Is the Manuscript Presented Correctly?

Does the title contain the study design and a clear statement of the research focus? This helps authors searching indexes and databases to know that your article is reporting research and is not opinion or commentary. Does the abstract clearly state the research question or study design? This greatly aids readers as well as reviewers. Are the conclusions directly justified by the results? Does the article follow BMJ Open's detailed instructions for authors regarding presentation?

These points about the manuscript are all fixable, and we would not usually reject an article just because it is not well presented. Nor do we expect the grammar to be perfect when the authors do not have English as their first language. However, acceptance may be conditional on you ensuring that your article is edited to a sufficient standard of written English. Very poor presentation or use of a format that looks nothing like a BMJ Open article may deter busy editors and reviewers. You may also find it useful to use a language editing service, if you are not a native English speaker.