Contact US

The International Journal of Medical Students (IJMS) welcomes inquiries from authors, readers, reviewers, editors, institutions, partners, and members of the public.

To help us route your message correctly, use the contact category that best matches your inquiry.

Editorial Contact Submit a Manuscript Technical Support

Important: New manuscripts and revised files must not be submitted by email unless the Editorial Team specifically instructs otherwise.

Contents

Contact Directory

Inquiry Contact Use this contact for
Editorial and general matters ijms.eic@library.pitt.edu Journal-wide editorial correspondence, governance questions, institutional inquiries, official documentation, partnerships, and matters requiring Executive Committee attention.
New manuscript submission Online submission system Submission of a new manuscript and all required accompanying files.
Active manuscript Discussion or correspondence function within the manuscript record Questions, responses, revised files, and documents related to a manuscript already under consideration.
Technical support uls-internationaljournalofmedicalstudents@groups.pitt.edu Registration, login, account, submission-platform, file-upload, access, and website-functionality problems.
Ethics or research integrity ijms.eic@library.pitt.edu Concerns involving submitted or published content, research integrity, publication ethics, authorship, peer review, or editorial conduct.
World Conference conference@ijms.info Conference abstracts, presenters, attendance, schedules, certificates, supplements, partnerships, and sponsorship.
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Editorial and General Inquiries

Journal-wide editorial and general inquiries may be directed to:

Contact International Journal of Medical Students
Email ijms.eic@library.pitt.edu

Use this address for:

  • formal correspondence addressed to the Editor-in-Chief or Executive Committee;
  • questions about Journal governance or editorial independence;
  • institutional and organizational inquiries;
  • requests for official Journal information or documentation;
  • partnership proposals unrelated exclusively to the World Conference;
  • correction of inaccurate organizational or contact information on the website;
  • ethics or research-integrity concerns; and
  • matters that do not belong to a more specific contact category.

Before sending a general inquiry, review the relevant About, Author Guidelines, Policies, and Author FAQs pages.

For a manuscript already under consideration, communicate through the manuscript record whenever possible.

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Manuscript and Submission Inquiries

Before Submission

Authors should review the following resources before contacting the Journal about suitability or manuscript preparation:

New manuscripts must be submitted through the online submission system. A manuscript sent by email is not considered formally submitted.

Begin a New Submission

After Submission

Questions about an active submission should be entered through the discussion or correspondence function within the existing manuscript record whenever possible.

This keeps the following materials together in the official editorial record:

  • editorial questions;
  • author responses;
  • revision requests;
  • revised files;
  • supporting documentation; and
  • decision-related correspondence.

Do not create a second submission to upload a revised manuscript. Revised files must be uploaded to the existing manuscript record according to the instructions provided by the assigned editor.

When Email Is Necessary

Include:

  • the manuscript identification number;
  • the complete manuscript title;
  • the corresponding author’s name and email address;
  • a concise description of the question or problem;
  • the relevant editorial notification or date; and
  • the exact wording of any technical error message, when applicable.
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Technical Support

For problems involving the Journal website or online submission system, contact:

Contact Technical Support
Email uls-internationaljournalofmedicalstudents@groups.pitt.edu

Technical Support may assist with:

  • difficulty creating or accessing an account;
  • password-reset problems;
  • registration or profile errors;
  • login failures;
  • problems beginning or completing a submission;
  • files that cannot be uploaded, replaced, or downloaded;
  • missing manuscript records or discussion messages;
  • problems accessing editorial assignments or review forms;
  • broken pages, links, forms, or website functions; and
  • unexpected system error messages.

Information to Include

  • the page address where the problem occurred;
  • the manuscript identification number, when applicable;
  • the date and approximate time of the problem;
  • the device used;
  • the browser and browser version;
  • the operating system;
  • the exact wording of the error message;
  • the steps that led to the problem; and
  • a screenshot that does not expose confidential or sensitive information.

Technical Support can assist with platform functionality. It cannot:

  • make editorial decisions;
  • provide an informal acceptance decision;
  • alter reviewer recommendations;
  • bypass submission requirements;
  • expedite a manuscript for editorial reasons; or
  • guarantee acceptance or publication.
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Ethics and Research-Integrity Concerns

Concerns involving submitted or published content may be sent confidentially to:

Contact Executive Committee
Email ijms.eic@library.pitt.edu

Relevant concerns may involve:

  • plagiarism or duplicate publication;
  • fabrication or falsification of data;
  • inappropriate image or data manipulation;
  • undisclosed conflicts of interest;
  • authorship or contributorship disputes;
  • missing or inadequate ethics approval;
  • informed-consent or participant-privacy concerns;
  • undisclosed simultaneous submission;
  • peer-review manipulation;
  • editorial misconduct or undisclosed editorial conflicts;
  • material errors in a published article; or
  • other conduct that may compromise the scholarly record.

