Author Instructions
Any medical or dental educator or learner may submit materials to be considered for publication on MedEdPORTAL. Authors are strongly encouraged to read these instructions prior to initiating the online submission. Addressing these issues will usually strengthen the submission and may increase the liklihood that it will be accepted.
Is publishing in MedEdPORTAL similar to publishing in a journal?
From its conception within the AAMC Group on Educational Affairs, MedEdPORTAL was designed to serve as a prestigious publishing venue through which faculty may disseminate their educational works. Structured like a traditional print journal, MedEdPORTAL:
- Maintains an editor and an editorial board.
- Follows a peer review policy that mirrors practices employed by established biomedical print journals.
- Employs a rigorous peer review process based on accepted standards of scholarship using invited expert reviewers to conduct all reviews.
An educational resource successfully peer-reviewed and published through MedEdPORTAL is considered a publication and is comparable to a peer-reviewed research paper published through a reputable print-based journal. Authors who publish through MedEdPORTAL benefit from the AAMC's authority and credibility, and have access to a audience drawn from its broad membership. Publications in MedEdPORTAL should be considered compelling scholarly contributions suitable for use to support promotion and tenure decisions.
For more information regarding MedEdPORTAL and educational scholarship, see the various MedEdPORTAL scholarship guides and fact sheets.
Does MedEdPORTAL require a specific format for submissions? [Top of Page]
MedEdPORTAL accepts a wide variety of resources, including tutorials, cases, lab manuals, assessment tools, simulations, faculty development materials, board review questions, etc. MedEdPORTAL submissions may be submitted in any of the common technical formats. It is important to recognize that MedEdPORTAL does not accept traditional articles or manuscripts that only describe a resource, project, or curriculum. The actual content should be submitted.
There are suggested formats/templates for certain types of MedEdPORTAL submissions:
- Human Patient Simulations - Authors submitting human patient simulations do not need to submit the actual simulator application program. However, it is important that authors of these resources submit a comprehensive document that fully describes the scenario, including the educational objectives, the case presentation/story/exam, the condition of the simulator and how the simulator should be used. A useful template for such information may be found at: http://www.emedu.org/sim/template.doc
- Standardized Patient Cases - Authors that would like to submit a standardized patient case are encouraged to follow these formatting recommendations developed by the Association of Standardized Patient Educators.
- Team-Based Learning (TBL) - Authors should use the formatting instructions to describe and organize all resources within a submission.
- Board Review Questions - each board review question should provide an explanation.
May I upload my materials directly to MedEdPORTAL? [Top of Page]
Not at this time. The present MedEdPORTAL system refers users to authors and/or Web sites where they may obtain the materials. Hence, at this time MedEdPORTAL users may only access resources through an external website or by contacting the corresponding author. A future version of MedEdPORTAL may allow authors to upload actual files. Note: Authors will submit their actual materials (e.g., all files, printed materials, etc.) to MedEdPORTAL via email (which occurs after the submission form is completed) so that they may be sent out for peer review.
How can I determine whether my resource meets MedEdPORTAL standards? [Top of Page]
MedEdPORTAL considers submissions using the commonly accepted principles of educational scholarship. Authors are strongly advised to consider whether or not their submission addresses the following:
1. Is it generalizable? This resource may be useful to you at your institution but does the submission contain enough guidance to be understood and used by other faculty without additional information? Did you include all the supplemental documents and forms that others will require to use the resource? The addition of an instructor's guide is strongly encouraged. An instructor's guide is typically 1 - 3 pages in length and includes the following components at a minimum:
- The purpose/goal of the resource (including educational objectives)
- The conceptual background (why and how it was created)
- Practical implementation advice (materials needed, length of session, faculty/facilitator needs, preparation needs, etc.)
- How has it been successfully deployed (including common pitfalls, tips for success, etc.)
- What are the limitations of the resource and what are your ideas for improving/expanding it (adding this self-reflection component is encouraged).
2. Does it represent scholarship? Resources should address the tenets of educational scholarship as conveyed through the MedEdPORTAL Peer Review Form (PDF - 4 pages, 34KB). Use the MedEdPORTAL submission form (and the Instructor's Guide) to convincingly show the reviewers exactly how your work represents scholarship and contributes to the field.
Note: A superficial course syllabus, workshop outline, or basic PowerPoint presentation usually fails peer review. In addition, static biomedical reference materials (e.g., static textbooks, pocket cards, etc.) that have little or no instructional focus are typically not considered to fall within the scope of MedEdPORTAL.
