Aims and Scope.
Original Research
Diagnostic, laboratory and clinicopathologic studies, including diagnostic accuracy, biomarker, method-comparison and quality studies.
- Abstract
- Structured: Background, Methods, Results, Conclusions.
- Main text
- Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions. State the research question and, where applicable, the specimens or cohort, the reference standard, and the primary outcomes.
- Reporting
- The guideline for the design, for example STARD, REMARK, STROBE, CONSORT, TRIPOD or GRRAS.
Review
Narrative or systematic reviews, including meta-analyses of diagnostic evidence, on a defined diagnostic or laboratory question.
- Abstract
- Structured for systematic reviews; brief for narrative reviews.
- Main text
- Introduction; for systematic reviews, Methods (eligibility criteria, information sources and the full search strategy, study selection, data extraction, risk-of-bias assessment and synthesis), Results with a flow diagram, and Discussion. Give the protocol registration where applicable. Narrative reviews state how the literature was identified.
- Reporting
- PRISMA 2020; PRISMA-DTA for diagnostic test accuracy reviews.
Case Report
An unusual presentation, rare diagnosis or instructive diagnostic challenge, with pathological findings and clinical correlation.
- Abstract
- Brief, unstructured.
- Main text
- Introduction; case presentation with the clinical history, gross, microscopic and ancillary findings; discussion of the differential diagnosis and the lesson of the case. Hypotheses and statistical analysis do not apply.
- Reporting
- CARE. Consent for publication from the patient or a legal guardian, or a waiver documented by the ethics committee, where applicable; identifying details removed.
Technical Note
A new or improved laboratory method, staining protocol, assay validation or diagnostic technique.
- Abstract
- Brief, structured to suit the method.
- Main text
- Rationale; a description of the method with the detail, reagents, antibody clones, instruments or code others need to apply it; validation or a worked application, compared with existing methods where available; limitations.
- Reporting
- The guideline for the validation design, for example STARD, where applicable.
Short Communication
A concise report of a focused or preliminary diagnostic finding.
- Abstract
- Brief, structured.
- Main text
- A condensed Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion centered on the main finding.
- Reporting
- As for Original Research, where applicable.
Letter
A brief response to an article published in JCDP, or a short observation relevant to pathology practice or education.
- Abstract
- None.
- Main text
- Short text without section headings and with a small number of references. A letter about a published article cites it in full, and its authors may be invited to reply.
- Reporting
- Reference the article or evidence discussed.
Choosing a type. Where a manuscript sits between types, choose the closest type and explain the choice in the cover letter; the editors confirm the classification. A short case series is classified as a Case Report and a systematic review as a Review.
Preparing the manuscript
The structure of the main text follows the guidance for the type above. Items that depend on the article type name the types they apply to; all other items apply to every article type.
- Files
- The main text as an editable word-processing file (for example, Microsoft Word), with figures, tables that cannot be edited in the text, and supplementary material supplied as separate files.
- Title page
- A concise, informative title; full names, affiliations and ORCID iDs (recommended) of all authors; and the corresponding author’s contact details.
- 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.
- Abstract
- Depends on the article type: structured, with the headings Background, Methods, Results and Conclusions, for Original Research and systematic reviews; brief and structured for Short Communications; brief and structured to suit the method for Technical Notes; brief for narrative reviews; brief and unstructured for Case Reports. Letters have no abstract.
- Keywords
- A short list of specific, searchable terms; Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) are recommended.
- Specimens and methods
- For Original Research, Technical Notes and Short Communications that report laboratory or specimen-based work: name the specimen types, fixation and processing, stains, antibody clones and dilutions, antigen retrieval, detection system, controls, assay platforms and software, with enough detail for another laboratory to reproduce the work. For immunohistochemistry, report staining patterns and the scoring system; for molecular studies, report extraction, amplification or sequencing conditions, quality metrics and validation, and give accession numbers for deposited sequence data. Case Reports name the stains, antibody clones and ancillary tests used to reach the diagnosis. Not required for Reviews or Letters; systematic reviews describe their search and synthesis methods instead, as set out for the Review type above.
- Statistics
- For Original Research, Short Communications, Technical Notes with a quantitative validation, and systematic reviews with meta-analysis: describe statistical methods in enough detail for replication; report effect estimates with confidence intervals, give exact p-values where statistical tests are used, and name the software and version. Diagnostic accuracy studies report sensitivity, specificity and predictive values with confidence intervals. Not required for Case Reports, narrative reviews or Letters.
- Declarations
- Author contributions (CRediT), funding, conflicts of interest, ethics approval and consent where applicable, data availability and any use of AI tools.
- Cover letter
- States the article type and the diagnostic relevance of the work, confirms that the manuscript is not under consideration elsewhere, and notes any preprint and any request for double-blind review.
- Language
- Clear English, with abbreviations defined at first use and SI units for measurements.
