Get your Canadian Journal of Cardiology paper right the first time: a ready-made structure with the right abstract and citations, so editors see your science, not formatting slips.
4.3
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 3 August, 2026
Submitting to Canadian Journal of Cardiology goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Canadian Journal of Cardiology 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 Canadian Journal of Cardiology. 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 Canadian Journal of Cardiology 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 Canadian Journal of Cardiology 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 Canadian Journal of Cardiology 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 | Can J Cardiol requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Structured vs unstructured abstract depends on article type. Original Papers, CCS Guidelines, and Clinical Practice Updates require 250-word abstract. Specifically: Original Papers require structured abstract with Background, Methods, Results, Conclusions sections, max 250 words, concluding with a succinct sentence summarizing the most novel finding(s) and relevance. Systematic Review/Meta-analysis also require structured abstract (Background, Methods, Results, Conclusions), max 250 words. Review Articles, Viewpoint Papers, CCS Guidelines, Study Design, and Clinical Practice Updates (General/Focused) require unstructured abstract, max 250 words. Editorials, Images in Cardiology, Research Letters, and Letters to the Editor require no abstract. Case Reports (since Jan 1, 2023) and Clinical Practice Updates (Practical) require no formal abstract but first paragraph of text (max 100 words, in bold) as summary, not counted toward word limit |
| Main text | Word limits vary by article type and generally include all elements (title page, abstract, text, references, tables, figure legends) unless stated otherwise: Original Papers 6000 words; Review Articles 8000 words; Systematic Review/Meta-analysis 8000 words; Editorials max 2000 words; Viewpoint Papers max 2000 words; CCS Guidelines 12,000 words; Clinical Practice Updates: General 10,000 words, Focused 8000 words, Practical 4000 words; Study Design 6000 words; Case Reports max 1000 words; Images in Cardiology max 500 words; Research Letters 800 words (main text only); Letters to the Editor max 400 words. Manuscripts should include appropriate headings/subheadings in Methods, Results, and Discussion sections. should not be numbered. Authors should conclude Discussion with brief Conclusions paragraph summarizing most important novel elements and relevance |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | 3 to 7 keywords required for all article types. Must be in English. Avoid keywords consisting of multiple words (using 'and' or 'of'). Abbreviations are not allowed |
| References | Vancouver style. Uses superscript numeric references in the text. References are numbered in the order they appear in the text (not alphabetically by author). The reference list is arranged in numerical order matching the in-text citations |
| Peer review | Single-blind review process. All contributions are initially assessed by the editor for suitability. Papers deemed suitable are then sent to a minimum of two independent expert reviewers to assess scientific quality, frequently under the direction of a section editor with expertise in the manuscript topic |
| Submission | www.editorialmanager.com/CJC/ |
Read the Canadian Journal of Cardiology 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 Canadian Journal of Cardiology in under a page.
Skim two or three recent Can J Cardiol 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 Canadian Journal of Cardiology journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Canadian Journal of Cardiology guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through Editorial Manager.