Get your British Journal of Anaesthesia paper right the first time: a ready-made structure with the right abstract and citations, so editors see your science, not formatting slips.
4
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 30 July, 2026
Submitting to British Journal of Anaesthesia goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the British Journal of Anaesthesia 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 British Journal of Anaesthesia. 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 British Journal of Anaesthesia 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 British Journal of Anaesthesia 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 British Journal of Anaesthesia 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 Editorial Manager.
| Element | Br J Anaesth requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Structured abstract (Background, Methods, Results, Conclusions) up to 250 words for Clinical investigations, Laboratory investigations, Translational investigations, and Systematic reviews. Unstructured summary for Narrative reviews, Editorials (up to 5 sentences), and Special Articles. No abstract required for Case reports, Correspondence, and Book reviews |
| Main text | Clinical investigations: 3000 words; Laboratory investigations: 3000 words; Translational investigations: 3000 words; Systematic reviews: 5000 words; Narrative reviews: 5000 words; Editorials: 2500 words; Special Articles: 4000 words; Case reports: 1500 words; Correspondence: 1000 words; Book reviews: 800 words |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | 5-8 keywords |
| References | Numbered consecutively in order of first mention, appearing in text as superscript Arabic numerals. Vancouver-style numbering. Format: Authors (up to 6; if more, list 3 followed by et al.), title, abbreviated journal title (italics), year; volume (bold):first-last page numbers. No full stops at end of references |
| Submission | www.editorialmanager.com/bja/default1.aspx |
| Peer review | Peer reviewed (Elsevier); blind model not explicitly stated |
Read the British Journal of Anaesthesia 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 British Journal of Anaesthesia in under a page.
Skim two or three recent Br J Anaesth 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 British Journal of Anaesthesia journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the British Journal of Anaesthesia guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through Editorial Manager.