From an Interesting Patient to a Publishable Paper
A Step-by-Step Guide to High-Quality Radiological Case Reports
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59667/sjoranm.v33i2.14Keywords:
case report, radiology, CARE-radiology, reporting quality, publication ethics, diagnostic imagingAbstract
Radiological case reports are most useful when they enable readers to reconstruct the clinical question, inspect the decisive original imaging evidence, follow the diagnostic reasoning, and evaluate how the diagnosis was confirmed and what happened afterwards. CARE-radiology provides the radiology-specific reporting framework. This Educational Editorial & Practical Guide translates CARE-radiology, CARE, ICMJE, COPE, the 2024 Declaration of Helsinki and CRediT into a 12-step SJORANM workflow for authors, reviewers and editors.
SJORANM requires original diagnostic radiological images as primary evidence and a dedicated Patient Perspective section (or a transparent explanation if unobtainable). Pathology is preferred when clinically relevant and available but is not mandatory when another credible reference standard exists. The framework distinguishes external reporting requirements, good scientific practice and journal-specific policy. Accompanying tools include author and reviewer checklists, a technical pre-check, standardised decision-letter modules and a CARE-radiology crosswalk. The aim is an educational, internally consistent and independently verifiable case report before peer review.
References
1. Gagnier JJ, Kienle G, Altman DG, Moher D, Sox H, Riley D; CARE Group. The CARE guidelines: consensus-based clinical case report guideline development. J Clin Epidemiol. 2014;67(1):46-51. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2013.08.003
2. Riley DS, Barber MS, Kienle GS, Aronson JK, von Schoen-Angerer T, Tugwell P, et al. CARE guidelines for case reports: explanation and elaboration document. J Clin Epidemiol. 2017;89:218-235. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2017.04.026
3. Wang M, Luo X, Xiao X, Zhang L, Wang Q, Wang S, et al. CARE-radiology statement explanation and elaboration: reporting guideline for radiological case reports. BMJ Evid Based Med. 2024;29(6):399-408. doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjebm-2023-112695
4. International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals. Updated January 2026. Available from: https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/ (accessed 7 August 2026).
5. World Medical Association. Declaration of Helsinki: Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Participants. 2024 revision. Available from: https://www.wma.net/what-we-do/medical-ethics/declaration-of-helsinki/ (accessed 7 August 2026).
6. National Information Standards Organization. ANSI/NISO Z39.104-2022, CRediT, Contributor Roles Taxonomy. Baltimore, MD: NISO; 2022. doi: https://doi.org/10.3789/ansi.niso.z39.104-2022
7. Barbour V, on behalf of the COPE Council. Journals' Best Practices for Ensuring Consent for Publishing Medical Case Reports: Guidance from COPE. Committee on Publication Ethics; 2016. Available from: https://publicationethics.org/guidance/guideline/ensuring-consent-publishing-medical-case-reports (accessed 7 August 2026).
8. EQUATOR Network. CARE-radiology statement explanation and elaboration: reporting guideline for radiological case reports. Available from: https://www.equator-network.org/reporting-guidelines/care-radiology-statement-explanation-and-elaboration-reporting-guideline-for-radiological-case-reports/ (accessed 7 August 2026).
9. International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Use of AI by Authors. Updated January 2026. Available from: https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/artificial-intelligence/ai-use-by-authors.html (accessed 7 August 2026).
10. CARE Case Report Guidelines. CARE Checklist. Available from: https://www.care-statement.org/checklist (accessed 7 August 2026).
11. COPE Council. COPE Guidelines: A Short Guide to Ethical Editing for New Editors. Version 3. May 2019. doi: https://doi.org/10.24318/cope.2019.1.8.
Downloads
Published
Data Availability Statement
None
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Frank Mosler, Gerd Nöldge, Keivan Daneshvar
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This license requires that reusers give credit to the creator. It allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, even for commercial purposes.
