Five Short Articles to Publish in Medical Journals

New writers often feel they must break into the world of publication with an epic masterpiece that will set the tone for their entire careers. They think the best way to get published in a medical journal is by writing a massive, complex article. But the exact opposite is true.

 When new writers take on a huge project, they run into unseen obstacles, create frustration, and risk destroying their enthusiasm and confidence. My advice to new writers: start small. Short articles that require less time, resources, and technical skill are a great way to break into academic publications.

Why you should write a short academic article

Short articles are less daunting

            A small, manageable project is a great way for a new writer to begin their career as a published author. Small projects are less intimidating, making it easier for writers to overcome the paralyzing fear of the blank page. The surest path to failure is to never get started in the first place, and you’re simply for likely to jump into a smaller project than a longer one.

Short articles are quicker

            Shorter articles require less time and resource investment at every stage. This means less time planning, researching, outlining, writing, editing, and revising. The time spent at each of these stages compounds, making longer projects exponentially more time consuming than shorter ones. Since shorter projects involve a shorter timetable to completion, if your manuscript has a major problem, you can submit it and get feedback (formally from editors or or informally from friends and colleagues) sooner.

Short articles require less skill and expertise

            The completion of a small writing project often requires less skill and expertise. If you are just starting out in academic writing, you probably feel a little shorthanded in that department. Small writing projects can utilize the talent you already have and are easier to pitch to a partner if you end up needing some help. While large research articles might require the construction of an entire team, small projects can often get by on quick advice from mentors and colleagues.

Ideas for Short Articles to Publish in Medical Journals

Here are some examples of short medical journal article types to get you started (or check out a full list and description of medical journal article types):

Commentaries and Editorials

Short pieces that focus on a specific, often timely, topic and give the author’s opinion or perspective. They tend to be less than 1,000 words and may have few or no references/citations (but should still be well-researched and fact checked). Commentaries are a great way to establish your voice on a specific topic or in an area of interest even if you don’t have a big splashy research project in your back pocket. You can find an entire article on writing commentaries here.

Letters to the Editor

Published correspondence that often relate to an article that recently appeared in the same journal or publication. They can add a missing perspective, provide nuance, or correct an inaccuracy or omission in the eyes of the author. They can include opinion and tend to be shorter and less formal than a commentary. Use these to add smart counterpoints to a topic rather than the “gotcha” approach of trying to catch a journal making a small mistake.

Clinical Update Articles

A synopsis of new guidelines or practice-changing research on a very specific topic. These articles often appear in clinically oriented journals and are an excellent way to establish expertise in a clinical area. My ears perk up whenever a major society changes its recommendations on a common disease or condition; that might be an opportunity for an update article. Check with a medical journal’s author guidelines to make sure they accept this type of article before you invest the time in writing it.

Humanities and Personal Essays

Artistic essays often told from a first-person or deeply personal perspective. While they typically include narrative story elements, they should also connect to larger, universal themes. Many medical journals include a humanities department while some journals focus exclusively on the humanities and accept other art forms such as poetry and paintings. Try to avoid stories that “gawk” at interesting clinical situations and use these essays to connect to deeper, universal human themes.

Low-hanging Research

Original research articles will always be the most daunting writing project, but some are easier than others. If you are dead-set on publishing a research project, look for opportunities to utilize existing datasets (such as the large annual surveys already conducted by professional medical societies) or research that does not utilize human subjects. Some great studies, like this one that was widely read in JAMA, focus entirely on inanimate objects (like fees in a parking lot) but still connect to a very human impact.

Bonus Video: What About Case Reports?

You might have noticed that case reports did not make the list of short articles you should try. Check out the video below to find out why!

If you want to know more about the types of articles that medical journals publish, click here.

Something to ponder:
1. Are you more likely to tackle a project if it is small and simple?
2. Can you create several small projects around one bigger, central idea or topic?