Submissions are considered only if they:
Fit GMJ scope: clinical medicine, surgery, epidemiology, public health, health services/management, patient safety & quality, medical education, bioethics, and health policy relevant to Georgia and the wider region.
Are original, ethically compliant, and pass GMJ’s plagiarism screening.
Follow all rules below and include required declarations (Ethics, Funding, Competing Interests, Data Availability, AI Use).
Are written clearly in Georgian or English.
Non-compliant submissions may be returned without review.
Original Research — 4,000–5,500 words; ≤6 tables/figures; ≤50 refs
Systematic Review/Meta-analysis — 5,500–6,500; PRISMA; ≤80 refs
Brief Report — ≤2,000; ≤3 tables/figures; ≤25 refs
Case Report (CARE) — ≤2,000; 1–3 figures; ≤20 refs
Quality Improvement (SQUIRE) — ≤3,500; run/SPC charts encouraged
Guideline/Position Statement — by prior agreement
Editorial/Viewpoint — ≤1,500; ≤10 refs
Word counts exclude the abstract, references, figure legends, and supplementary material.
Manuscript: Word (.docx) or LaTeX (single .zip with .tex, .bbl, figures).
Figures: TIFF/JPEG/EPS; photos ≥300 ppi; line art 600–1200 ppi (RGB).
Tables: editable (Word/LaTeX), not images.
Supplementary (optional): reporting checklists, protocols, datasets, code.
Cover Letter: novelty, fit to GMJ, and policy disclosures (trial registration, ethics approvals, data sharing, COI).
Graphical Abstract (optional): 1200×800 px (PNG/JPG).
Figure file naming: Fig1_Surname.ext, Fig2_Surname.ext … (avoid spaces/special characters).
Title — concise; no abbreviations; scientific names in italics.
Authors & Affiliations — department, institution, city, country; one corresponding author (*) with email; ORCID iDs for all authors (recommended).
Abstract (≤300 words). Original Research: Background, Methods, Results, Conclusion (no citations).
Keywords — 4–6, title case, comma-separated.
Introduction — rationale, objectives, gap addressed.
Methods — design; setting; participants (inclusion/exclusion); interventions/exposures; outcomes; sample size/power; statistics (effect sizes with 95% CIs; software/version); data sources; ethics approval & consent; trial registration (before enrolment) for interventional studies.
Results — primary outcomes first; report effect sizes & CIs; avoid p-values alone.
Discussion — interpretation, comparison with literature, strengths/limitations, implications for practice/policy, generalisability.
Conclusion — concise, actionable.
Acknowledgements — non-author contributors (with permission).
CRediT authorship contributions — e.g., Conceptualization; Methodology; Investigation; Data curation; Formal analysis; Writing—original draft; Writing—review & editing; Supervision; Funding acquisition.
Funding — sources, grant numbers, role of funder.
Competing Interests — ICMJE-style statement or “None declared”.
Ethics — IRB/committee name and approval number/date; consent/waiver; animal welfare approvals.
Data Availability — repository link/DOI, or reasoned access restrictions.
References — Vancouver style.
Figure Legends — listed sequentially.
Tables — each with concise title and explanatory footnotes.
Layout: single column; 11–12 pt; 1.15–1.5 line spacing; consistent font (Times New Roman or similar; LaTeX defaults acceptable).
Headings: numbered (1; 1.1; 1.1.1), bold, sentence case; left-aligned.
Abbreviations: define at first mention (e.g., Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)).
Units & Symbols: SI units; use Greek characters (α, β, µ) where relevant.
Equations: Word Equation Editor/MathType or LaTeX math; ensure readability.
Figures
Cite in text (e.g., Fig. 1); upload as separate files; legends remain in the manuscript.
Remove patient identifiers; obtain written consent for recognisable individuals.
Third-party images/tables require written permission and attribution.
Keep embedded text ≥8 pt; avoid heavy compression/pixelation.
Tables
Number as “Table 1.”; concise titles; explanatory footnotes; avoid tables exceeding one page if possible.
