Instructions for Authors

For guidelines on BMJ Journals policy and submission please click on links below.
Manuscript Formatting
Editorial policies
Patient consent forms
Licence forms
Peer Review Process
Online First process

Editorial policy

Heart is an international peer review journal that aims to keep cardiologists and others up to date with advances in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease using a balance of the highest quality original and commissioned material. The journal’s prime audience is practising cardiologists and researchers worldwide, but it also endeavours to fulfil the needs of cardiologists in training as well as more general practitioners who deal with cardiovascular conditions. Heart has a very active commissioning strategy of editorials and other articles to augment to the original research which is published as full papers as well as brief scientific letters.

The journal attempts to handle the review process and publication as expeditiously as possible. The time from submission to first decision is about 8 weeks.

Open access/Unlocked articles

Authors are able to make their articles freely available online, immediately on publication, for a fee, using the Unlocked service. This service is available to any author publishing original research in a BMJ Journal for a fee of £1,700(+VAT)/€2,515(+VAT)/$3,145.

Article types and word counts

• Original papers
• Basic science
• Rapid communications
• Electronic only papers
• Images in cardiology
• Reviews, editorials and viewpoints
• Correspondence
• Supplementary data
• Supplements

Heart will consider for publication articles that have been posted on ePrint servers such as the BMJ NetPrints server.

The word count excludes the title page, abstract, tables, acknowledgements and contributions and the references.

Original papers

Authors submitting papers reporting original data (for example, controlled trials and intervention studies) should not exceed a limit of 3000 words, four figures and/or tables, and 30 references, and should provide a structured abstract of no more than 250 words.

Reports of randomised controlled trials should follow the revised CONSORT statement (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials.) published in JAMA (2001;285:1987-91), as closely as possible. See RCTs for more guidelines.

1. Title Page
   
   When you choose a title bear in mind that others will have to find your work using bibliographic searches. Check that it represents the content of the paper and is not misleading. Also suggest a short running head.
   
   The title and authors' names should be typed on the title page and in the journal style. Inconsistency in the number of forenames or initials given for an individual author will mean that several versions of an author's name will appear in the index. Authors' degrees etc are not printed in Heart.
2. Abstract
   
   Authors of original scientific papers must supply a structured abstract of no more than 250 words under the following headings:
   
   1. Objective
   2. Design
   3. Setting
   4. Patients
   5. Interventions
   6. Main outcome measures
   7. Results - give numerical data rather than vague statements that drug x produced a better response than drug y. Favour confidence intervals over p values, and give the numerical data on which any p value is based.
   8. Conclusions - do not make any claims that are not supported by data in the paper.
   Fuller guidance is given in Heart 1996;75:106-8 (reprinted with permission from JAMA.)
3. Keywords
   
   Supply up to 5 keywords or phrases suitable for inclusion in the index. For advice see Br Heart J 1994;71:212.
4. Measurements and abbreviations
   
   
   1. Restrict the use of abbreviations (apart from conventional units of measurement) to two or three per paper.
   2. Spell out each abbreviation at first mention in the abstract and paper.
   3. All acronyms of trials referred to in a paper should be listed alphabetically and explained in a separate glossary.
   4. Measurements must be given in SI units. Blood pressure should be given in mm Hg.

Basic science

Clinically relevant laboratory based research will be considered for publication in Heart. Authors must ensure that the language and style of the presentation is understandable by clinicians and that the potential relevance to clinical practice is emphasised.

Word count: up to 3000 words.
Structured abstract: up to 250 words.
Tables/Illustrations: up to 4.
References: up to 30.

Rapid communication

Heart will consider outstanding papers with a broad general appeal or those highlighting important new advances for accelerated peer review and publication. Articles must represent complete work and not preliminary data. Aim is to publish accepted papers within 5 weeks of submission.

1. Rapid Communications are slightly shorter than Original articles
2. Authors must indicate in their cover letter why the article merits rapid publication
3. Authors should select Rapid Communication as article type on submission to Bench>Press
4. Authors will be told within 48 hours whether paper is being considered as a Rapid Communication*
5. Article will be peer reviewed by an Editorial Board Member and Associate Editor
6. First decision within 3 weeks of submission
7. Authors must commit to revise paper immediately
8. Published Online First within 1 week of acceptance
9. Published in next available print issue
10. Flagged as Rapid Communication

*If the article is rejected as a Rapid Communication the author may opt to submit it as an Original Article and it will be peer reviewed in the normal fashion

Word count: up to 2500 words.
Structured abstract: up to 250 words.
Tables/Illustrations: up to 3.
References: up to 30.

Electronic only papers

Authors may opt to have their paper published electronically only on Heart Online. The full paper should follow the same guidelines as articles submitted for the paper version (including a structured abstract of up to 250 words). On acceptance, authors will be asked to provide an expanded abstract (up to 500 words) which will be published in the paper version. Papers accepted for electronic only publication will be posted on Heart Online with the next available issue.

Electronic only articles are treated exactly the same as printed articles for indexing purposes and citation; they are included in the major abstracting services and are available through searches in PubMed.

Word count: up to 3000 words (excluding abstract, tables, figures, and references).
Structured abstract: should not exceed 250 words.
Tables/Illustrations: uo to 4 figures and/or tables.
References: up to 30.

Images in cardiology

Interesting clinical cases should be submitted as Images in cardiology. There should be no more than three authors. Illustrations may be in colour if this is required but there will be a charge for preparation of colour figures. Submissions that do not adhere to these strict limits will be immediately returned to the author and not enter the peer review system.

If the image involves moving images, AVI files can be put on the web and linked to the description of the image in the paper version.

You need to provide proof of consent for publication from the patient(s).We need written consent from every patient (or guardian) regardless of whether the patient can be identified from the images.

Word count: up to 250 words.
Illustrations: up to 2.
References: up to 2.

Reviews, editorials, and viewpoints

Reviews are balanced accounts of all aspects of a particular subject including the pros and cons of any contentious or uncertain aspect.

Word count: up to 3000 words.
Brief summary: up to 100 words.
Tables/illustrations: up to 4.
References: up to 30.

Editorials are shorter, up to 1500 words and 16 references, and give the judgment of the writer based on published data. Viewpoints are the same length as editorials but are designed to let the author speculate on the whys and wherefores of any subject, procedure, or treatment.

Correspondence

Letters in response to articles published in Heart are welcome and should be submitted electronically via the website. Contributors should go to the abstract or full text of the article in question. At the top right corner of each article is a "contents box". Click on the "eLetters: Submit a response to this article" link.

Letters relating to or responding to previously published items in the journal will be shown to those authors, where appropriate.

Heart will publish selected eLetters in the print journal alongside the authors' responses.

Supplementary data

Additional figures, video clips, references, tables etc can be posted as supplemental data online to any article type

Supplements

The BMJ Publishing Group journals are willing to consider publishing supplements to regular issues. Supplement proposals may be made at the request of:

1. The journal editor, an editorial board member or a learned society may wish to organise a meeting, sponsorship may be sought and the proceedings published as a supplement.
2. The journal editor, editorial board member or learned society may wish to commission a supplement on a particular theme or topic. Again, sponsorship may be sought.
3. The BMJPG itself may have proposals for supplements where sponsorship may be necessary.
4. A sponsoring organisation, often a pharmaceutical company or a charitable foundation, that wishes to arrange a meeting, the proceedings of which will be published as a supplement.

In all cases, it is vital that the journal’s integrity, independence and academic reputation is not compromised in any way.

For further information on criteria that must be fulfilled, download the supplements guidelines (PDF).