Paramedicine

Manuscript Submission Guidelines: Paramedicine – the peer-reviewed international journal.

This Journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics.

This Journal recommends that authors follow the Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals formulated by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

Please read the guidelines below then visit the Journal’s submission site https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/paramedicine to upload your manuscript. Please note that manuscripts not conforming to these guidelines may be returned. Remember you can log in to the submission site at any time to check on the progress of your paper through the peer review process.

Sage Publishing disseminates high-quality research and engaged scholarship globally, and we are committed to diversity and inclusion in publishing. We encourage submissions from a diverse range of authors from across all countries and backgrounds.

Only manuscripts of sufficient quality that meet the aims and scope of Paramedicine will be reviewed.

There are no fees payable to submit or publish in this Journal.

As part of the submission process you will be required to warrant that you are submitting your original work, that you have the rights in the work,  that you are submitting the work for first publication in the Journal and that it is not being considered for publication elsewhere and has not already been published elsewhere, and that you have obtained and can supply all necessary permissions for the reproduction of any copyright works not owned by you.

Paramedicine may accept submissions of papers that have been posted on pre-print servers; please alert the Editorial Office when submitting (contact details are at the end of these guidelines) and include the DOI for the preprint in the designated field in the manuscript submission system. Authors should not post an updated version of their paper on the preprint server while it is being peer reviewed for possible publication in the journal. If the article is accepted for publication, the author may re-use their work according to the journal's author archiving policy.

If your paper is accepted, you must include a link on your preprint to the final version of your paper.

If you have any questions about publishing with Sage, please visit the Sage Journal Solutions Portal.

1. Open Access
2. What do we publish?
   2.1 Aims & scope
   2.2 Article types
   2.3 Writing your paper
3. Editorial policies
   3.1 Peer review policy
   3.2 Authorship
   3.3 Acknowledgements
   3.4 Funding
   3.5 Declaration of conflicting interests
   3.6 Research ethics and patient consent
   3.7 Clinical trials
   3.8 Reporting guidelines
   3.9 Research Data
4. Publishing policies
   4.1 Publication ethics
   4.2 Contributor’s publishing agreement
5. Preparing your manuscript
   5.1 Formatting
   5.2 Artwork, figures and other graphics
   5.3 Identifiable information
   5.4 Supplementary material
   5.5 Reference style
   5.6 English language editing services
6. Submitting your manuscript
   6.1 ORCID
   6.2 Information required for completing your submission
   6.3 Permissions
7. On acceptance and publication
   7.1 Sage Production
   7.2 Online publication
   7.3 Promoting your article
8. Further information
   8.1 Appealing the publication decision

1. Open Access

Paramedicine is an open access, peer-reviewed journal. Each article accepted by peer review is made freely available online immediately upon publication, is published under a Creative Commons license and will be hosted online in perpetuity. There is no charge for submitting a paper to the journal. The Australasian College of Paramedicine sponsors the journal by covering the article processing charge (APC) and making articles open access, thus there is no charge to authors for publishing their articles with the journal.

For general information on open access at Sage please visit the Open Access page or view our Open Access FAQs.

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2. What do we publish?

2.1 Aims & scope

Before submitting your manuscript to Paramedicine, please ensure you have read the Aims & Scope.

Vision statement

To be the leading international peer-reviewed paramedicine journal that advances and transforms the discipline of paramedicine.

Mission statement

To promote excellence in paramedicine through an international research forum that informs the safe and effective delivery of paramedicine, and evolution of the profession. Paramedicine will inspire robust discussion, encourage innovative thinking, inform leadership, and enable research translation.

Scope statement

Paramedicine publishes research from any country investigating any area of paramedicine, including but not limited to clinical care, models of practice, operations, patient safety and clinical quality, leadership, education, aeromedical & retrieval practice, special operations paramedicine, and community paramedicine.  Paramedicine embraces diverse research methodologies and paradigms, and encourages qualitative and mixed-methods research. Paramedicine accepts primary quantitative and qualitative research, mixed-methods research, structured reviews including systematic and scoping designs, research methods summaries, and perspectives.

