Submitting an Article
After reading the submission guidelines below, we invite you to email your draft to [email protected]. You can expect a reply within one week.
Author Instructions
Updated September 2023
Wilderness Medicine Magazine is an open access, online magazine. Completely untethered from the conventions of hardcopy publications, it represents the most diverse and highest quality repository of wilderness medicine writings, images, and multimedia experiences. The magazine is powered by the Wilderness Medical Society (WMS), the international professional society for wilderness medicine practitioners. More information about WMS is available at wms.org.
At Wilderness Medicine Magazine, we accept a variety of stories and images related to wilderness medicine. We are less formal than our sibling publication, the WMS journal, Wilderness & Environmental Medicine, which publishes scientific articles. Whether you are a published author or a first-time writer, we have a crack team of editors to smooth out any prose. We love personal essays, case studies, first-hand experiences, how-to articles, quick tips, and are open to new ideas. In particular we are very interested in submissions that utilize our online format in new and innovative ways—these could include audio clips, video, graphics, hyperlinks, or other electronic media elements.
FEATURE ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS
We encourage readers to submit feature articles on topics of interest to Wilderness Medicine Magazine readers. Before writing a feature article, check with us to see if the topic is appropriate for our publication and that it has not already been covered by Wilderness Medicine Magazine or the WMS journal, Wilderness & Environmental Medicine. Submit your proposal to [email protected]. New feature articles are posted on a rotating basis, with a new article at least every month.
Once reviewed and approved, please use the following format to write and submit your feature article:
1. Manuscripts should be 12-point, double-spaced using Times New Roman, and the recommended wordcount is 800-1200. Submissions over 1200 words may be acceptable in certain contexts, or will likely be edited down to the recommended word count.
2. Include a title, by-line, and a brief (2-5 sentence bio), plus a headshot of yourself.
3. We encourage you to use multimedia elements in your review. These could include hyperlinks, video, audio, or other web-based or electronic content. We especially encourage you to use these elements for content that would otherwise exceed the word limitations of the review, or which would enhance the readers’ experience of your article. We encourage appropriate referencing of any medical information that might be interesting, useful, or controversial for the reader. As an online magazine, we prefer hyperlinks when possible. Please contact one of the magazine editors at [email protected] for specific instructions on how to do this if you are not familiar with hyperlinks.
4. Understand that your article will be reviewed and possibly edited, mostly for style and grammar.
5. Submit your manuscript as an e-mail attachment in MS Word to: [email protected].
For examples of prior featured articles, navigate here:
wms.org >Magazine >Contents >Featured Articles
BOOK/MEDIA REVIEW SUBMISSIONS
We encourage readers to submit reviews of books that have relevance to wilderness medicine. We also publish reviews of other media (movies, podcasts, etc.). Before writing a review, check with us to see if the book/other is appropriate for our publication and that it has not already been reviewed by Wilderness Medicine Magazine or the WMS journal, Wilderness & Environmental Medicine. Submit your proposal to [email protected]. Reviews are posted to the website on an ongoing basis.
Once your title is reviewed and approved, please use the following format to write and submit your review:
1. Manuscripts should be 12-point, double-spaced using Times New Roman; 400 words maximum.
2. Include the author name(s) and the full title of the book. Include the edition number, if other than the first edition (if a movie/podcast, include the title, studio, release date, and rating if applicable).
3. Explain to the reader the contents of the book/other media and highlight what you perceive to be its strengths and/or weakness. Point out what makes this particular piece interesting to Wilderness Medicine Magazine readers.
4. We encourage you to use multimedia elements in your review. These could include hyperlinks, video, audio, or other web-based or electronic content. We especially encourage you to use these elements for content that would otherwise exceed the word limitations of the review, or which would enhance the readers’ experience of your review and understanding of the book or other media being reviewed. We encourage appropriate referencing of any medical information that might be interesting, useful, or controversial for the reader. As an online magazine, we prefer hyperlinks when possible. Please contact one of the magazine editors at [email protected] for specific instructions on how to do this if you are not familiar with hyperlinks.
5. Feel free to be creative but remember that we do not wish to manifestly offend anyone, if possible. Understand that your book review will be reviewed and possibly edited, mostly for style and grammar.
6. Submit your review as an e-mail attachment in MS Word to [email protected]. Include in your email a description of any additional media you would like to accompany the review and we can determine the best way to deliver it to the WMS editorial staff.
For examples of prior book reviews, navigate here:
wms.org >Magazine >Contents >Columns >Book & Media Reviews
We look forward to receiving your book or media review proposal.
COLUMN SUBMISSIONS
Although our regularly published columns have assigned authors, we encourage readers to submit topic ideas. If you are interested in submitting a full article to a fixed column, check with us to see if the column is accepting public submissions, if the topic is appropriate for our publication, and that the topic has not already recently been covered by Wilderness Medicine Magazine or the WMS journal, Wilderness & Environmental Medicine. Formatting guidelines follow those of Featured Articles listed above. Submit your proposal to [email protected]. New columns are posted on a rotating basis, with a new installment in each fixed column every three months.
For examples of prior column articles, navigate here:
wms.org >Magazine >Contents >Columns
AI POLICY
WMS Magazine recognizes some authors may use AI or AI-assisted technology in creating their submissions. It is the magazine's policy that these technologies can be used to help improve readability and language, however, should be done with the author's oversight and original ideas, perspectives, and conclusions. Authors are ultimately responsible for the text written and should disclose the use of these tools when submitting their articles.
PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS
When including images, please be sure to send high-resolution files with your article. Particularly for event recap and interview articles, we recommend using portrait mode if available and ask that you please consider lighting and background choices when taking pictures. Placing your subject against a neutral background, with natural light illuminating their face, is generally more flattering than a bold background in a dimly lit area. All photos should include a caption and if you’re using an image found on another website, please include a hyperlink citation in the caption.
AUTHOR CHECKLIST
Before submitting to the editors:
___Confirm article adheres to maximum word count of 800-1200 words
___Include an article title at the top of article
___Include author name and professional designation below title
___Embed all images, tables, and figures in article where they should appear (instead of at the end of the article or attached in an email)
___Ensure images are large or high-resolution (height of approximately 650px)
___Provide short bio (100 words or less) and headshot at the end of the article