Step 1: Select Your Submission Type

The style of writing for a Path Diaries submission should be narrative in nature, reflect on a formative experience in pathology and/or laboratory medicine, and serve as a means to reflect on ones experiences and connect with others in a more formal way. The submission should stand on its own and meet the aforementioned goals of reflection, narration, and connection. There are currently two submission types accepted by Path Diaries:

1. Essay: 1,000-3,000 words

2. Excerpt: 100-750 words
   

Step 2: Write Your Paper

The format and tone of the narrative is left completely up to the author, but as mentioned above, should reflect on a personal experience through a narrative aimed at connecting with a broad audience.

Step 3: Format Your Paper

For submission, there are a few guidelines we suggest you follow in order to make the submission and review process as smooth as possible:

1. Please submit all essays and excerpts in “.doc” or “.docx” format.

2. All submissions should be double spaced with line number designations and use Calibri 11 point font. Page numbers are not required. NOTE: font size and style are subject to alteration by the editorial team.

3. At the top of your submission, simply start with the title of the piece on the first line and start the body of the piece of the subsequent line. Please refrain from referencing the author’s name to preserve the blinded peer-review process.

4. Do not disclose any personally identifiable patient data in your submission—this includes excessive details about a rare diagnosis on a defined geographic region. NOTE: altering patient names is acceptable to bring a personal tone to the paper, but make sure to assign the proper disclaimer stating there were alterations to names, ages, sex, or diagnoses to protect patient information on the submission portal.

5. Because submissions are meant to be narrative in nature, there will likely be little need for citations. However, if needed, citations should be formatted according to the American Psychological Association 7th edition (APA-7). For free information regarding APA-7 citation format, visit the Purdue Owl Page.

Step 4: Submit!

Once you have chosen your submission type, written your piece, formatted it correctly, and proof-read your work, you are ready to submit. To submit, use the button below to be taken to the Google Submission Form. On this page you will be asked to fill out the following:

1. Author Name(s)*

2. Author(s) Affiliation(s)*

3. Brief Bio (<500 characters)*

4. Author Headshot*

5. Author Contact Info

6. Submission Type

7. Submission Title

8. Attach Submission

9. Conflicts on Interests

10. Patient Confidentiality and HIPAA Agreement

11. Agreement to Participate in Web and Print Publication

*Not required if submitting anonymously

Step 5: The Review Process

The review process is similar to any other journal. Your submission will be reviewed and formatted by one of the lead editors and forwarded to peer-reviewers. Your submission will be reviewed by two reviewers, and their comments will be attached to your submission. The final decision and comments will be sent back to the author where you will decide if you would like to make final corrections and submit (via email) for publication or redact your submission. If you choose to move forward, your submission will be reviewed by on of the editors-in-chief along with the reviewers’ comments, and your submission will be moved forward for publication on the website where it will be available immediately. At the end of the year, your article will also be featured in the PDF issue of Path Diaries available for download under the “Past Issues” tab.