Submissions

Author Guidelines

Authors are invited to make a submission to this journal. All submissions will be assessed by an editor to determine whether they meet the aims and scope of this journal. Those considered to be a good fit will be sent for peer review before determining whether they will be accepted or rejected.

Before making a submission, authors are responsible for obtaining permission to publish any material included with the submission, such as photos, documents and datasets. All authors identified on the submission must consent to be identified as an author. Where appropriate, research should be approved by an appropriate ethics committee in accordance with the legal requirements of the study's country.

An editor may desk reject a submission if it does not meet minimum standards of quality. Before submitting, please ensure that the study design and research argument are structured and articulated properly. The title should be concise and the abstract should be able to stand on its own. This will increase the likelihood of reviewers agreeing to review the paper. When you're satisfied that your submission meets this standard, please follow the checklist below to prepare your submission.

General Submission Requirements

Title Page: Include article title, all author names with degrees, institutional affiliations, and corresponding author details.
Ethics Approval: Clinical studies require IRB approval; animal studies must include animal ethics clearance. Translated versions are needed if the approval is not in English.
References: Use Vancouver style (numbered in order of appearance). Include all authors (not “et al.”). See number of references allowed in Word and formatting summary below.
Figures: Submit as high-resolution TIFF or EPS files.
Tables: Submit in Word/Excel, numbered and cited in text.

Accepted Article Types

1. Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses

Comprehensive reviews and quantitative syntheses of clinical or surgical topics relevant to orthopaedic practice will be considered for submission

Follow the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Download the checklist here, and submit this checklist as a separate file during the submission process.
Word limit: 4,000 (excluding references, tables, and figures)
Abstract: Structured abstract up to 250 words maximum (Background, Methods, Results, Conclusion)
Tables/Figures: Maximum 6, must be submitted in a separate file.

2. Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs)

Must comply with the CONSORT checklist and include a CONSORT flow diagram.
Registration in a public trial registry (e.g., ClinicalTrials.gov) before patient enrollment is mandatory.
Word limit: 2,500
Abstract: Structured(Background, Methods, Results, Conclusions)
Tables/Figures: Maximum 5

3. Observational Studies (Cohort, Case-Control, Cross-Sectional)

Should follow the STROBE guidelines.
Studies using routinely collected data must also adhere to the RECORD statement.
Word limit: 2,500
Abstract: Structured (Background, Methods, Results, Conclusions)
Tables/Figures: Maximum 5

4. Case Series

Reports of multiple patients with a shared condition, treatment, or outcome.
Should include clear inclusion criteria, patient demographics, interventions, outcomes, and follow-up.
Word limit: 2,000
Abstract: Structured (Background, Methods, Results, Conclusions)
Tables/Figures: Maximum 5

5. Case Reports

Unique or rare clinical presentations, surgical techniques, or complications that add value to orthopaedic practice.
Follow the CARE guidelines. Download checklist here, and submit this checklist as a separate file during submission process.
Word limit: 1,500
Abstract: Unstructured or structured upto 150 words max
Tables/Figures: Maximum 5, must be submitted in a separate file.

6. Letters to the Editor

Short communications addressing recently published articles or relevant orthopaedic issues.
Should be concise, evidence-based, and not exceed 750 words.
No abstract required.
Tables/Figures: Maximum 1

Word and Formatting Summary

Article Type	Word Limit	Type	Max Tables/Figures	Checklist Requirement
Systematic Review & Meta-anlysis	4000	Structured abstract, upto 50 references	6	PRISMA 2020
RCT	2,500	Structured abstract, upto 50 references	5	CONSORT
Observational (Cohort, Case-Control, Cross-Sectional)	2,500	Structured abstract, upto 50 references	5	STROBE / RECORD
Case Series	2,000	Structured abstract, upto 30 references	3	Not mandatory, but follow best practice
Case Report	1,500	Unstructured or structured abstract, upto 30 references	2	CARE
Letter to Editor	750	No abstract, upto 10 references	1	Not required

Editorial Policies

Peer Review: All submissions undergo initial editorial screening followed by double-blind peer review.
Ethical Standards: Research must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki and relevant national guidelines. Animal studies must follow institutional animal care standards.
Authorship: JBSS follows ICMJE criteria and requires a CRediT authorship statement.
Conflicts of Interest: All authors must declare financial or non-financial conflicts of interest. Use the ICMJE Disclosure Form.

Data Availability: Authors should provide data availability statements. Public repository deposition is encouraged.

Submission Preparation Checklist

All submissions must meet the following requirements.

This submission meets the requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines.
This submission has not been previously published, nor is it before another journal for consideration.
All references have been checked for accuracy and completeness.
All tables and figures have been numbered and labeled.
Permission has been obtained to publish all photos, datasets and other material provided with this submission.

General Format

Title page must be submitted as a separate file, and this must it includes:

Full title (≤20 words)
Author names, affiliations, academic degrees, and ORCID IDs, in order in which they should appear
Institution where work was performed
Corresponding author email and phone
Abstract and manuscript word count
Number of references
Number of tables and figures
Conflict of interest statement

File type: Microsoft Word (.doc/.docx)
Font: Times New Roman, size 12, line spacing 1.5 throughout text
Alignment: Justified
Page numbers must be added
Margins: 1 inch on all sides
All tables and figures should be placed at the end of the manuscript. They must be cited appropriately within the text, using sequential references such as Table-1, Table-2, Table-3 etc and Fig. 1, Fig. 2 and Fig. 3

Sections (for original articles)

Title page
Abstract & Keywords (3–6 MeSH terms)
Introduction
Methods (study design, participants, interventions, outcomes, statistics)
Results
Discussion
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
Funding
Conflicts of Interest
References
Tables/Figures (with captions)

All tables must be submitted in editable format (Word or Excel). Tables embedded as images will not be accepted.
Number tables in the order they are cited in the text, using Roman numerals (TABLE I, TABLE II, etc.).
Each table must have a clear, descriptive title placed above the table.
Column headings should have each major word capitalized (e.g., Patient Demographics). Units of measurement must be included in parentheses within the column heading (e.g., Age (yrs), Weight (kg)).
The first word of each row should be capitalized; the remaining text in that row should be lowercase.
Use SI units consistently. Data should be aligned properly, with decimals aligned where applicable.
Do not duplicate information already presented in figures or the main text.
Abbreviations must be defined in the table at first use, preferably in a footnote.
Footnotes should appear below the table and follow the sequence of symbols:
* (asterisk), † (dagger), ‡ (double dagger), § (section), # (pound sign), then **, ††, etc. if further notes are required.
The word “TABLE” should appear in all caps followed by the Roman numeral (e.g., TABLE I: Patient Demographics).
Tables must be cited in the text in consecutive order.

References

Style: Vancouver (Include all author names despite using “et al.”). The number of references allowed should be in accordance with the journal as mentioned in the word and formatting summary previously.
In accordance with the list of journals indexed in Index Medicus, the journal uses Index Medicus style for references and abbreviated journal names: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nlmcatalog/

Example:

Smith J, Khan M, Patel R. Outcomes of minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis for tibial fractures. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2023;105(4):456-63.

Articles

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