2.2 Article types

Paramedicine accepts submissions of the following types of articles:

(Word counts are guides and refer to the main manuscript only excluding the abstract, tables, and figures. Submissions exceeding the guide word limit must contain an argument for exceeding the count in the submission letter to the Editor)

• Original quantitative research (4,500 words)
• Original qualitative research (6,500 words)
• Original mixed methods research (6,000 words)
• Systematic reviews (5,000 words)
• Scoping reviews (5,000 words)
• Other reviews using a recognised methodology (5,000 words)
• Quality improvement (4,500 words)
• Research methods (3,000 words)
• Scholarly Perspectives (3,000 words)
• Commentaries (3,000 words)
• Editorials (2000 words)

The journal does not accept study protocols for clinical trials or systematic/scoping reviews.

There is no limit on the number of references allowed. A maximum of 5 tables and 5 figures are permitted in a published article. Additional tables or figures may be included as supplemental material to which hyperlinks will be available.

Submissions must include 5 key words selected from those available on SageTrack. Three further tailored key words may be provided.

3. Editorial policies

3.1 Peer review policy

Paramedicine operates a strictly anonymised peer review process in which the reviewer’s name is withheld from the author and, the author’s name from the reviewer. The reviewer may at their own discretion opt to reveal their name to the author in their review but our standard policy practice is for both identities to remain concealed.

Sage does not permit the use of author-suggested (recommended) reviewers at any stage of the submission process, be that through the web-based submission system or other communication.

Reviewers should be experts in their fields and should be able to provide an objective assessment of the manuscript. Our policy is that reviewers should not be assigned to a paper if:

• The reviewer is based at the same institution as any of the co-authors
• The reviewer is based at the funding body of the paper
• The author has recommended the reviewer

Should a reviewer who has accepted a review invitation then identify a potential conflict after accessing the full manuscript, they are encouraged to contact the Editorial Team and discuss their concerns transparently and proactively before continuing with the review.

Paramedicine is committed to delivering high quality, fast peer-review for your paper, and as such has partnered with Web of Sciences. Web of Science is a third-party service that seeks to track, verify and give credit for peer review. Reviewers for Paramedicine can opt in to Web of Science in order to claim their reviews or have them automatically verified and added to their reviewer profile. Reviewers claiming credit for their review will be associated with the relevant journal, but the article name, reviewer’s decision and the content of their review is not published on the site. For more information visit the Web of Science website.

The Editor or members of the Editorial Board may occasionally submit their own manuscripts for possible publication in the Journal. In these cases, the peer review process will be managed by alternative members of the Board and the submitting Editor/Board member will have no involvement in the decision-making process.

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3.2 Authorship

Papers should only be submitted for consideration once consent is given by all contributing authors. Those submitting papers should carefully check that all those whose work contributed to the paper are acknowledged as contributing authors.

The list of authors should include all those who can legitimately claim authorship. This is all those who meet all four of the following criteria:

1. Made a substantial contribution to the concept or design of the work; or acquisition, analysis or interpretation of data.
2. Drafted the article or revised it critically for important intellectual content;
3. Approved the version to be published.
4. Each author should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for appropriate portions of the content;

When a large, multicentre group has conducted the work, the group should identify the individuals who accept direct responsibility for the manuscript. These individuals should fully meet the criteria for authorship.

Acquisition of funding, collection of data, or general supervision of the research group alone does not constitute authorship, although all contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in the Acknowledgments section. Please refer to the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) authorship guidelines for more information on authorship.

              Please note that AI chatbots, for example ChatGPT, should not be listed as authors. For more information see the policy on Use of ChatGPT and generative AI tools.

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3.3 Acknowledgements

All contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in an Acknowledgements section. Examples of those who might be acknowledged include a person who provided purely technical help, or a department chair who provided only general support.

Please supply any personal acknowledgements separately to the main text to facilitate anonymous peer review.

Per ICMJE recommendations, it is best practice to obtain consent from non-author contributors who you are acknowledging in your paper.

