Submit a Letter

The BCMJ Editorial Board makes publication decisions on letters to the editor. The Editorial Board selects letters that either relate to recently published journal content or support the BCMJ’s mission to share medical knowledge and build connections among BC physicians. The BCMJ strives to be a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment where doctors of all backgrounds can access useful medical information and feel a sense of community.

Letters will not be considered for publication if they:

  • Contain material that has been submitted or published elsewhere.
  • Contain disrespectful or potentially libellous material.
  • Are Cc’d to the BCMJ. The BCMJ must be the primary recipient.
  • Are anonymous, unless they meet our published criteria.
  • Refer to content published more than 6 months before.

 Letter requirements

  • 500 words or fewer (excluding references).
  • Four references or fewer.
  • Three authors or fewer.
  • One figure or table or fewer.
  • Your full name and the degrees you’d like to have published (e.g., MD). 
  • Your mailing address, telephone number, and email address. We will publish your city or town of residence under your name if the letter is selected for publication.
  • Any competing interests, be they personal, professional, financial, or other. 

Letter submission, review, and editing process

  • Submit letters by email to journal@doctorsofbc.ca or directly from an article’s web page using the “Submit a Letter” option.
  • Letters are reviewed at BCMJ Editorial Board meetings, which are generally held on the last Friday of each month.
  • We do not acknowledge receipt of letters or routinely provide publication decisions. 
  • Accepted letters are edited for brevity, grammar, and house style.
  • We will email authors if we need additional information or have questions about the content of a letter.
  • We do not provide prepublication proofs.

Additional considerations

  • Letters related to published content should provide either fair criticism of the content (not the author) or additional perspectives on the topic. 
  • The Editorial Board may invite authors of articles to reply to a letter. The reply will be published at the same time as the letter.
  • The BCMJ avoids political and religious content.  

Permissions and copyright

  • Submission of a letter constitutes permission for the BCMJ to use it in the journal’s print and electronic publications and in collections, revisions, and any other form or medium.
  • Authors retain copyright. Authors agree to have their content published in the BCMJ in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) license.
  • If there is more than one author, the corresponding author attests that all other authors have authorized the content of the letter.
  • The author attests that anyone acknowledged in the letter has given permission for their name to be published.

BCMJ policy on publishing anonymous content 

In most cases, content published in the BCMJ must be accompanied by the author’s name. On occasion the Editorial Board will accept a letter or other content and allow it to be published anonymously. To be considered for anonymous publication, the author must accept that their name will be known by the members of the BCMJ Editorial Board and staff. The Board and staff maintain strict confidentiality, so the writer may be assured that their identity will remain confidential. 

To be considered for anonymous publication, the author must demonstrate:

  • A legitimate fear of reprisal or retaliation by an identifiable person or body (e.g., a regulating body, a university) should their name be published. Reprisal/retaliation may take various forms; for example: loss of employment, loss of career advancement, loss of access to colleagues or resources, and so on.  

or

  • A legitimate concern that having their identity known would result in undue social stigma (e.g., around addictions, gender identity, etc.).

If the content refers to a specific person or entity (e.g., a doctor, hospital, or health authority), in the interest of balance and fairness, the BCMJ Editorial Board will normally give that party the opportunity to respond. In these cases, even if an author presents legitimate reasons for anonymity, their request may be rejected if a named person or entity is unable to respond due to patient confidentiality.

Because of a general bias against anonymous content, the value and benefits of sharing the information, as well as the reasons for anonymity, must be clear and compelling.