Get your Bone and Joint Open paper right the first time: a ready-made structure with the right abstract and citations, so editors see your science, not formatting slips.
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Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 30 July, 2026
Submitting to Bone and Joint Open goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Bone and Joint Open guide for authors before peer review, so formatting, structure, and required statements should be right on the first draft rather than repaired during upload. This template sets that structure up for you.
It is a manuscript shell aligned to Bone and Joint Open. It covers front matter, the abstract the journal expects, a body organized to the journal's article types, and a reference list in the journal's required style. Confirm current scope and article types on the Bone and Joint Open journal page before you draft.
Prepare the title, authors, affiliations, and ORCID iDs. Write the abstract to the journal's rule and word limit, organize the body to the article type, and apply the required reference style from the first citation. Complete every declaration (ethics, competing interests, funding, data availability) the Bone and Joint Open guide for authors lists, and cite figures and tables in order.
The common failure modes are formatting or reference style that does not match the guide for authors, missing required statements, and an incomplete portal checklist. Clear all three against the Bone and Joint Open guide for authors before you submit.
The shell mirrors what editorial staff check first: article-type fit, the abstract rules, required declarations, and the journal's reference style. For more detail see the author resources. When your draft is ready, upload it through ScholarOne (Manuscript Central).
| Element | Bone Joint Open requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Structured, 300 words maximum. Must include subheadings: Aims, Methods, Results, and Conclusion |
| Main text | Maximum 4000 words (includes abstract, body text, and references). Protocols are exempt from word limit. Infographics: approximately 300 words |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| References | Vancouver (numbered) - superscript numbers in order of appearance |
| Peer review | Double-blind |
| Submission | mc04.manuscriptcentral.com/bjopen |
| Keywords | Author keywords not requested in the journal's author guidelines |
Read the Bone and Joint Open guide for authors once before drafting and once before upload. Draft the abstract after results are stable. Set the reference style before adding citations. Keep a cover letter that states your contribution and fit to Bone and Joint Open in under a page.
Skim two or three recent Bone Joint Open papers to calibrate depth and figure style. Make the novelty clear in the first two pages. Deposit data and code when the policy on the Bone and Joint Open journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Bone and Joint Open guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through ScholarOne (Manuscript Central).