3.3.1 Third party submissions

Where an individual who is not listed as an author submits a manuscript on behalf of the author(s), a statement must be included in the Acknowledgements section of the manuscript and in the accompanying cover letter. The statements must:

• Disclose this type of editorial assistance – including the individual’s name, company and level of input
• Identify any entities that paid for this assistance
• Confirm that the listed authors have authorized the submission of their manuscript via third party and approved any statements or declarations, e.g. conflicting interests, funding, etc.

Where appropriate, Sage reserves the right to deny consideration to manuscripts submitted by a third party rather than by the authors themselves.

3.3.2 Writing assistance

Individuals who provided writing assistance, e.g. from a specialist communications company, do not qualify as authors and so should be included in the Acknowledgements section. Authors must disclose any writing assistance – including the individual’s name, company, and level of input – and identify the entity that paid for this assistance. It is not necessary to disclose use of language polishing services.

3.3.3 Use of ChatGPT and generative AI tools

If you have used a generative AI tool such as ChatGPT to prepare your submission, please clearly identify AI-generated content within the text and acknowledge its use within your Acknowledgements section. Please note that AI bots such as ChatGPT should not be listed as an author.

Submissions with undisclosed use of AI tools such as ChatGPT may be rejected. In some cases, we may choose to ask the authors to acknowledge the use of these tools or add details to the methods section. Corrective action will be taken on published articles found with undisclosed use of such tools.

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3.4 Funding 

Paramedicine requires all authors to acknowledge their funding in a consistent fashion under a separate heading. Please visit the Funding Acknowledgements page on the Sage Journal Author Gateway to confirm the format of the acknowledgment text in the event of funding, or state that: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. 

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3.5 Declaration of conflicting interests

It is the policy of Paramedicine to require a declaration of conflicting interests from all authors enabling a statement to be carried within the paginated pages of all published articles.

Please ensure that a ‘Declaration of Conflicting Interests’ statement is included at the end of your manuscript, after any acknowledgements and prior to the references. If no conflict exists, please state that ‘The Author(s) declare(s) that there is no conflict of interest’. For guidance on conflict of interest statements, please see the ICMJE recommendations here.

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3.6 Research ethics and patient consent

Medical research involving human subjects must be conducted according to the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki.

Submitted manuscripts should conform to the ICMJE Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals, and all papers reporting animal and/or human studies must state in the methods section that the relevant Ethics Committee or Institutional Review Board provided (or waived) approval. Please ensure that you have provided the full name and institution of the review committee, in addition to the approval number.

Paramedicine recognises that quality improvement projects or service evaluations that satisfy criteria for no or negligible risk may be exempt from requiring formal ethical review by an ethics committee or institutional review board under local jurisdictional or national policies relevant to where the work was conducted. In such circumstances a comprehensive statement is required that explains why there is no or negligible risk, identifies the specific local policy under which exemption is justified, confirms that the work was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, and states site-specific approval was granted by the organisation under whose auspices the project was conducted.

For research articles, authors are also required to state in the methods section whether participants provided informed consent and whether the consent was written or verbal.

Information on informed consent to report individual cases or case series should be included in the manuscript text. A statement is required regarding whether written informed consent for patient information and images to be published was provided by the patient(s) or a legally authorized representative. Please do not submit the patient’s actual written informed consent with your article, as this in itself breaches the patient’s confidentiality. The Journal requests that you confirm to us, in writing, that you have obtained written informed consent but the written consent itself should be held by the authors/investigators themselves, for example in a patient’s hospital record. The confirmatory letter may be uploaded with your submission as a separate file.

Please also refer to the ICMJE Recommendations for the Protection of Research Participants.

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3.7 Clinical trials

Paramedicine conforms to the ICMJE requirement that clinical trials are registered in a WHO-approved public trials registry at or before the time of first patient enrolment as a condition of consideration for publication. The trial registry name and URL, and registration number must be included at the end of the abstract.

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3.8 Reporting guidelines

The relevant EQUATOR Network reporting guidelines should be followed depending on the type of study. For example, all randomized controlled trials submitted for publication should include a completed CONSORT flow chart as a cited figure and the completed CONSORT checklist should be uploaded with your submission as a supplementary file. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses  and scoping reviews should include the completed PRISMA flow chart as a cited figure and the completed PRISMA or PRISMA-ScR checklist should be uploaded with your submission as a supplementary file. The EQUATOR wizard can help you identify the appropriate guideline.

