Inside BJSM, Social Media and How to Get Your Research Published

Karim describes BJSM as a trusted channel for the musculoskeletal community, with free content on Twitter, Facebook and a podcast with more than 1.3 million listens. Some papers are made open access when groups such as the International Olympic Committee pay to share consensus statements widely. The journal works at three levels: policy, clinical practice and health literacy for the public, and it supports 25 member societies with content. On getting published, his advice is to start with a clear, specific clinical question rather than a broad interest such as back pain. His own first study asked how best to treat navicular stress fractures. Then read the literature thoroughly before collecting data, and work in a team with a research mentor; clinicians bring patient access and clinical expertise that researchers often lack. Match the paper to the right journal and use a similar published paper as a template. He closes by inviting correction, encouraging honesty and humility, and arguing that respectful criticism of one's own profession is how it improves.