Get your JMIR Serious Games 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 JMIR Serious Games goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the JMIR Serious Games 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 JMIR Serious Games. 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 JMIR Serious Games 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 JMIR Serious Games 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 JMIR Serious Games 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 | JMIR Serious Games requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Structured abstract required (max. 450 words) for article types containing original research data. Standard structured abstract includes mandatory headings: Background - Objectives - Methods - Results - Conclusions. Implementation Reports variation: Background - Objectives - Methods - Implementation (Results) - Conclusions. Unstructured abstract (max. 450 words) for Editorial, Viewpoint, Commentary, and Tutorial. No abstract required for Corrigenda, Letter to the Editor, Author Reply, and Research Letter |
| Main text | JMIR Publications journals do not impose strict maximum word count. However, maximum length of 10,000 words strongly recommended for original research papers and review articles. Word count includes: title, abstract, keywords, manuscript body text, table and textbox content, table and figure captions, abbreviations, acknowledgements, authors' contributions, conflicts of interest statement, data availability statement, funding statement, generative AI use statement. Excludes: author metadata, figure content, multimedia appendices, reference list. Specific article types: Research Letter (1000 words), Viewpoint (5000 words strongly recommended), Implementation Report (3000 words), Commentary (1000 words), Letter to the Editor (500 words), Personal Perspectives (600 words or less), In Memoriam (750 words max), Extraordinary Lives (750 words max) |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | 5-12 keywords required. Choose keywords listed on MeSH (US National Library of Medicine's Medical Subject Headings), but complement with more specific author-generated keywords. Separate by semicolon. Use full form of shortened words or acronyms |
| References | AMA Manual of Style (11th edition). In-text references cited in square brackets in numerical order (e.g., [1], [1,3,18]). Separate consecutive citations using hyphen (e.g., [2-13]). List references at end using MS Word's numbered list function (1., 2., 3., ...). Format: Author surname, first name initial(s). Article title. Abbreviated journal name. Year;volume(issue):pages. PMID:XXX doi:XXX. Minor variation acceptable as long as correct digital identifier (PMID or DOI) provided |
| Peer review | Single-anonymized (single-blind). Exact text from official guide: 'JMIR Publications follows a single-anonymized model during the review process. Reviewers are aware of the names of the authors to avoid any potential conflict of interest when accepting the review invitation. Reviewers for JMIR Publications journals will not remain anonymous. Their names will appear at the end of the published article.' |
| Submission | games.jmir.org/author/submit/1 |
Read the JMIR Serious Games 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 JMIR Serious Games in under a page.
Skim two or three recent JMIR Serious Games 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 JMIR Serious Games journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the JMIR Serious Games guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through the journal's submission system.