Information to Provide

Identify the relevant manuscript or article as precisely as possible. Include:

  • the manuscript title or published article title;
  • the submission number, DOI, or article address;
  • a factual description of the concern;
  • the specific text, figure, data, conduct, or event involved;
  • relevant dates; and
  • supporting documentation that is lawfully available.

Do not send unlawfully obtained records, unnecessary patient identifiers, confidential reviewer information, or sensitive personal information through ordinary email.

Submitting a concern does not establish that misconduct occurred. Reports are assessed according to the available evidence and the applicable Research Integrity and Corrections, Retractions, and Appeals policies.

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World Conference Inquiries

Questions concerning the IJMS World Conference of Medical Student Research should be directed to:

Contact World Conference Team
Email conference@ijms.info
Conference website IJMS World Conference

Conference inquiries may include:

  • conference dates and participation;
  • abstract eligibility and submission requirements;
  • abstract review and selection;
  • oral and poster presentations;
  • presenter requirements and attendance;
  • conference schedules and recordings;
  • awards and certificates;
  • abstract supplements and publication;
  • conference partnerships; and
  • conference sponsorship.

Conference abstracts and regular Journal manuscripts are handled through separate systems and editorial processes.

Questions about regular manuscripts should not be sent to the conference email address.

Visit the World Conference Website
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Partnerships and Institutional Inquiries

The IJMS considers institutional relationships and forms of support that are consistent with its scientific, educational, nonprofit, and Diamond Open Access purposes.

Inquiries may concern:

  • collaboration with universities, hospitals, libraries, or research organizations;
  • medical-student and research organizations;
  • educational programs and webinars;
  • research, editorial, and publication training;
  • institutional promotion of author, reviewer, or editor opportunities;
  • approved conference or educational supplements;
  • nonprofit, charitable, or in-kind support;
  • conference partnerships or sponsorship; and
  • other mission-aligned initiatives.
General institutional or Journal partnership ijms.eic@library.pitt.edu
Conference partnership or sponsorship conference@ijms.info

Partnership, sponsorship, donation, or financial support does not confer authority over manuscript selection, peer review, publication decisions, corrections, retractions, or other editorial actions.

Governance and commercial-separation provisions are described on the Ownership and Governance page.

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Mailing Address

Formal postal correspondence may be addressed to:

International Journal of Medical Students
c/o Hillman Library
University of Pittsburgh
3960 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
United States

This address is intended for formal postal correspondence only.

Do not send the following by postal mail:

  • manuscripts or revised files;
  • peer-review reports;
  • conference abstracts;
  • patient records;
  • confidential research data;
  • biological samples;
  • original or irreplaceable documents; or
  • routine editorial questions.

Use the appropriate electronic system or email address for these matters.

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How to Contact Us Effectively

Use a Specific Subject Line

Inquiry Suggested subject line
Active manuscript Manuscript inquiry — Submission ID [number]
Technical problem Technical support — [brief description]
Research-integrity concern Research-integrity concern — [article title or DOI]
Conference abstract Conference inquiry — Abstract ID [number]
Partnership Institutional partnership inquiry — [organization]

Protect Confidential Information

Do not include unnecessary:

  • patient identifiers;
  • passwords;
  • financial information;
  • confidential reviewer identities;
  • unpublished datasets;
  • institutional investigation records; or
  • sensitive personal information.

When supporting material contains confidential or sensitive information, first describe the material and request instructions for secure transmission.

Avoid Duplicate Messages

Send the inquiry to the single most appropriate address. Sending the same message repeatedly or to multiple contacts may delay routing and response.

Continue within the existing email or manuscript-discussion thread when following up.

Do Not Use Contact Channels to Bypass Editorial Procedures

Contact channels must not be used to:

  • obtain an informal acceptance decision;
  • request preferential handling;
  • contact or identify reviewers;
  • bypass revision requirements;
  • circumvent an editorial decision;
  • submit an appeal outside the applicable procedure; or
  • request confidential editorial information.

Appeals, complaints, corrections, and post-publication concerns must follow the applicable Journal policy.

Related Resources

Authors and Reviewers

Journal Information and Policies
Contact the Journal Submit a Manuscript Request Technical Support
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