Get your JAMA Dermatology 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 17 August, 2026
Submitting to JAMA Dermatology goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the JAMA Dermatology 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 JAMA Dermatology. 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 JAMA Dermatology 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 JAMA Dermatology 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 JAMA Dermatology 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 the journal's submission system.
| Element | JAMA Dermatology requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Structured abstract required for Original Investigations, Meta-analyses, and Systematic Reviews with a maximum of 350 words. Required headings are: Importance, Objective, Design, Setting, Participants, Intervention(s) [for clinical trials] or Exposure(s) [for observational studies], Main Outcome(s) and Measure(s), Results, Conclusions and Relevance, and Trial Registration (for clinical trials only). Research Letters, Viewpoints, Editorials, and Letters to the Editor do not require abstracts |
| Main text | Original Investigations: 3000 words (excluding abstract, tables, figures, acknowledgments, references, and online-only material) with no more than 5 tables and/or figures total. Systematic Reviews: 3000 words (same exclusions) with no more than 5 tables/figures and 50-75 references. Research Letters: 800 words with up to 2 tables/figures and 10 references. Viewpoints: 1200 words (or 1000 words with 1 table/figure) with no more than 7 references. Letters to the Editor: 400 words with 5 references |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | Not requested. JAMA Dermatology does not require traditional keywords. Instead, Original Investigations and Systematic Reviews require a 'Key Points' section (75-100 words) with three structured components: Question, Findings, and Meaning |
| References | AMA style (AMA Manual of Style). References numbered in order of appearance in text, tables, and legends using superscript Arabic numerals. Journal names abbreviated according to PubMed. List all authors/editors up to 6; if more than 6, list first 3 followed by 'et al.' Include issue number in parentheses after volume number for journal references |
| Peer review | Single-anonymized (single-blind). The JAMA Network uses a single-anonymized peer review process: peer reviewer identities are kept confidential (unless reviewers choose to reveal their names in their formal reviews); author identities are made known to reviewers |
| Submission | manuscripts.jamaderm.com/submit |
Read the JAMA Dermatology 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 JAMA Dermatology in under a page.
Skim two or three recent JAMA Dermatology 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 JAMA Dermatology journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the JAMA Dermatology guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through the journal's submission system.