How to write a Case Report by Mededia Intern: Suha Tayyeb, MSIV RMU
In this video, Mededia Intern Suha Tayyeb shares how to write a case report for a medical journal.
For more details, please check out mededia.com/case
Writing a case report might seem as intimidating as baking a cake but in reality, it’s pretty simple if you have the right recipe with you. The recipe being, knowing what to do before writing a case report, how to structure the case report, and icing or in this case, formatting it to the journal’s requirements. Voila! You’re done!
Let’s begin with a few things you want to do before sitting down to write a case report. First of all, you should be clear about the specialty you are interested in. This will not only help you target the topics of the case report but will also allow you to center your opportunities (volunteer work, research, electives) in your specialty of interest and build your CV around it.
Now look for a medical journal that accepts case report in your specialty of interest. It’s preferred to choose a well-reputed journal that is
1) Peer-reviewed
2) Double-blinded
3) Has a good impact factor
4) Good citation index
5) lndexed in PubMed
The next step is to search for ‘Instructions for author’ of the medical journal chosen. Instructions usually include the preferred font style, size, page spacing, etc. It is noteworthy that each journal has its own specific requirements. Now read the instructions, refer to around 10-15 articles in the journal and notice how the articles follow the instructions of the journal strictly.
Once all of that is done, now comes the easy part, writing the case report. You read that right! The easy part! A case report consists of an introduction, case presentation, conclusion, and discussion. Let's break it down. Begin your introduction with a general explanation of your topic and funnel it down to what makes your topic unique. Case presentation is written as done in your wards. This includes a description of case presentation, diagnosis, labs, management, follow-up with details relevant to the case. The conclusion has the new learning pointers that your case report brings forward which can add to medical literature.
Finally, there are a few causes of rejection that can put your work to waste and you must definitely avoid them. Firstly, if your case report is not unique, has a lot of literature already present in the database on your topic, and has no new learning pointers, it is considered to be a huge red flag for rejection. To avoid that, make sure you perform a literature search to establish the uniqueness of your topic. The second cause of rejection can be submitting the case report in an irrelevant journal for publishing. If your case report is regarding cardiology, submit it to a cardiology-based journal and not radiology. Moreover, if your topic is regarding a highly specialized specialty, say, neuro-oncology, it is better to submit it in a neuro-oncology journal instead of neurology or oncology journals. It increases the likelihood of your case getting published. Thirdly, if your case report is not properly formatted according to the journal’s instructions, it will undergo rejection instantly. So, it's best to always read instructions for the author thoroughly and format your case report accordingly. And lastly, if there is the use of inconsistent or wrong English with mistakes of grammar, punctuation, expression, or writing a half paper in American English and the other half in British English can result in rejection too. In that case, it is recommended to read 'Elements of style’ which is a widely used grammar book in American high schools so you can familiarize yourself with the proper use of English.
To conclude, case report writing is one of the easiest articles to pen down. It takes relatively less time and is successful in terms of publishing if done correctly.
Check out Suha Tayyeb's KZread channel:
Last braincell shows the life of a medical student who intends to enjoy every moment of this journey And hopes to bring you along on her ride. Just raw emotions and smiles on the loose!
/ @lastbraincell5
If interested in our internship program, please visit mededia.com/intern
Join our Facebook group: / mededia
Follow us on other platforms:
/ mededia1
/ mededia1
/ mededia1
Follow Dr. Tariq:
/ umartariqmd
/ umartariqmd
/ umartariqmd
Пікірлер: 48
Thank you for such a detailed description of writing report case .Very useful .
@mededia
2 жыл бұрын
Thank you.
Plz guide if we have unique case with 4-5 images or 2-3 videos like that of Echocadiography images , how can we incorporate them in a limited words format writing?
Thanks alot, coming from an old grad with absolute zero idea on research
@mededia
3 жыл бұрын
Great to hear!
Can you please let me know where to find the list of journals publishing case reports as shown on 04:39 in your video
How to be a student reviewer of indexed journals??
so helpful , many thanks
@mededia
2 жыл бұрын
Thank you!
Thank u so much!:)
@mededia
3 жыл бұрын
You're welcome!
Thankyou for the very helpful video! Can you please tell timings of the internship?
@mededia
3 жыл бұрын
It is all remote work. You are assigned weekly projects and you complete them at your own pace before the weekly deadline. No preset timings. We do have weekly hourly meetings.
Thank you so much for such detailed explanation. Can we publish a case in which Pt remained under care , despite lots of investigations diagnosis not established and Pt didn't survived.
@mededia
2 жыл бұрын
It will be tough to publish it.
Tq ma’am
Very helpful thank u
@mededia
2 жыл бұрын
Thank you
Best Video 👍
@mededia
3 жыл бұрын
Glad you think so!
Thanku for the video
@mededia
3 жыл бұрын
Most welcome 😊
Hello sir, can I write a case report on a rare case which I wasn't personally a part of but my friend/senior worked on and it made me study the case ? Also, can I use the same data he provides for my case report ?
@mededia
3 жыл бұрын
Yes! Thanks.
I have a quite unique case, with only 3-5 cases published so far, but I'm sitting on it since, 2 months as there is a hefty fee, should I publish in a pre-print journal instead?
@mededia
2 жыл бұрын
I personally dont think paying a hefty fees is worth it.
Hi. I have a doubt. I do understand the case report has to be unique. But in order to give a reference from a previous article, how many case reports that have been already published of the similar topic is acceptable?
@mededia
3 жыл бұрын
2-4
Hello, I have a question, Can we write a case report on our selves, like I had Bells's Palsy so can I do a case report on that? Your reply would help.
@mededia
3 жыл бұрын
Not sure. Don't see why this would be an issue if you truly are writing something unique about Bell's palsy.
Please guide about discussion
Another question Sir if i get a case report in paeds but my speciality in match is IM ? will it count? Its v difficult to find IM cases that are interesting but in paeds it's easy.
@mededia
3 жыл бұрын
Yes! Good luck!
@sheharbanonaeem7206
3 жыл бұрын
@@mededia thanku
I have done a case report on a case of medical oncology.can we please help me the find the best free journal to publish the report so that it would be easier for matching in usmle
@mededia
2 жыл бұрын
Depends upon your topic of research. Good luck!
Any book i should read to learn case report writing
@mededia
3 жыл бұрын
It is mainly trial and error. Submit few reports and learn from the reviewers' comments.
Can u please tell me free journals that publish case reports and are also indexed? Is there any list? I have been searching for a week and couldnt find any free or indexed one . Please help
@mededia
3 жыл бұрын
The list is extremely variable and it depends upon your specialty. I will suggest to pubmed search the topic of your case report and see which publications pop up, then submit your case report in those journals. Good luck!
@sheharbanonaeem7206
3 жыл бұрын
@@mededia thanku so much!:)
@mededia
3 жыл бұрын
@@sheharbanonaeem7206 most welcome anytime
What is best medical journal to publish case report for free..
@mededia
2 жыл бұрын
Depends upon your topic of research. Good luck!
Helpful
@mededia
2 жыл бұрын
Glad you think so!
Suuuuuuuuuper like 👍
@mededia
2 жыл бұрын
Thank you