The European Medical Specialist Review (EMSR) is the official peer-reviewed journal of the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS). These guidelines are based on the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
General Requirements
- Manuscripts must be original and not under consideration elsewhere
- All authors must meet ICMJE authorship criteria
- Manuscripts must be written in clear, professional English
- Conflicts of interest must be declared
- Use of AI tools must be disclosed
- Clinical trials must be registered prior to enrolment
Article Types
EMSR publishes:
- Original Research
- Review Articles
- Policy / Position Papers
- Guidelines and Recommendations
- Case Reports
- Editorials and Commentary
Manuscript Preparation
Format
- Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx)
- Times New Roman, 12 pt, 1.5 spacing
- Figures and tables submitted separately
Structure
Original Research (IMRAD):
- Title page
- Abstract (150–250 words)
- Keywords (3–6)
- Introduction
- Methods
- Results
- Discussion
- Conclusion
- Declarations
- References
Other article types may use alternative structures, provided clarity is maintained.
Title Page must include:
- Full title
- Author names and affiliations
- ORCID ID
- Corresponding author details
- Word count
- Number of tables/figures
- Trial registration (if applicable)
Reporting Guidelines
Authors must follow appropriate reporting standards:
- CONSORT (clinical trials)
- PRISMA (systematic reviews)
- STROBE (observational studies)
- STARD (diagnostic studies)
Checklists must be submitted with the manuscript.
Ethics and Declarations
Manuscripts must include:
- Conflict of Interest statement
- Ethics approval (if applicable)
- Informed consent (where applicable)
- Data availability statement
- AI disclosure
Originality and Similarity Screening
To ensure the originality and integrity of all published work, every manuscript submitted to the European Specialist Medical Review (ESMR) is screened using Copyleaks plagiarism and AI-content detection software before peer review.
As a general editorial guideline, manuscripts with an overall similarity score of up to 15% are considered suitable to proceed to editorial assessment. Manuscripts with a similarity score exceeding 15% will undergo additional review by the Editorial Office. Authors may be asked to revise the manuscript, provide clarification regarding the identified similarities, or, where appropriate, the manuscript may be rejected prior to peer review.
Peer Review
All peer-reviewed submissions are evaluated by at least two independent reviewers. Final decisions are made by the Editor-in-Chief.
References
- Vancouver style
- Numbered in order of appearance
- Include DOI where available
Tables and Figures
- Submitted as separate files
- Clearly numbered and labelled
- High-resolution images required
- Permissions must be obtained where necessary
Word Limits (Summary)
- Original Research: 3,000–4,000 words
- Reviews: up to 5,000 words
- Policy papers: 2,500–4,000 words
- Editorials: 800–1,200 words
Submission
Manuscripts should be submitted to:
📧 ioli@uems.eu
Required documents:
- Manuscript file
- Title page
- COI disclosure forms
- Reporting checklist
- Ethics statement (if applicable)
- Figures (separate files)
Full Instructions
For detailed submission requirements, formatting rules, and policies, please refer to the full Instructions for Authors document (PDF).
Useful links
1. Reporting standards such as CONSORT, PRISMA, STROBE, and STARD: Reporting Guidelines: CONSORT, PRISMA, STROBE - Manusights
2. ICMJE authorship criteria: ICMJE | Recommendations | Defining the Role of Authors and Contributors
3.ICMJE Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form: ICMJE | Disclosure of Interest