Use established guidelines where applicable:
CONSORT (randomised trials)
STROBE (observational studies)
PRISMA (systematic reviews/meta-analyses)
CARE (case reports)
SQUIRE (quality improvement)
ARRIVE (animal research)
CHEERS (economic evaluations)
Clinical trials must include the registry and number (e.g., ClinicalTrials.gov / ISRCTN / EudraCT).
Number citations in order of appearance using bracketed numerals [1].
Abbreviate journal names per Index Medicus; include DOIs where available.
Examples
Beridze A, Nadiradze S. Title of article. Georg Med J. 2024;12(3):101–10. doi:10.xxxx/xxxxx
World Health Organization. Title of report. Geneva: WHO; 2023.
Human/animal research requires formal approvals; clinical images/data require consent.
Disclose prior dissemination (preprints, theses, conference papers) and confirm no simultaneous submission elsewhere.
AI tools: disclose name/version and purpose (e.g., language editing, figure generation). AI tools cannot be authors; authors remain responsible for originality, accuracy, and rights.
See GMJ Plagiarism & Originality Policy for similarity thresholds and editorial actions.
Default licence: Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) unless stated otherwise. Ensure you hold rights/permissions for third-party content under this licence.
GMJ assigns DOIs to all published items.
Data and code sharing are encouraged via trusted repositories with persistent identifiers (DOIs). Include a Data Availability statement.
Initial checks: scope fit, policy compliance, plagiarism screening, technical completeness.
Peer review: double-anonymised review by ≥2 independent reviewers for research articles; invited content at the editor’s discretion.
Decisions: accept/revise/reject; similarity screening may be repeated after revision.
Proofs: typeset proofs sent to authors; limit changes to factual corrections and reply promptly to queries to avoid delay.
Corrections & Retractions
Post-publication issues are handled per COPE guidance: Correction, Expression of Concern, or Retraction as appropriate.
Authorship Changes
Any addition, removal, or re-ordering of authors after submission requires written consent from all authors and justification; changes after acceptance are exceptional.
Preprints
GMJ allows submission of work previously posted to a public, non-peer-reviewed preprint server. Authors must disclose the preprint DOI/URL in the cover letter and manuscript.
Patient & Public Involvement (PPI) (recommended where relevant)
Add a brief PPI statement describing if/how patients/public contributed to study design, conduct, or dissemination.
Fits GMJ scope; originality confirmed; similarity check completed
All required sections present (Abstract to Tables)
CRediT roles, Funding, Competing Interests, Ethics, Data Availability included
Reporting checklist uploaded (CONSORT/STROBE/PRISMA/CARE/SQUIRE/ARRIVE/CHEERS)
Figures uploaded separately (≥300–1200 ppi) and Tables are editable
References in Vancouver style with DOIs where available
ORCID iDs provided (recommended)
Cover letter included; corresponding author email verified
Preprint DOI/URL disclosed (if applicable)
Competing Interests
“Author A reports grant support from ___ (grant No. ___). Author B served on an advisory board for ___. All other authors declare no competing interests.”
Ethics & Consent
“This study was approved by the ___ Ethics Committee (No. ___, Date ___). Written informed consent was obtained from all participants. Consent for publication of identifiable images was obtained.”
Data Availability
“De-identified data and code are available at ___ (DOI/URL) under CC BY 4.0. Additional materials are available upon reasonable request, subject to data-sharing agreements.”
AI Use Disclosure
“Language editing was assisted by ___ (version ___). Authors verified all content and take full responsibility for accuracy and originality.”
Contact: editor@gmj.ge · Website: gmj.ge
GMJ is established by the Public Health Institute of Georgia (PHIG) and led by Editor-in-Chief Prof. Giorgi Pkhakadze, MD, MPH, PhD.
A new scientific commentary published in the Georgian Medical Journal examines the ethical and legal foundations for including critically ill patients in clinical research. The article is based on international standards and the Georgian regulatory context and is available in English with a DOI.
An overview of the evolution of ISO 15189—from a technical laboratory standard to a foundation of patient safety and health system trust—highlighting the roles of international organisations, WHO, and modern accreditation frameworks.