Other resources can be found at NLM’s Research Reporting Guidelines and Initiatives.

3.9 Research Data

The journal is committed to facilitating openness, transparency and reproducibility of research, and has the following research data sharing policy. For more information, including FAQs please visit the Sage Research Data policy pages.

As a condition of publication authors are required to:

• Share your research data in a relevant public data repository
• Include a data availability statement. This should:
  • Indicate if data is available and shared
  • In certain cases, indicate if research data is available but not shared, and why. If you cannot share your data and this is a requirement of publication, consult the journal editorial office.
  • Indicate if there is an absence of data
• Cite data in your research
• Peer reviewers may be asked to peer review the research data prior to publication.
• Peer reviewers may be asked to assess compliance with the research data policy
• Peer reviewers may be asked to assess research data files

If you need to anonymize your research data for peer review, please refer to our Research Data Sharing FAQs for guidance.

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4. Publishing policies

4.1 Publication ethics

Sage is committed to upholding the integrity of the academic record. We encourage authors to refer to the Committee on Publication Ethics’ International Standards for Authors and view the Publication Ethics page on the Sage Author Gateway.

4.1.1 Plagiarism

Paramedicine and Sage take issues of copyright infringement, plagiarism or other breaches of best practice in publication very seriously. We seek to protect the rights of our authors and we always investigate claims of plagiarism or misuse of published articles. Equally, we seek to protect the reputation of the journal against malpractice. Submitted articles may be checked with duplication-checking software. Where an article, for example, is found to have plagiarized other work or included third-party copyright material without permission or with insufficient acknowledgement, or where the authorship of the article is contested, we reserve the right to take action including, but not limited to: publishing an erratum or corrigendum (correction); retracting the article; taking up the matter with the head of department or dean of the author's institution and/or relevant academic bodies or societies; or taking appropriate legal action.

4.1.2 Prior publication

If material has been previously published it is not generally acceptable for publication in a Sage journal. However, there are certain circumstances where previously published material can be considered for publication. Please refer to the guidance on the SAGE Author Gateway or if in doubt, contact the Editor at the address given below.

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4.2 Contributor’s publishing agreement

Before publication Sage requires the author as the rights holder to sign a Journal Contributor’s Publishing Agreement. Paramedicine publishes manuscripts under Creative Commons licenses. The standard license for the journal is Creative Commons by Attribution Non-Commercial (CC BY-NC), which allows others to re-use the work without permission as long as the work is properly referenced, and the use is non-commercial. For more information, you are advised to visit Sage's OA licenses page.

Alternative license arrangements are available, for example, to meet particular funder mandates, made at the author’s request.

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5. Preparing your manuscript

5.1 Formatting

Please adhere to the following guidance when preparing and formatting your manuscript.  Non-adherence will result in the manuscript being unsubmitted and returned to you.

• The required format for your manuscript is MS Word (doc/docx).
• Submissions should generally not exceed the word limit guides although in some cases longer versions may be accepted if approved by the Editor in Chief
• A separate title page must be submitted with the title, authors and affiliations, and corresponding author name and email and postal address.
• The main document containing the manuscript should commence with an abstract of 300 words (maximum). Abstracts should be structured, designed to suit the study design.
• Below the abstract should be 3-6 keywords from the ScholarOne keyword list.
• Manuscript text should be formatted as double-spaced in 12-point Times New Roman type.
• No names are to be included in main document on first submission, either in the main text or the acknowledgements section. If required, these will be added where appropriate during production should the paper progress to acceptance.
• Organize the manuscript by using primary, secondary, and tertiary headings, rather than numbered headings.  Primary headings should be capitalised and bolded. Secondary headings should be in sentence case and bolded.  Tertiary headings should be normal text and italicised.
• An ethics statement must be included as the last section in the methods section.
• An acknowledgement statement (if relevant) should be positioned after the conclusion, followed by an author contribution statement that confirms all authors have met the requirements for authorship, conflict of interest statement and funding statement.
• Figures/charts and tables created in MS Word should be included in the main text rather than at the end of the document.
• Figures and other files created outside MS Word (i.e. MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, JPG, TIFF, and EPS) should be submitted separately. Please add a placeholder note in the running text (i.e. “[insert Figure 1.]")
• Tables may be single spaced and in smaller fonts, if necessary, for formatting. Legends/titles should be positioned above for tables, and below for figures.  Legends must contain enough detail to enable the table or figure to stand alone.  All abbreviations used in tables and figures must be explained in smaller font beneath, even if they have already been explained in the main text.
• References in the manuscript should follow the Vancouver guidelines; see here for Sage Vancouver guidelines.
• Please also ensure that you have obtained any necessary permission from copyright holders for reproducing any illustrations, tables, figures, or lengthy quotations previously published elsewhere. For further information including guidance on fair dealing for criticism and review, please see the Copyright and Permissions page on the Sage Author Gateway.

