Author Instructions
Updated September 2025
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. In addition to clinically-focused reviews of topics important to wilderness medicine practitioners and enthusiasts, 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.
All Submissions
Please send article proposals to [email protected]. Once your topic has been reviewed and approved, please use the following format to write and submit your articles:
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 and a brief (2-5 sentence) bio, plus a headshot of yourself.
3. We encourage you to use multimedia elements in your article. 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 article, 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.
4. Please include at least one to two images in each article. If you’re using an image (photo, graphic, figure, etc.) found on another website, in a textbook, etc., include a hyperlink citation in the caption. The use of a copyrighted image without obtaining permission is allowed under the fair use doctrine, as content posted on the magazine site is for the purpose of criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research.
Please use the following format for image captions:
Caption. (Citation)
Examples:
-Damages from a recent wildfire that raged across the island of Maui. (AP News)
-Sunrise over Mawenzi Peak, Tanzania. (Marc Cassone) (ie- author's name if it's a photo they took)
-Image of the poisonous mushroom, Amanita muscaria, in its natural state. (Auerbach's Wilderness Medicine, 7th Ed.)
-Figure 1: Percentage of avalanche deaths by time of burial. (Wilderness & Environmental Medicine)
5. Understand that your article will be reviewed and possibly edited, mostly for style and grammar.
6. Submit your manuscript as an e-mail attachment in MS Word to: [email protected].
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.
For examples of prior featured articles, navigate here: 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, in addition to relevant instructions listed above for all submissions:
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. The Magazine does not accept reviews from book authors or media creators themselves. We do look forward to outside and impartial reviews of your work.
For examples of prior book reviews, navigate here: Book & Media Reviews
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: Columns
Breaking News Submissions
Authors with ideas for possible Breaking News submissions should email proposals to [email protected] before writing to ensure this story isn’t already being covered. Submissions should cover a range of stories with ties to the practice and scope of wilderness medicine. In the first part of the submission, authors should summarize the breaking news story from reliable sources and include pertinent details related to the medical aspects of the story as much as possible to give further context for readers. If authors are able to get access to firsthand accounts of the event through personal or professional contacts these are appreciated as well! In the second part of the submission, authors are encouraged to provide a brief review of the wilderness medicine topic related to the story. Rather than a general overview of a broad topic, authors are encouraged to discuss a focused area related to the breaking story. (ie: HAPE rather than all altitude illnesses, lightning strikes at sea rather than lightning strikes in general, bite injuries rather than animal attacks in general). Authors may consider including any background statistics or context on the topic (incidence, morbidity), general treatment practices, and any clinical practice guidelines (especially those from the WMS). Breaking News pieces should not exceed 800 words.
The Breaking News Team is encouraged to both pitch and accept new stories. Once a story is pitched, authors will generally have 12-24h to respond to the Associate Editor with confirmation of interest in taking on the assignment. When responding about their interest, authors are requested to cc all authors on the Breaking News Team so as to not duplicate efforts. Authors are encouraged to submit the initial draft within 48h of accepting an assignment. It is then the responsibility of the Associate Editor to work with the author to finalize any edits and submit the final piece within 12-48h from initial submission. The editors admit that these are only guidelines and understand delays may occur as stories develop and exceptions can be made. Please email [email protected] to be added to the Breaking News Team pool.
For examples of prior Breaking News articles, navigate here: Breaking News
Letters to the Editor
Readers may submit feedback, updates, and/or corrections on published articles as a Letters to the Editor, generally not to exceed 800 words. Authors of the original article and the magazine’s editorial team will have the opportunity to submit a response.
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 (unless Breaking News)
Additional Notes
After an author has posted an article on the Wilderness Medicine Magazine site, the editors agree that after the article has been given ample time to be distributed (to be determined by the editors according to article topic/content) and reside on the site, the author may choose to publish their article on another site/in another publication if they clearly add a comment about the article being originally published on Wilderness Medicine Magazine with a link to the article.