May I submit a combination of related materials to MedEdPORTAL? [Top of Page]
Yes. A submission may consist of a collection of documents, multimedia, and Web sites. The MedEdPORTAL Editorial Board has determined that a collection of closely related materials created by the same author(s) should be considered a single submission. Alternatively, a collection of materials that contains materials authored by different individuals and that covers distinct areas of content may be considered separate submissions.
Is the Submission Form largely an administrative task to obtain my contact information, etc? [Top of Page]
No - the information that the corresponding author provides via the submission form is used, in part, by reviewers as they evaluate the submission. Reviewers will be interested in both the quantity and quality of information that is provided. The submission form should be considered a mechanism to help the corresponding author makes a compelling case for how their submission meets the MedEdPORTAL standards (see above).
Can I view all the questions on the submission form prior to starting the online submission? [Top of Page]
Yes. MedEdPORTAL staff developed the following tool to assist authors compile the necessary information prior to actually starting the MedEdPORTAL submission form online. The document lists all the questions and fields found on the MedEdPORTAL web based submission form along with instructions for completing the submission.
Sample MedEdPORTAL Submission Form With Instructions (Microsoft Word)
Can I view an example of a completed submission form? [Top of Page]
The following submission forms describe resources that have been successfully peer reviewed. The following two examples are from a slightly older version of the current submission form.
Submission Example 1: Critical Teaching Incident Casebook (Deborah Simpson, PhD) (PDF)
Submission Example 2: Job Aid for Faculty Development (Christopher Reznich, PhD) (PDF)
My resource was previously published or contains copyrighted materials. Can I submit it? [Top of Page]
Resources that contain copyrighted material - It is our policy that all MedEdPORTAL submissions be free and clear of any copyrighted materials before moving forward with the peer review process. This includes all text, diagrams, articles, cartoons, or multimedia. If you do have copyrighted materials we require that prospective authors obtain written permission to use any third-party materials. This written permission should acknowledge that it is intended to be used for MedEdPORTAL and may be distributed under the Creative Commons License as part of your resource. Alternatively, if there are items where the author(s) are not known, or it will be difficult to receive the necessary permission, then it may be simply removed from your resource.
Resources that have been previously published - MedEdPORTAL will consider previously published works. It is important to note that while many authors have published articles that describe an educational resource/project, this is considered a completely separate work from the actual resource (which is typically not included in the article). Authors are usually free to publish the actual resource or tool on MedEdPORTAL because such resources were not technically part of the prior publication.
What kinds of revisions are frequently required by reviewers? [Top of Page]
Reviewers commonly ask that authors include additional information that will help other faculty implement or use the resource. This often this takes the form of a separate instructor's guide. This extra component does not need to be extensive.
Reviewers often ask for evidence of usage and/or effectiveness. While authors are not required to submit formal research studies demonstrating the effectiveness of a resource, they should (using the submission form) describe how they have used it and describe their experience.
Are all co-authors required to sign off on the submission? [Top of Page]
Yes. Each co-author will be sent an email with a direct link to the MedEdPORTAL Submission Agreement that they must agree to.
How do I use the MedEdPORTAL AAMC Peer Reviewed Logo? [Top of Page]
The AAMC Peer Reviewed Logo (see the image below) should be considered a special mark of distinction that will be recognized by many in the academic health community as an indicator of quality. Each accepted submission should prominently display the MedEdPORTAL AAMC Peer Reviewed Logo (simply right-click the image below and select "Save Picture As. . ." to download it to your computer).
MedEdPORTAL publications that are web sites should use the following revision history table (see two possible examples below) to document substantial changes in content since the date it was peer-reviewed.
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This Resource Successfully Peer Reviewed by MedEdPORTAL on 4/2/06.
MedEdPORTAL Publication Number: 347
Alterations to this Resource Created After This Date Have Not Been Reviewed By MedEdPORTAL.
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| Subsequent Revision |
Date or Frequency of Revision |
| Added new pathology problem set |
12/3/2007 |
| Added Case of the Month |
Updated Monthly Since 1/15/07 |
How can I control how my materials are used by others? [Top of Page]
MedEdPORTAL respects the original ownership of all submissions. To protect the rights of authors, MedEdPORTAL requires that the corresponding author answer three simple questions to create a Creative Commons copyright usage license which legally governs how their material may be used by others. If the submission is accepted, the MedEdPORTAL system will associate this Creative Commons License with the resource and request that all users maintain an association between this License and the resource they download. The Creative Commons Web site provides examples of how this can be accomplished.
Once you have read through these Author Instructions you may proceed to submit your resource through the Publish Resources section.
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