Submission Guidelines

Submissions

1. By submitting a story, essay, poem, or image, the submitter indicates that the work is original, has not been previously published in a peer review format, and that the author agrees to transfer first publication and anthology copyrights to Medicine and Meaning as well as permission to audio or video record a live rendition of the work. Prior publication in a blog or social media outlet with a readership of less than 500 is allowed.
2. Works created using artificial intelligence of any kind are not permitted.

Prose

1. May include fiction (e.g., short stories) or creative non-fiction (e.g., essays).
2. Submissions must not exceed 5,000 words.
3. Email submissions to medicineandmeaning@uams.edu in MS Word format, double spaced, 12-point font, with title and page numbers clearly marked.

Poetry

1. May include up to two poems per submission cycle.
2. Email submissions to medicineandmeaning@uams.edu in MS Word format. Poems should be in 12-point font with stanza breaks.
3. Individual poems should be submitted in separate files with clear titles and no author name.

55-Word Stories

The rules, as stated in a 2000 JAMA article by Sheetz and Fry, are as follows: to tell— in 55 words exactly— a story that helps us to understand, or to appreciate, something about the practice of medicine or life more broadly.

1. A short reflection, may be poetry, prose, or a mix
2. Submissions must be 55 words exactly
3. Email submissions to medicineandmeaning@uams.edu in MS Word format, using 12-point font. The title does not count toward the 55 word count.

Editorial Process

Submissions are received at medicineandmeaning@uams.edu. Once the submission has been received, the Editor-in-Chief reviews for appropriateness for journal review and if appropriate will send the item to the appropriate Section Editor for processing. The Section Editor generally acknowledges the submission with an email to the author within a month. The Section Editor then sends the item to at least two reviewers and/or a review committee within ten days. The section editor communicates with the corresponding author(s) by email and will preside over the peer review process. Authors are anonymous to reviewers until the time of publication. Review decisions are expected within one month and fall into one of three categories: Accept, Revise and Resubmit, and Decline. The revised manuscript is expected to be resubmitted within three weeks of this notification. Revisions are received by the Section Editor who will manage the re-review and determine if it is acceptable for publication or if it requires further review through reviewers and/or review committee. Although the same timelines apply for revisions, it is expected that the revisions will be responsive to the review comments and, therefore, the subsequent review period should be shorter.     

The Section Editor will inform the author of the final decision about their submission. After publication, the Section Editor will send a link to the author/artist in which they can locate their published​ work and will thank them for their contribution.

Medicine and Meaning publishes creative works that represent the full range of experiences and identities in the world but will not publish work inconsistent with UAMS core values including, but not limited to, work that could promote pornography, child abuse, animal abuse, racism, and/or terrorism.