General requirements for all article types

• Paramedicine is an international journal. Authors should seek to position their research in the international literature rather than that which is specific to a single geographical region.
• Authors should seek to engage with broader healthcare literature and evidence, positioning paramedicine within that broader context rather than as a discipline in isolation.
• Authors should ensure they articulate a coherent theoretical or conceptual framework used to inform the research where applicable and the paradigm in which the research is positioned.
• Authors should seek to articulate the implications of their work, address translatability, and address the ‘so what’ question in the discussion section.

Specific requirements for article types

• Original quantitative research (4,500 words)
  • A theoretical framework and/or research paradigm, where appropriate, should be articulated in the methods section.
  • The study should be reported in adherence to a relevant reporting standard, preferably from the EQUATOR network resources. The completed checklist must be submitted with the manuscript.
• Original qualitative research (6,500 words)
  • A theoretical framework and/or research paradigm must be articulated in the methods section.  This must include explicit reference to the underlying ontological and epistemological position underpinning the research, trustworthiness and rigour, and reflexivity.
  • The study should be reported in adherence to a relevant reporting standard, preferably the EQUATOR SRQR reporting guideline.  The completed checklist must be submitted with the manuscript.
• Original mixed methods research (6,000 words)
  • The study should be reported in adherence to a relevant reporting standard, preferably from the EQUATOR network resources such as GRAMMS. The completed checklist must be submitted with the manuscript.
• Systematic reviews (5,000 words)
  • These must have a published protocol via either PROSPERO or the JBI Systematic Review Registry. The protocol registration number and a functional link to the protocol must be included in the manuscript.
  • These must have been conducted using a recognised systematic review methodology.  Paramedicine recommends the JBI or Cochrane methodological guidance.
  • A Summary of Findings Table must be included adhering to GRADE assessment of certainty.
  • The study should be reported in adherence to the PRISMA reporting guidelines.  The completed checklist must be submitted with the manuscript.
  • The complete search strategy for at least one major database (Medline, CINAHL, EMBASE, or similar), including number of results for each query, must be included as an Appendix. 
• Scoping reviews (5,000 words)
  • These must have a published protocol via a freely accessible platform, for example Open Science Framework ( https://osf.io/) or Figshare ( https://figshare.com/), or via a peer-reviewed journal publication. The protocol registration number and a functional link to the protocol must be included in the manuscript.
  • • These must have been conducted using a contemporary recognised scoping review methodology. Paramedicine endorses the JBI methodological guidance, and recommends authors engage with:
      • Peters MDJ, Marnie C, Tricco AC, Pollock D, Munn Z, Alexander L, McInerney P, Godfrey CM, Khalil H. Updated methodological guidance for the conduct of scoping reviews. JBI Evid Synth. 2020 Oct;18(10):2119-2126. doi: 10.11124/JBIES-20-00167. PMID: 33038124
    • The study should be reported in adherence to the PRISMA-ScR reporting guideline.  The completed checklist must be submitted with the manuscript.
    • The complete search strategy for at least one major database (Medline, CINAHL, EMBASE, or similar), including number of results for each query, must be included as an Appendix. 
• Other reviews using recognised methodology (5,000 words)
  • Reviews must follow a recognised methodology. For a typology of literature review methods, Paramedicine recommends authors engage with:
    • Grant, M.J. and Booth, A. (2009), A typology of reviews: an analysis of 14 review types and associated methodologies. Health Information & Libraries Journal, 26: 91-108. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-1842.2009.00848.x
• Quality improvement studies (4,500 words)
  • These must clearly articulate why the submission constitutes quality improvement rather than research.
  • For quality improvement submissions that do not have ethics approval, a detailed description of why the work did not require ethical approval is necessary, together with information as to how it was ensured that the work was assessed for and conducted according to established ethical standards (Refer to section 3.6).
  • These should be reported in adherence to the SQUIRE 2.0 reporting standard.
• Scholarly Perspective (3,000 words)
• • Scholarly Perspectives allow authors the opportunity to provide one or more focused arguments and/or high-level syntheses of value to the field of paramedicine. It may include theorizing about issues in our field, problematizing a topic intended to stimulate discussion, addressing a serious challenge, proposing counter-arguments to conceptual advances, providing new ways of thinking about a topic, or advocating for ideas. These are intended to help to contribute to a topic area or as a means of advancing paramedicine broadly. The author(s) usually have extensive expertise and/or programs of research in related spaces.Perspectives should be aligned with the mission of Paramedicine.
  • Perspectives should be aligned with the mission of Paramedicine.
  • These manuscripts should be scholarly, have a clear focus, and present a novel and meaningful argument that is well-supported by a broad literature.
  • The degree and type of literature included should be representative not comprehensive, judicious, reach beyond paramedicine, and be appropriate for the length and depth of the piece.
  • Perspectives MUST enhance the existing literature and our thinking on the subject. While these manuscripts can involve opinions, those opinions should be well positioned and supported.
  • Perspectives are not obligated to have a methodology; however, a description should be given to how arguments are derived and presented.
  • Generally, perspectives are no longer than 3000 words, but authors should find the length that supports a concise but complete message.

