Format your manuscript to the Medical Decision Making requirements — abstract, a numbered SAGE Vancouver style references, and required declarations — and submit through ScholarOne Manuscripts without a formatting rejection.
4.7
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 19 August, 2026
Most manuscripts sent to Medical Decision Making don’t stumble on the science — they stumble on formatting caught at the first editorial check. This template is built around MDM’s actual requirements — its abstract rules, a numbered SAGE Vancouver style references, and the required declarations — so your submission clears screening on the first pass. Everything below tracks the MDM author guidelines; check it directly if anything looks out of date by the time you submit.
It’s a manuscript shell set up to MDM’s specifications for medical decision analysis, modeling, and health economics. Medical Decision Making is published by SAGE on behalf of the Society for Medical Decision Making. The shell covers the title page, the abstract, a body in Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (IMRaD) order, and a reference list in a numbered SAGE Vancouver style.
Start with the title page (authors, affiliations, and ORCID iDs). The abstract is a structured abstract per the author guidelines. The body follows Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (IMRaD), and the reference list uses a numbered SAGE Vancouver style. Close with the declarations block: conflict of interest, funding, ethics approval and consent, and data availability.
Beyond that, match your article type’s specific limits rather than assuming the defaults apply, keep a numbered SAGE Vancouver style formatting consistent from the first draft, and submit only through ScholarOne Manuscripts — email submissions aren’t processed.
The shell mirrors what MDM’s editorial staff check first: abstract format and length, a numbered SAGE Vancouver style reference formatting, and a complete declarations block. For the journal’s full aims and scope, see the MDM journal home page. MDM offers an open-access option; check the current article-processing charge and any waiver before you commit. Manuscripts go in through ScholarOne Manuscripts, which also tracks your paper through peer review.
| Element | MDM requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | a structured abstract per the author guidelines |
| Main text | Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (IMRaD) |
| Declarations | Conflict of interest, funding, ethics approval and consent, and data availability |
| Figures / tables | Captioned, cited in order; check format and resolution rules in the guide |
| Supplemental | Large datasets, extra tables, code — uploaded separately and cited in text |
| Submission | ScholarOne Manuscripts |
Read the MDM author guidelines once before drafting and once before upload. Draft the abstract after your results are stable so it matches the paper. Set a numbered SAGE Vancouver style as your reference style before adding a single citation — retrofitting it later is where errors creep in.
Skim two or three recent MDM papers to calibrate depth, structure, and figure style. State your contribution in the first two paragraphs, not on page ten. Write a data-availability statement that names a real repository rather than a placeholder, and disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in your cover letter. Confirm current open-access pricing and any institutional agreement before committing to a fee.
Do one focused pass against the MDM author guidelines: scope fit, abstract format, length, a numbered SAGE Vancouver style references, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through ScholarOne Manuscripts.