Get your JAMA Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery paper right the first time: a ready-made structure with the right abstract and citations, so editors see your science, not formatting slips.
4.5
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 17 August, 2026
Submitting to JAMA Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the JAMA Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery 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 Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery. 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 Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery 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 Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery 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 Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery 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 Otolaryngology Head Neck Surg requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Structured abstract required for Original Investigations, Brief Reports, and Systematic Reviews with specific word limits and headings by article type: - Original Investigation: Structured abstract, no more than 350 words, with headings: 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, Trial Registration (for clinical trials only). - Brief Report: Structured abstract (same structure as Original Investigation), no more than 350 words, same headings. - Systematic Review: Structured abstract, no more than 350 words, with headings: Importance, Objective, Evidence Review, Findings, Conclusions and Relevance. - Narrative Review: 3-part structured abstract, no more than 300 words, with headings: Importance, Observations, Conclusions and Relevance. - Research Letters, Viewpoints, Editorials: No abstract required |
| Main text | Word limits by article type: - Original Investigation: Maximum 3000 words of text (not including abstract, tables, figures, acknowledgments, references, and online-only material) with no more than a total of 5 tables and/or figures. - Brief Report: Recommended 1200 words (not including abstract, tables, figures, acknowledgments, references, and online-only material) with no more than a total of 3 tables and/or figures and no more than 15 references. - Systematic Review (without meta-analysis): 3000 words with 50-75 references and ≤5 tables and/or figures. - Narrative Review: 2000-3500 words with 50-75 references and ≤5 tables and/or figures. - Special Communication: 3000 words with 50 references and ≤4 tables and/or figures. - Research Letter: 600 words with ≤3 references and ≤1 table or figure. - Viewpoint: 1800 words with ≤20 references. - Clinical Challenge: 800 words with ≤2 tables/figures and ≤10 references. - Letter to the Editor: 500 words with ≤5 references. - Observation: 1000 words with ≤1 table/figure and ≤10 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 | - The official guide does not mention keywords requirements |
| References | AMA style (American Medical Association Manual of Style). Number references in the order they appear in the text; do not alphabetize. In text, tables, and legends, identify references with superscript arabic numerals. Abbreviate names of journals according to the journals list in PubMed. List all authors and/or editors up to 6; if more than 6, list the first 3 followed by "et al." Journal references should include the issue number in parentheses after the volume number |
| Peer review | Single-anonymized peer review: 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.jamaoto.com/submit |
Read the JAMA Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery 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 Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery in under a page.
Skim two or three recent JAMA Otolaryngology Head Neck Surg 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 Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the JAMA Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through the journal's submission system.