The Sage Author Gateway has some general advice on how to get published, plus guidance on how to make your article more discoverable How to Help Readers Find Your Article Online.

5.2 Artwork, figures and other graphics

Illustrations, pictures, and graphs, should be supplied in the highest quality and in an electronic format that helps us to publish your article in the best way possible. Please follow the guidelines below to enable us to prepare your artwork for the printed issue as well as the online version.

• Format: TIFF, JPEG: Common format for pictures (containing no text or graphs). EPS: Preferred format for graphs and line art (retains quality when enlarging/zooming in)
• Resolution: Rasterized based files (i.e. with .tiff or .jpeg extension) require a resolution of at least 300 dpi (dots per inch). Line art should be supplied with a minimum resolution of 800 dpi.
• Dimension: Images cannot be scaled up after origination.
• Fonts: The lettering used in the artwork should not vary too much in size and type (usually sans serif font as a default).

Figures supplied in color will appear in color online.

For more guidance on the preparation of illustrations, pictures and graphs in electronic format, please visit Sage’s Manuscript Submission Guidelines.

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5.3 Identifiable information

Where a journal uses double-anonymised peer review, authors are required to submit:

1. A version of the manuscript which has had any information that compromises the anonymity of the author(s) removed or anonymized. This version will be sent to the peer reviewers.
2. A separate title page which includes any removed or anonymised material. This will not be sent to the peer reviewers.

See https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/Manuscript-preparation-for-double-anonymized-journal for detailed guidance on making an anonymous submission.

5.4 Supplementary material

This Journal is able to host additional materials online (e.g. datasets, podcasts, videos, images etc.) alongside the full-text of the article. For more information please refer to our guidelines on submitting supplemental files.

Video abstracts

Authors have the opportunity to create and submit a video abstract to accompany their article.  Video abstracts are prepared after a manuscript has been accepted for publication and are an effective means to enhance the profile of a research article. Authors interested to submit a video abstract must consult with the Editor in Chief before doing so.

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5.5 Reference style

Paramedicine adheres to the Sage Vancouver reference style. Please review the guidelines on Sage Vancouver to ensure your manuscript conforms to this reference style.

If you use EndNote to manage references, you can download the Sage Vancouver output file here.

