JAMA Surgery Template
Get your JAMA Surgery 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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How to Use the JAMA Surgery Template | A Step-by-Step Guide
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 25 July, 2026
Submitting to JAMA Surgery goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the JAMA 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.
What is the JAMA Surgery Template?
It is a manuscript shell aligned to JAMA 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 Surgery journal page before you draft.
What's actually in a JAMA submission:
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 Surgery guide for authors lists, and cite figures and tables in order.
What separates a clean submission from one that gets kicked back:
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 Surgery guide for authors before you submit.
What does this JAMA Surgery Template include?
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 JAMA Network submission system.
Steps to Use This Template with Scispace Agent
- Click Start Writing on this page. The Scispace Agent prompt screen opens with the template loaded.
- Use the loaded template, or upload a version your group already uses for JAMA.
- Edit the prompt with your topic and article type, and note any requirement from the JAMA Surgery guide for authors.
- Run the prompt. The agent drafts into the correct structure and reference style.
- Use View Outputs to verify required statements and formatting are present.
- Export and submit through the JAMA Network submission system.
JAMA Surgery Template Structure at a Glance
| Element | JAMA requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Structured abstract required, with word limits varying by article type: - Original Investigation/Meta-analysis: 350 words maximum with headings: Importance, Objective, Design, Setting, Participants, Intervention(s) (if applicable), Main Outcome(s) and Measure(s), Results, Conclusions and Relevance, Trial Registration (if applicable). - Systematic Review: 350 words maximum with headings: Importance, Objective, Evidence Review, Findings, Conclusions and Relevance. - Narrative Review: 300 words maximum with headings: Importance, Objective, Evidence Review (optional if not systematic), Findings, Conclusions and Relevance. - Viewpoint: No abstract required. - Research Letter: No abstract required. All abstracts must be structured as specified above. No information should be reported in the abstract that does not appear in the manuscript text. |
| Main text | Section order and length per article type |
| Declarations | Ethics, competing interests, funding, data as required |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | Not requested. JAMA Surgery uses "Key Points" instead of traditional keywords. Authors must include 3 Key Points (75-100 words total) with specific headings: Question (focused question based on study hypothesis, 1 sentence), Findings (results with design type and primary outcomes, 1-2 sentences), and Meaning (key conclusion and implication, 1 sentence). This is required for Original Investigations, Systematic Reviews, Meta-analyses, and Narrative Reviews. |
| References | AMA style (as specified in the AMA Manual of Style). References should be numbered in the order they appear in the text (not alphabetized). In text, tables, and legends, identify references with superscript Arabic numerals. Abbreviate journal names according to the PubMed journals list. 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. Authors are responsible for accuracy and completeness of references. |
| Peer review | Single-blind (single-anonymized) peer review. The journal 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. All submitted manuscripts are reviewed initially by an editor, then eligible manuscripts are sent to expert consultants for peer review. |
| Submission | manuscripts.jama.com |
Quick Tips for Using the JAMA Surgery Template
Read the JAMA 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 Surgery in under a page.
Best Practices
Skim two or three recent JAMA 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 Surgery journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Before You Submit: Final Check
Do one focused pass against the JAMA Surgery guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through the JAMA Network submission system.