Reporting guidelines
Report the study following the guideline that matches its design and upload the completed checklist as a supplementary file. The guidelines are available from the EQUATOR Network.
| Study design | Guideline |
|---|---|
| Diagnostic accuracy studies | STARD |
| Prognostic and tumor-marker studies | REMARK |
| Observational studies (cohort, case-control, cross-sectional) | STROBE |
| Randomized trials | CONSORT |
| Systematic reviews and meta-analyses | PRISMA 2020; PRISMA-DTA for diagnostic test accuracy |
| Prediction models | TRIPOD |
| Reliability and agreement studies | GRRAS |
| Artificial intelligence in medical imaging | CLAIM |
| Quality improvement studies | SQUIRE 2.0 |
| Case reports | CARE |
| Animal research | ARRIVE 2.0 |
References, tables and figures
- Reference style
- Numbered in order of first citation. List the first five authors, then et al., and give a DOI or stable URL where one exists. Authors are responsible for the accuracy of references.
- Tables
- Numbered consecutively, each with a descriptive title; abbreviations and symbols explained in a footnote. Tables are supplied in an editable format.
- Figures
- High resolution (at least 300 dpi) in TIFF, EPS, PNG or high-quality JPEG, with a caption for each figure. Photomicrographs state the stain and the original magnification and carry a scale bar; gross photographs include a scale.
- Supplementary files
- Numbered (for example, Supplementary Table S1), cited in the text and listed with short titles at the end of the manuscript. They are published as supplied, so they must be final and free of patient identifiers.
- Reused material
- Written permission from the copyright holder to reproduce or adapt published figures, tables or text, unless the material is already available under a license that permits reuse; the source is cited in the legend.
Reference examples
- Journal article
- Author AA, Author BB, Author CC, Author DD, Author EE, et al. (Year) Title of the article. Journal Name. Volume(Issue):pages. DOI: 10.xxxx/xxxxx
- Book
- Author AA, Author BB (Year) Title of the Book. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher.
- Report or webpage
- Organization Name (Year) Title of the report or page. URL (accessed Month Day, Year)
- Dataset
- Author AA, Author BB (Year) Title of the dataset. Version. Repository Name. DOI or accession number
- Preprint
- Author AA, Author BB (Year) Title of the preprint. Preprint Server Name [Preprint]. DOI: 10.xxxx/xxxxx
- Trial registration
- Sponsor or Principal Investigator (Year) Title of the trial. Registry Name. Registration number. Registered Month Day, Year. URL
Ethics and declarations
Each manuscript includes the statements below that apply to it. The full policies are set out in the Editorial Policies.
- Human participants and specimens
- The name of the approving ethics committee or institutional review board and the approval reference number, and confirmation of informed consent, or a waiver documented by the ethics committee, where applicable. Studies of archival tissue or anonymized diagnostic material state whether ethics review was required.
- Clinical trials
- Interventional clinical trials must be registered in an accepted public trial registry at or before the first participant provides consent for enrollment. The registry name, registration number, and registration date must be reported in the manuscript.
- Animal research
- Approval from the institutional animal care and use committee or animal ethics committee with its reference number, compliance with animal-welfare regulations and the 3Rs, and reporting in line with the ARRIVE guidelines.
- Case Reports
- Informed consent for publication from the patient or a legal guardian, or a waiver documented by the ethics committee, where applicable, with identifying details removed from text and images.
- Conflicts of interest and funding
- All financial and non-financial interests of every author, each source of funding and the role of the funder.
- Data availability
- Every empirical research manuscript must include a data-availability statement. It explains where the data can be found or the conditions for access.
- Use of AI tools
- Any use of AI tools in writing, analysis, image generation or figure preparation, with the tool named and its use described. AI tools are not listed as authors.
Peer review and decisions
All submissions undergo initial editorial screening. Manuscripts that meet the journal’s scope and minimum requirements proceed to independent peer review. Submitted manuscripts are screened for similarity with Crossref Similarity Check, powered by iThenticate.
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.
Revised manuscripts are accompanied by a point-by-point response to the reviewers’ comments, with changes marked in the revised file. After acceptance, authors check the proofs, and the article is published open access under CC BY 4.0 with a Crossref DOI. Errors found after publication are reported to the editorial office and handled as described in the Editorial Policies.
Fees
The article processing charge is USD 1,495 for Original Research, USD 1,440 for Review, USD 1,295 for Case Report, Technical Note and Short Communication, and USD 895 for Letter.
The charge is payable only after acceptance; withdrawal after submission is subject to the journal’s withdrawal policy. No charge is made at submission. Fee-relief inquiries are considered case by case; contact the editorial office before or at submission. Full details are on the Article Processing Charges page.
Final checklist
A fuller checklist and the submission routes are on the submission page.
- The manuscript addresses a question in diagnostic pathology or laboratory medicine and uses one of the article types above.
- The title page, abstract (none for Letters), keywords and main text follow the guidance for the article type.
- For double-blind review, the reviewer manuscript is anonymized and identifying information is in the title-page file.
- Ethics approval, consent or waiver, and trial registration are reported where applicable.
- Where the article type requires them, specimens, reagents, instruments, methods and statistical analysis are described in enough detail to be reproduced.
- The completed reporting checklist is attached where applicable.
- Declarations cover contributions, funding, conflicts of interest, data availability and AI use.
- Figures, tables and supplementary files are cited in the text, images carry stain and magnification, and permissions are in place for reused material.
- A cover letter accompanies the submission, which is made through one route only.
Ready to submit?
Questions about preparing or submitting a manuscript can be sent to the editorial office at info@openaccesspub.org.