Get your Journal of Bone and Joint 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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Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 17 August, 2026
Submitting to Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Journal of Bone and Joint 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 Journal of Bone and Joint 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 Journal of Bone and Joint 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 Journal of Bone and Joint 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 Journal of Bone and Joint 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 Editorial Manager.
| Element | J Bone Joint Surg requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Structured abstract required for RCTs, Observational Studies, Basic-Science Studies, Survey Studies, and Evidence-Based Systematic Reviews: 5 paragraphs with headings Background (stating primary research question), Methods, Results, Conclusions, and Level of Evidence or Clinical Relevance; maximum 325 words (350 words if including race/ethnicity demographic information). Expert Reviews and World Reports require bulleted abstract (3-5 key takeaways). Innovation, Viewpoint, Patient Voices, Health Care Recommendation, Ethics: No abstract required or varies by type. Arts and Humanities: Artist's statement for visual pieces, no abstract for written pieces |
| Main text | 2500-word limit for RCTs, Observational Studies, Basic-Science Studies, Survey Studies, and Evidence-Based Systematic Reviews (includes abstract, excludes references and figure legends); maximum 5 tables and/or figures total. Expert Reviews: 3000 words, ≤5 tables/figures. World Reports: 2000 words, ≤5 tables/figures. Health Care Recommendation, Innovation, Viewpoint, Patient Voices, Ethics: 1500 words, ≤3 tables/figures. Arts and Humanities: 1000 words for written pieces |
| 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 specified in the official author guidelines |
| References | PubMed/Index Medicus format. Numbered in order of citation in text (not alphabetically). Journal citations must include all authors (not 'et al.') and complete page numbers (not just the first page). Papers posted on preprint servers may not be used as references |
| Peer review | Double-blind (also referred to as double-blinded). The Editorial Office removes all author and institution identifiers before sending papers to reviewers. At no time are the identities of authors or reviewers disclosed to one another |
| Submission | www.editorialmanager.com/jbjs/ |
Read the Journal of Bone and Joint 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 Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery in under a page.
Skim two or three recent J Bone Joint 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 Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through Editorial Manager.