JAMA Pre-Submission Checklist: What to Verify Before Upload

Clinical practice impact

1. Does this finding change clinical practice in the United States and internationally?

JAMA has a US-centric editorial orientation that is broader than a single specialty but more domestically focused than The Lancet or BMJ. The ideal JAMA paper changes how US physicians manage patients, with clear international applicability. If the finding primarily matters in non-US health systems, The Lancet or BMJ may be a better target.

2. Is the finding clinically meaningful, not just statistically significant?

JAMA editors distinguish between statistical significance and clinical significance. A large trial showing a statistically significant but clinically trivial effect difference will not clear the desk. The magnitude of the effect must be large enough to change actual treatment decisions.

3. Does the abstract open with the clinical question?

JAMA editors and reviewers scan hundreds of abstracts. A structured abstract that opens with the clinical context and states the practice-changing finding in the first two sentences makes a stronger first impression than one that leads with methodology.

Study design and statistical rigor

4. Is the study design appropriate and adequately powered?

JAMA strongly favors large randomized controlled trials with clinically important primary endpoints. Observational studies are published but face elevated scrutiny. The study must be adequately powered for the primary endpoint with a pre-specified sample size calculation.

5. Will the analysis survive JAMA's statistical review?

JAMA sends manuscripts for independent statistical review, evaluating: sample size and power calculations, pre-specification of the analysis plan, appropriate handling of missing data, multiplicity corrections for secondary endpoints and subgroup analyses, and effect size reporting with confidence intervals. This is one of the most rigorous statistical review processes in medical publishing.

6. Are subgroup analyses identified as pre-specified or exploratory?

JAMA editors and statistical reviewers scrutinize subgroup analyses. Pre-specified subgroups (defined in the protocol) are treated differently from post-hoc explorations. Failing to distinguish these is one of the fastest ways to lose credibility at statistical review.

Compliance

7. Is the trial registered and does registration match the manuscript?

Prospective registration before enrollment is required. The registration number must appear in the abstract. Protocol amendments must be documented and justified. JAMA checks registration against the manuscript.

8. Are all disclosures complete?

JAMA has detailed financial disclosure requirements. All relationships with industry, consulting fees, equity, patents, and speaker fees must be declared. JAMA also requires AI use disclosure if ChatGPT, Claude, or other AI tools were used in manuscript preparation.

JAMA Network strategy

9. Have you considered the JAMA Network transfer?

JAMA has a network of 10+ specialty journals: JAMA Internal Medicine, JAMA Cardiology, JAMA Oncology, JAMA Neurology, JAMA Psychiatry, JAMA Surgery, JAMA Dermatology, JAMA Ophthalmology, JAMA Otolaryngology, and JAMA Pediatrics. Each carries a strong impact factor.

If JAMA desk rejects your paper, they may suggest transfer to the most appropriate network journal. The transfer preserves context and sometimes reviewer reports. This means submitting to JAMA first has a built-in safety net: even if JAMA declines, the work may reach a strong specialty journal faster than if you had targeted it directly.

Before submitting, ask yourself: if JAMA suggests JAMA Cardiology, would that be an acceptable outcome? If yes, submit to JAMA. If the paper only makes sense at the main JAMA journal, be aware that you are competing with a 5 to 7% acceptance rate.

10. Is the manuscript formatted per JAMA's requirements?

JAMA accepts format-free initial submissions for original research, but specific formatting is required at revision. For the initial submission, ensure: continuous line numbering, complete author list with ORCID, structured abstract, Clinical Perspective section (if submitting original research), and conflict of interest disclosures. The Clinical Perspective is JAMA's version of the significance statement: "What Is New?" and "What Are the Clinical Implications?" in bulleted format.