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Otolaryngology (ENT) Case Reports: Proofreading & Submission for Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology

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Otolaryngology (ENT) Case Reports: Proofreading & Submission for Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology

Clinical significance of an otolaryngology case report is established when there is a rare presentation, rare disease, unanticipated complications, novel findings on diagnosis and/or novel ways of management in the study. Nonetheless, not all interesting cases can be turned into publishable manuscripts. Good clinical reasoning, proper documentation, valid consent, excellent quality images and meeting reporting standards and guidelines are some of the key things that will determine success in submission. Case reports in otolaryngology require careful attention to both clinical and editorial standards.

ENT researchers who do research in fields like otology, rhinology, laryngology, head and neck surgery, audiology among others will benefit from proofreading and submission preparation for their manuscripts. ENT manuscript editing can help ensure that clinical information, scientific terminology, and manuscript presentation are appropriate for journal submission.

Authors should:

  • Follow the current author instructions of the target journalfor structure, formatting, figures, references, and submission requirements.
  • Apply the CARE guidelineswhere applicable to ensure complete and transparent case reporting.
  • Follow relevant ICMJE recommendationsfor authorship, ethics, consent, disclosures, and publication practices.
  • Ensure that clinical terminology, diagnostic information, images, and manuscript presentation are accurate and appropriate for the intended ENT journal.

CARE guidelines are a framework for complete and transparent case reporting, which involves critical components such as patient data, clinical details, diagnostics, interventions, follow-up, and patient perspective when necessary. CARE guidelines case report requirements can therefore serve as an important quality-control framework during manuscript preparation. [1]

1. Why High-Quality Proofreading Matters in ENT Case Reports

Proofreading is not limited to checking for spelling and grammatical errors. An ENT case report that is scientifically acceptable should be able to present the story clinically through to the point of diagnosis, intervention, result, and interpretation. Case report proofreading service can support authors in identifying both language and scientific inconsistencies before submission. [2]

Critical elements include:

  • Patient data consistency
  • Use of appropriate clinical language
  • Diagnostic process clarity
  • Correct descriptions of investigations and management
  • Conformity in references, abbreviations, units, tables, and figures

Effective editorial evaluation will also be able to spot any inconsistencies in the abstract, body text, tables, figure legends, and conclusion before submission.

2. Essential Structure of an Otolaryngology Case Report

A practical ENT case report structure can include:

Section Main Purpose
Title Clearly identify the clinical subject and key finding
Abstract Summarise presentation, diagnosis, management, and significance
Introduction Establish the clinical context and rationale
Case Presentation Present relevant history, examination, and investigations
Timeline Present the sequence from symptom onset → referral → examination → imaging → diagnostic procedure → treatment/surgery → follow-up
Diagnostic Assessment Explain imaging, laboratory, and specialist findings
Treatment/Intervention Describe clinical management
Outcome & Follow-up Report response, complications, and follow-up
Discussion Compare the case with existing literature
Conclusion Highlight the principal clinical lesson
References Support interpretation with relevant literature

The exact format should always be adapted to the target journal’s author instructions rather than treating one structure as universal. Authors preparing case report journal submission materials should therefore review the journal’s requirements before finalising the manuscript.

3. Applying CARE Guidelines to ENT Case Reporting

Guidelines under CARE encourage case report writers to be thorough in reporting their cases and provide a method to assess the quality of their reports. Some CARE criteria that are particularly significant in the QC of ENT manuscripts are:

  • Identification of the case report nature by proper keywording.
  • Statement of uniqueness/ contribution in the abstract.
  • Time line and pertinent clinical information.
  • Diagnosis difficulty and possible alternative diagnoses.
  • Prognostic features, when applicable.
  • Comprehensive information about intervention, compliance, and tolerance.
  • Adverse or unexpected occurrences.
  • Advantages, drawbacks, and scientific justification.
  • Lesson learned and patient’s point of view, if applicable.
  • Obtaining informed consent for publishing.

A reporting checklist might help reveal any information gaps before the editor asks for them. [3]

4. Clinical Data, Imaging and Figure Preparation

ENT case studies often rely on otoscopic pictures, endoscopic images, CT scans, MRI scans, histopathology, audiograms, or operative photographs.

Figures must be:

  • Medically relevant and properly labelled
  • Correctly referred to in the text of the manuscript
  • Supplied with proper legends
  • Lacking any unnecessary patient identification information
  • Submitted according to the instructions of the journal you are submitting to

For instance, recent instructions by Wiley for the Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology stipulate that figures should be uploaded as separate files. Proper figure preparation is an important part of ENT manuscript editing and case report journal submission.

5. Patient Consent, Ethics and Confidentiality

Patient anonymity is especially vital in case reports since clinical images and uncommon manifestations can lead to identification of patients. [4]

Prior to publication, the author needs to ensure the following:

  • Informed consent: Get informed consent before submission, if needed.
  • Confidentiality: Anonymize or protect patient identifiers.
  • Identifiable data: Publish only if scientific necessity and informed written consent of the patients’ guardians are present.
  • Anonymity: Get consent if anonymity cannot be guaranteed.
  • Ethics: Identify the ethical justification for publication.

For instance, according to current guidelines provided by Wiley in otolaryngology, the images and data pertaining to individual participants must be published only after obtaining their freely given prior informed consent.

