Contribute

We welcome contributions. If you are interested in writing an article for BJGP Life we would love to hear from you. We recommend reading through the advice for authors. There is a form at the bottom of the page for getting in touch but we have given some advice on what will work best for you.

Writing for BJGP Life

We publish viewpoint, opinion and experience articles on Life and reach a wide online readership. We are very willing to discuss and include other media such as video and audio at BJGP Life.

Viewpoints and opinion. These are, as the name suggests, personal opinions on topics relevant to primary care. Some are commissioned, but spontaneous offerings are welcome. Viewpoints should have an original slant and be topical, though we welcome every standpoint. We welcome articles and essays on personal experiences that will inform our readers. Speculation, hypothesising, and debunking are encouraged. We welcome the eclectic, the international, and the polemical.

Articles on BJGP Life are not routinely peer reviewed but, dependent on the nature of the article, the editors may choose to seek external expert opinion. Articles may be edited. Do not feel the need to be constrained by the requirements of standard scientific writing; it is more important to be readable and engaging. We welcome forthright expressions of opinion.

Articles fall into three categories:

• Short opinion/comment pieces: max 350 words.
• Viewpoint/opinion: 350-700 words.
• Essay/Long Read: 700-2000 words.

Please note that the vast majority of articles published on BJGP Life are viewpoint/opinion articles in the range of 350-700 words and these are the articles most likely to be selected for the print BJGP. We only select a small number of the Essay/Long Read articles and it is essential to ‘pitch’ these to the editor before submission. Just use the form at the bottom of the page, as you would for any enquiry.

Referencing and linking. We encourage authors to hyperlink to relevant data where possible. Standard referencing can also be used — but authors are not compelled to reference unless pertinent. If you do reference then please ensure you use Vancouver style — we’ll ask you, nicely, to re-submit if you use Harvard. We recommend a maximum of 6 references for a 600-700 word article in keeping with print BJGP standards. We do reserve the right to send back articles for revision that go overboard with referencing.

Columnists. We publish a number of regular columnists on BJGP Life and in print and we rotate from time to time. We will issue calls for new columnists periodically but, even if not actively recruiting, we always welcome opinion articles as detailed above.

Editing. Articles will be lightly copy edited for style and, where necessary, clarity. If more substantial edits and revision are needed we will liaise with you about these.

Publication in the print BJGP

Many authors want to be clear on whether their article will appear in the print BJGP. This section explains our process.

We will, normally, only select viewpoint and opinion articles for the print journal from BJGP Life. We have far more articles on Life than we can possibly publish in the print journal so we do select the most appropriate to fit with the coming issue. These will be edited to suit the needs of the print publication and may be subject to further review. (We may shorten them or request an extension.) Only articles subsequently published in the print BJGP will be indexed in Pubmed and these will be published in the relevant issue at bjgp.org.

The BJGP continues to publish Editorials, Analysis, Clinical Intelligence and Letters and these will not be published on the BJGP Life platform. If you think your article fits with those types then they should be submitted via BJGP ScholarOne Manuscripts and these articles will be peer reviewed in the usual way.

 

Submission form

 

If you are absolutely certain your article is ready to be published, then you can submit at www.bjgplife.com/submit.