What do you do when you are having difficulties with journals accepting your case report? Talk to your librarian, of course.
Dr. Evan Prost, Associate Teaching Professor of Physical Therapy, and his team worked on a case report about the solution to one patient’s back pain, but were having difficulties getting the manuscript accepted. “Many journals don’t accept case reports, and those that do seem to expect them to resemble a randomized control trial, ” says Dr. Prost. After the three rejections, Dr. Prost consulted with Diane Johnson, having previously sought her assistance with authorship and copyright questions.
Once learning about the case report topic and what the team was looking for, Diane recommended the team try the BMJ Case Reports from the British Medical Journal. “She was able to think outside the box and recommended an alternative target, and it worked!” says Dr. Prost. The case report was published in December 2021: https://casereports.bmj.com/content/14/12/e245807
“We take so much for granted with the smooth operation of the library and its website. Remember that there are real people behind the scenes making that happen. Also, the live chat has promptly come to the rescue many times for me. Thank you!”
If you are looking to publish in the future and not sure where to start, be sure to check out the publishing toolkit or contact the Health Sciences Library to help get you started.
Cycle of Success is the idea that libraries, faculty, and students are linked; for one to truly succeed, we must all succeed. The path to success is formed by the connections between University of Missouri Libraries and faculty members, between faculty members and students, and between students and the libraries that serve them. More than just success, this is also a connection of mutual respect, support, and commitment to forward-thinking research.
If you would like to submit your own success story about how the libraries have helped your research and/or work, please use the Cycle of Success form.