Online First
Online First allows publication of selected articles 2 weeks after final acceptance, months ahead of its publication in a journal issue. Advanced publication establishes primacy for the work, with the initial online publication date included on the final version.
Articles are only available as unedited manuscripts* PDFs, together with an abstract/extract until the final version appears in the journal [Read our disclaimer]. The publication date, stated on the PDF, is the day the article became available online. The initial version is indexed by PubMed and the article is fully citable [see below how to cite].
*edited typeset versions may be added as they become available
Articles are available from:
The journal homepage
Topic collections
Standard author and keyword searches
Standard searches on search engines including PubMed and Google
If your article has been selected for publication as an Online First publication:
To expedite publication as an Online First article we require that the article is “approved” before publishing online. This is essential for a number of reasons:
1. Manuscripts posted as an Online First article will be considered published by all indexing services (including PubMed/Medline). It is vital that the manuscript metadata (title, author details, etc) are not altered after publication.
2. The data in the manuscript must be correct. The manuscript will be available to all subscribers and other interested individuals. Any changes to the data after publication will require a correction to be published.
View the Online First checklist (PDF). These points must be adhered to for your article to be published Online First.
How to cite Online First articles
Each Online First article has a unique Digital Object Identifier (DOI). This should be included in all citations.
BEFORE the article has appeared in an issue:
Use the citation format:
Brice G, Child AH, Evans A, et al. Milroy disease and the VEGFR-3 mutation phenotype. Br J Sports Med. Published Online First: 5 February 2005. doi: 10.1136/bjsm.2004.001234
AFTER the article has appeared in an issue:
Use the citation format:
Brice G, Child AH, Evans A, et al. Milroy disease and the VEGFR-3 mutation phenotype. Br J Sports Med 2005;42:98-102 doi: 10.1136/bjsm.2004.001234 [published Online First: 5 February 2004].
Permissions
As most of the Online First articles are published as unedited manuscripts, we are not in a position to grant permission to reuse this material as it may change during the editing process (this applies to text, tables and figures). When final versions are published please use the [Request permissions] link that will appear in the article. For further information please contact bmjpermissions1@bmjgroup.com
Disclaimer
The initial version of Online First articles are articles in manuscript form that have been accepted and published but they have not been copy edited and have not yet appeared in a printed issue of the journal. Copyediting may lead to differences between the Online First version and the final version; there may also be differences in the quality of the graphics. Edited typeset versions of the articles may be published as they become available prior to final print publication. Should you wish to comment on this article please do so via our eLetter facility (link found in the content box to the right of the title in the abstract view).
Online First Manuscript Checklist
Your accepted manuscript file MUST meet all of the following points to be considered for Online First. Please contact the Editorial Office if you have any queries. Ensure that:
1. The title is correct with no errors.
2. The list of authors (with institutions) is final and correct. Author names CANNOT be removed or added after publication.
3. Up to five manuscript keywords are included in the manuscript file.
4. Your manuscript file contains the abstract (where applicable).
5. Any sponsors and acknowledgements, a statement of competing interests and figure legends are included at the end of the manuscript (listed before the references).
6. All tables are embedded in the manuscript file where cited.
7. Images are NOT included with the manuscript file. They will be appended to the end of the PDF by staff.
8. All pages are numbered.
9. The manuscript is presented in SINGLE line spacing and NOT double line spacing as asked for during the peer review process.
10. Any changes to the Title, Author List, Author affiliations or Abstract are emailed to the Editorial Office (please check the journal website for contact details.
11. All black and white images are saved and supplied as GIF or high quality JPEG files to a minimum of 300 dpi. Colour images should be saved and supplied as GIF or high quality JPEG files to a minimum of 600 dpi. Colour images should not exceed 2MB at a minimum resolution of 600 dpi. If you choose a higher resolution, your image dimension should be reduced accordingly to keep the file under 2MB. NB: Scanners may automatically increase image size at a higher resolution.
We cannot accept multi-page PowerPoint files. However, single page PowerPoint files are acceptable. Please prepare ONE slide per file ONLY. Alternatively, PowerPoint files can be saved as JPEG or GIF files and submitted as a standard image file. Images should be mentioned in the text.
12. To submit your approved manuscript, please go to your Author Area on Bench>Press and click on the Papers Returned for Online First Approval. Upload your ONE manuscript file and submit it to the Editorial Office. Please ensure you use the action: Notify Staff – Approved Manuscript Uploaded to inform the Editorial Office that you have submitted your approved manuscript. The manuscript is not converted to PDF at this stage and will not require your further approval.
13. Please insert the following statement into your manuscript:
“The Corresponding Author has the right to grant on behalf of all authors and does grant on behalf of all authors, an exclusive licence (or non-exclusive for government employees) on a worldwide basis to the BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and its Licensees to permit this article to be published in [journal name] editions and any other BMJPGL products to exploit all subsidiary rights, as set out in our licence http://[journal name].bmjjournals.com/ifora/licence.pdf”.
14. We recommend that you sign up for email alerts which will alert you when new Online First articles have been posted. Sign up via the journal website.