Get your Journal of Hospital Medicine 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 Hospital Medicine goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Journal of Hospital Medicine 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 Hospital Medicine. 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 Hospital Medicine 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 Hospital Medicine 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 Hospital Medicine 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 | J Hospital Med requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Original Research: Structured (Background, Objectives, Methods, Results, Conclusions), up to 250 words. Brief Reports: Unstructured, up to 150 words. Clinical Care Conundrums: Unstructured, 50-100 words. Clinical Guideline Highlights: No abstract. Editorials: No abstract. Innovations Corner: Unstructured, 50-100 words. Leadership & Professional Development: No abstract. Letters to the Editor: No abstract. Next Steps: Unstructured, 50-100 words. On Healing & Humanity: No abstract. Perspectives: Unstructured, 50-100 words. Point-Counterpoint: Unstructured, 50-100 words. Progress Notes: Unstructured, 50-100 words. Reviews: Structured (all except narrative), 250 words. Study Protocols: Structured, up to 250 words (Introduction, Methods, Discussion). Things We Do For No Reason: Unstructured, 50-100 words. Trust in Healthcare: Unstructured, 50-100 words. Visual Vignettes: No abstract |
| Main text | Original Research: Up to 3,000 words (not including abstract or references). Brief Reports and Research Letters: 600-1,500 words (not including abstract or references). Clinical Care Conundrums: Up to 2,750 words. Clinical Guideline Highlights: Up to 1,200 words. Editorials: Up to 800 words. Innovations Corner: Up to 1,500 words. Leadership & Professional Development: Up to 650 words including references. Letters to the Editor: Up to 200 words. Next Steps: Up to 1,500 words. On Healing & Humanity: Up to 1,500 words. Perspectives: Up to 1,500 words. Point-Counterpoint: Point 1,500 words or fewer, Counterpoint 1,500 words or fewer, Rebuttal 600 words or fewer (including references). Progress Notes: Up to 1,800 words. Reviews: Up to 3,000 words. Study Protocols: Maximum 4,000 words (not including abstract or references). Things We Do For No Reason: Up to 1,500 words. Trust in Healthcare: Up to 1,500 words. Visual Vignettes: 250 words or fewer total (case presentation should not exceed 100 words) |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | Authors choose 3-5 keywords at submission from a drop-down list, and may add additional keywords beyond the 3-5 from the dropdown |
| References | American Medical Association (AMA) reference style. JHM offers 'No Hassle' submission, so authors do not need to format references at initial submission; the typesetter will handle reformatting into AMA style |
| Peer review | Single-blind peer review. Papers are sent to review only if JHM Editors determine that the paper meets the appropriate quality and relevance requirements. About half of original research and brief report submissions are sent for formal peer review |
| Submission | authors.wiley.com/journal/JHM |
Read the Journal of Hospital Medicine 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 Hospital Medicine in under a page.
Skim two or three recent J Hospital Med 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 Hospital Medicine journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Journal of Hospital Medicine guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through the journal's submission system.