Right, so you’re itching to write and burning with ideas. But where should you send your article?
It’s worth researching publications before you start to write. You’re much more likely to get published if you write something targeted at a particular audience or slot, that you know the editor will be interested in.
Don’t send anything in without reading the author guidelines and understanding where it might be placed. And check for word limits – there’s no point toiling for hours over a lengthy Tolstoy-esque manuscript and sending it to the editor of a short health news section – no matter how brilliantly written, they simply won’t have time to read it!
Where to publish
Publications that accept articles from medical students include:
Junior Doctor
| Who they are | A free lifestyle magazine aimed at trainee doctors from their first day at medical school, through their sleepless foundation years and tough specialist training until they become a consultant. |
| What they say | We’re keen to help people who haven’t written before. Our editors try to give helpful feedback and we also have some useful guides (such as our ‘five-minute crash course to writing a news article’) to help those with limited experience. Even if we can’t publish an article in the print issue, we can often post it online. |
| How to contribute | Writers can either send articles to us directly or run ideas past our editorial group, which meets every few months. We also have a ‘Team Email List’, which anyone interested in writing can join. The list keeps our team updated with what’s happening and how to get involved. Email team@juniordr.com or phone 020 7193 6750. |
| Website | www.juniordr.com |
New Doctor
| Who they are | A magazine produced by MPS for doctors in their first two years qualified. |
| What they say | We aim to deliver the low-down on the medicolegal issues that all new doctors need to know. New Doctor draws on the real experiences of practising doctors to tackle the ethical and legal issues that confront every new doctor. So if you’ve got something to say, contact the team and say it. |
| How to contribute | If you would like to contribute to the next issue of New Doctor with a burning issue that you would like us to discuss, please contact us on 0113 241 0377 or email sara.williams@mps.org.uk |
| Website | www.medicalprotection.org/uk/advice-and-publications |
Medical Student
| Who they are | The UK’s largest free publication for student doctors. |
| What they say | Medical Student is a free newspaper for all of London’s 10,000-plus medical students. Medical Student’s unique boast amongst ALL large-scale medical publications is that it is the only one run and written entirely by medical students. |
| How to contribute | To suggest a story or feature idea, letter or article for inclusion, please email charlotte@medical-student.co.uk. There are also monthly editorial meetings at Huntley Street, UCL – email to find out when the next one is. |
| Website | www.medical-student.co.uk/write |
Student BMJ
| Who they are | A monthly international medical journal for students with an interest in medicine. |
| What they say | Many students are failing to use the great opportunity they have through this publication to voice their opinion. We would love to hear from enthusiastic writers, and we are always looking for new authors for the Life, Education, and Personal View sections of the magazine. You do not have to have had anything published before to get material in the journal. If it’s interesting, fresh and original, we’d like to read it, even if you have never thought of putting pen to paper before. If your article is accepted for publication, you will also receive an author’s fee. |
| How to contribute |
We only accept articles submitted in electronic format; either on disc or by email to studenteditor@bmj.com. If you have any questions or want to discuss any ideas, phone the Student BMJ on 020 7383 6118. |
| Website |
Medical Educator
| Who they are | A revision and resource website for medical students. |
| What they say |
Is there something medical related that interests you that you want to talk about? Do you want to tell the world about your techniques for exam revision, insights into an application processes, or an insiders view from a specifi uni? Maybe you want to publish your med student experiences through video? If so, we’d love to hear from you. |
| How to contribute | To suggest something for inclusion on our blog, please fill in the contact form or email joinus [at] medicaleducator.co.uk |
| Website | medicaleducator.co.uk/write-for-us |
So, what are you waiting for? Your publishing career is waiting to get started! Let us know any experiences you have had with publishing via a comment on the blog.