6. Scientific and Language Editing Before Submission

A final proofreading step must consider both scientific and linguistic aspects.

Scientific editing needs to consider:
  • Clinical terminology
  • Diagnostic findings
  • Treatment approaches
  • Numerical information
  • Units and abbreviations
  • Literature sources
  • Similarity between the text and figures
Linguistic editing must consider:
  • Sentence grammar and structure
  • Academic style
  • Conciseness
  • Logical transitions
  • Redundancy
  • British/US English based on the journal guidelines

This is because some journals require specific style of English used. For instance, Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology requires US English.

7. Journal Selection and Submission Requirements

The selection of an appropriate journal should come before formatting since there are different submission instructions that vary from one journal and type of manuscript to another. Careful journal selection is an important component of successful case report journal submission.[5]

Authors should verify:

Submission Element What to Check
Article type Case report/case series/series/another category
Word limit Main text and abstract limits
Figures Number, format and resolution
References Style and maximum number
Consent Patient-consent requirements
Ethics Required statements
AI use Disclosure requirements
Submission files Main manuscript, figures, supplementary files

Currently, the journal’s instructions may include guidance regarding the disclosure of the use of AI in writing articles. Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology by Wiley requires AI usage disclosure in the manuscript.

8. Current Trends in ENT Case Report Publishing

While CARE is still relevant for case report reporting, research on the requirements of case report journals has identified that there is more emphasis now on factors like consent, discussion, abstracts, timeframes, and patients’ views. The CARE guidelines case report framework remains useful for assessing the completeness of these elements. [6]

A final key trend is the focus on research integrity and publication ethics. Present-day otolaryngology journal policies cover plagiarism detection, duplicate publications, authorship, conflicts of interest, and data integrity.

9. Final Pre-Submission Checklist

Before submission of an ENT case report, the following must be assured:

☐ The clinical message is clearly conveyed.

☐ The manuscript is in line with the required journal format.

☐ The CARE checklist guidelines have been checked.

☐ Patient consent criteria have been met.

☐ Clinical illustrations are relevant and de-identified.

☐ References justify the important clinical points.

☐ Tables/figures correspond with the text.

☐ Grammar and scientific language are checked.

☐ AI usage is declared if required.

☐ All authors have approved the final version of the manuscript.

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Conclusion

An excellent ENT case report is one that contains significance, science, ethics, and presentation qualities suitable for publication. As such, proofreading should not only concern itself with the linguistic elements but also with the clinical consistency, completeness of reporting, quality of images, references, consent, and journal requirements. This comprehensive approach is central to effective ENT manuscript editing and otolaryngology case report editing service.

The use of CARE criteria, author guidelines, and pre-submission checklists can go a long way in ensuring that an author produces a case report that is clear and well-presented to attract favourable editorial and peer review. Reporting completeness and ethical practices are especially relevant in otolaryngology publishing today.

Preparing an ENT Case Report for Submission? Pubrica can support physicians and researchers with medical editing, language proofreading, CARE reporting review, figure and reference checks, target-journal formatting and submission preparation while preserving author responsibility for the clinical content

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

An otolaryngology case report describes a rare, unusual, or clinically significant ENT case. It may highlight a rare disease presentation, unexpected complication, novel diagnostic finding, or innovative approach to management.

High-quality proofreading helps identify grammatical errors as well as inconsistencies in clinical information, terminology, investigations, treatment details, figures, tables, references, and conclusions. It helps ensure that the clinical story is presented clearly and accurately.

A typical case report includes a title, abstract, introduction, case presentation, diagnostic assessment, treatment or intervention, outcome and follow-up, discussion, conclusion, and references. The structure should always be adapted to the requirements of the target journal.

The CARE guidelines provide a framework for complete and transparent case reporting. They cover important elements including patient information, clinical findings, diagnostic assessment, treatment, follow-up, literature context, and patient consent where applicable.

CARE guidelines are widely used to improve the completeness and transparency of case reports. However, authors should check the specific reporting requirements and author instructions of the journal they intend to submit to.

References

  1. Duek, I., Muhanna, N., Oron, Y., Shraga, Y., & Ungar, O. J. (2024). Fast-Tracking of Publication Times of Otolaryngology Papers During the COVID-19 Pandemic. International archives of otorhinolaryngology, 28(1), e141–e147. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0043-1767806
  2. Ortega-Loubon, C., Culquichicón, C., & Correa, R. (2017). The Importance of Writing and Publishing Case Reports During Medical Training. Cureus, 9(12), e1964. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.1964
  3. Gagnier, J. J., Kienle, G., Altman, D. G., Moher, D., Sox, H., Riley, D., & CARE Group* (2013). The CARE Guidelines: Consensus-based Clinical Case Reporting Guideline Development. Global advances in health and medicine, 2(5), 38–43. https://doi.org/10.7453/gahmj.2013
  4. Shah P, Thornton I, Kopitnik NL, et al. Informed Consent. [Updated 2024 Nov 24]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2026 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books
  5. Ramia J. M. (2023). How to select a journal for your research. World journal of gastroenterology, 29(21), 3379–3384. https://doi.org/10.3748/wjg.v29.i21.33
  6. Chaidas K. (2025). Current and Future Trends in Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. Journal of clinical medicine, 14(22), 7935. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14227935