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5.6 English language editing services

Authors seeking assistance with English language editing, translation, or figure and manuscript formatting to fit the journal’s specifications should consider using Sage Language Services. Visit Sage Language Services on our Journal Author Gateway for further information. 

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6. Submitting your manuscript

Paramedicine is hosted on Sage Track, a web based online submission and peer review system powered by ScholarOne™ Manuscripts. Visit https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/paramedicine to login and submit your article online.

IMPORTANT: Please check whether you already have an account in the system before trying to create a new one. If you have reviewed or authored for the journal in the past year it is likely that you will have had an account created. For further guidance on submitting your manuscript online please visit ScholarOne Online Help.

6.1 ORCID

As part of our commitment to ensuring an ethical, transparent and fair peer review process Sage is a supporting member of ORCID, the Open Researcher and Contributor ID. ORCID provides a unique and persistent digital identifier that distinguishes researchers from every other researcher, even those who share the same name, and, through integration in key research workflows such as manuscript and grant submission, supports automated linkages between researchers and their professional activities, ensuring that their work is recognized.

The collection of ORCID iDs from corresponding authors is now part of the submission process of this journal. If you already have an ORCID iD you will be asked to associate that to your submission during the online submission process. We also strongly encourage all co-authors to link their ORCID ID to their accounts in our online peer review platforms. It takes seconds to do: click the link when prompted, sign into your ORCID account and our systems are automatically updated. Your ORCID iD will become part of your accepted publication’s metadata, making your work attributable to you and only you. Your ORCID iD is published with your article so that fellow researchers reading your work can link to your ORCID profile and from there link to your other publications.

If you do not already have an ORCID iD please follow this link to create one or visit our ORCID homepage to learn more.

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6.2 Information required for completing your submission

You will be asked to provide contact details and academic affiliations for all co-authors via the submission system and identify who is to be the corresponding author. These details must match what appears on your manuscript. The affiliation listed in the manuscript should be the institution where the research was conducted. If an author has moved to a new institution since completing the research, the new affiliation can be included in a manuscript note at the end of the paper. At this stage please ensure you have included all the required statements and declarations and uploaded any additional supplementary files (including reporting guidelines where relevant).

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6.3 Permissions

Please also ensure that you have obtained any necessary permission from copyright holders for reproducing any illustrations, tables, figures or lengthy quotations previously published elsewhere. For further information including guidance on fair dealing for criticism and review, please see the Copyright and Permissions page on the Sage Author Gateway.

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7. On acceptance and publication

7.1 Sage Production

Your Sage Production Editor will keep you informed as to your article’s progress throughout the production process. Proofs will be sent by PDF to the corresponding author and should be returned promptly. Authors are reminded to check their proofs carefully to confirm that all author information, including names, affiliations, sequence and contact details are correct, and that Funding and Conflict of Interest statements, if any, are accurate. Please note that if there are any changes to the author list at this stage all authors will be required to complete and sign a form authorising the change.

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7.2 Online publication

One of the many benefits of publishing your research in an open access journal is the speed to publication. With no page count constraints, your article will be published online in a fully citable form with a DOI number as soon as it has completed the production process. At this time it will be completely free to view and download for all.

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7.3 Promoting your article

Publication is not the end of the process! You can help disseminate your paper and ensure it is as widely read and cited as possible. The Sage Author Gateway has numerous resources to help you promote your work. Visit the Promote Your Article page on the Gateway for tips and advice.

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8. Further information

Any correspondence, queries or additional requests for information on the Manuscript Submission process should be sent to the Paramedicine editorial office as follows:

Editor-in-Chief
Associate Professor Paul Simpson
editor.paramedicine@paramedics.org

8.1 Appealing the publication decision

Editors have very broad discretion in determining whether an article is an appropriate fit for their journal. Many manuscripts are declined with a very general statement of the rejection decision. These decisions are not eligible for formal appeal unless the author believes the decision to reject the manuscript was based on an error in the review of the article, in which case the author may appeal the decision by providing the Editor with a detailed written description of the error they believe occurred.

If an author believes the decision regarding their manuscript was affected by a publication ethics breach, the author may contact the publisher with a detailed written description of their concern, and information supporting the concern, at publication_ethics@sagepub.com

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