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Call for papersMedical education

Call for Papers: Disability in medical education (BMC Medical Education)

BMC Medical Education’s collection “Disability in medical education” addresses curriculum gaps in preparing clinicians to care for disabled patients. This guide sets out topic areas consistent with that scope, how to check a manuscript’s fit and practical points for submission.

Pubrica InsightsEditorial team, reviewed by a subject specialist
Deadline
7 December 2026
Last checked
10 November 2026
Reading time
5 min
Sources
1
Submit through the official call

Key dates

Manuscript deadline
7 December 2026
Details last checked
10 November 2026
Open the official call

About the journal

Journal
BMC Medical Education
Publisher
BMC, part of Springer Nature
Call type
Call for papers
Scope
Curriculum gaps in preparing clinicians to care for disabled patients.
Guest editors
Listed on the official collection page
Access and fees
Open access; an article processing charge normally applies on acceptance
Originality
Original work, not under review elsewhere; confirm on the official page

Topics consistent with the call

  • Curriculum development and evaluation of disability-focused teaching for medical students
  • Studies examining clinicians’ knowledge, attitudes and confidence in caring for disabled patients
  • Involvement of disabled people as educators and co-designers of curricula
  • Assessment of communication and accessibility skills in clinical training
  • Postgraduate and continuing education on disability-competent care
  • Mapping studies identifying gaps in disability content across health professions curricula

Based on the published scope; the full list of themes is on the official call page.

Is your work a fit? Check before you write

  1. The manuscript addresses how clinicians are educated to care for disabled patients, linked to identified curriculum gaps.
  2. The study population involves learners, educators or curricula in medicine or related health professions.
  3. The design suits BMC Medical Education, such as a curriculum evaluation, intervention study, qualitative or survey study.
  4. Ethics approval or exemption is reported, and the educational outcomes are clearly defined.
  5. The manuscript is complete, approved by all co-authors and submitted before 7 December 2026, with article types confirmed on the official call page.

Why This Call Is a Priority Now

Disabled people often report barriers in health care, and many clinicians feel underprepared to meet their needs. Gaps in curricula, from communication and reasonable adjustments to the social model of disability, can contribute to these experiences. A themed collection in a journal dedicated to health professions education brings together evidence on what is taught, how it is taught and how well it works, giving educators practical models and allowing authors to contribute to a shared, visible body of work.

Who Should Submit

Academic backgrounds

  • Medical and health professions education
  • Disability studies
  • General practice and rehabilitation medicine
  • Nursing and allied health education
  • Paediatrics and developmental medicine

Institutions and sectors

  • Medical schools and universities
  • Postgraduate training bodies and deaneries
  • Teaching hospitals
  • Disability advocacy organisations working with educators

Article types commonly published in BMC Medical Education

  • Curriculum development and evaluation studies
  • Educational intervention studies
  • Qualitative and mixed-methods studies
  • Survey and assessment studies

What the Editors Typically Value

  1. Rigorous evaluation of a curriculum intervention with outcomes beyond learner satisfaction.
  2. Educational designs developed in partnership with disabled people, with their roles clearly described.
  3. Studies that identify specific, actionable gaps in current curricula across institutions or countries.
  4. Assessment approaches that measure disability-competent clinical behaviour rather than knowledge alone.

Paper Ideas You Could Develop

Co-taught disability moduleA mixed-methods evaluation of a module co-delivered by disabled educators, measuring changes in student attitudes and clinical communication.
National curriculum mappingA survey or document analysis mapping disability content across medical school curricula and identifying common gaps.
Simulation with accessibility focusAn educational intervention study using simulated consultations to assess trainees’ skills in providing reasonable adjustments.

Your Plan to the Deadline

A suggested schedule working back from 7 December 2026. Adjust it to the stage your work has reached.

  1. By 23 Oct 2026

    Open the official collection page and the BMC Medical Education submission guidelines; confirm the scope, article types and guest editors.

  2. By 6 Nov 2026

    Write a one-paragraph statement of your research question, design and the contribution your paper makes to the collection.

  3. By 16 Nov 2026

    Complete the analysis and agree the key findings, figures and tables with your co-authors.

  4. By 27 Nov 2026

    Draft the full manuscript to the BMC Medical Education article type and the relevant reporting guideline.

  5. By 2 Dec 2026

    Circulate the draft to co-authors and an independent reader; revise for clarity, accuracy and completeness.

  6. By 5 Dec 2026

    Complete final checks: formatting, references, declarations, data availability statement and cover letter.

  7. By 7 Dec 2026

    Submit through the journal’s online system, selecting the collection, after re-checking the official call page.

What you gain from publishing here

  • Publication in BMC Medical Education, reaching readers working on this topic.
  • A themed collection that groups your paper with related work.
  • Editorial and peer feedback that can strengthen the work, whatever the decision.
  • A peer-reviewed output for your CV, thesis or grant reporting.

What happens after you submit

  1. Submission: upload through the BMC Medical Education online system and select the collection.
  2. Editorial screening: the editors check fit with the collection; papers outside its scope may be returned without review.
  3. Peer review: suitable papers are sent to reviewers under the journal’s review model.
  4. Revision and decision: respond to each reviewer comment and keep a record of the changes.
  5. Production: accepted papers move to proofs and open access publication, with the article processing charge set out by the publisher.

What the Collection Is Looking For

The collection seeks research that identifies and addresses gaps in how clinicians are prepared to care for disabled patients. In line with BMC Medical Education’s remit, suitable work may span undergraduate, postgraduate and continuing education, covering curriculum development, teaching methods and assessment. Studies with clear educational outcomes, sound methods and meaningful involvement of disabled people are well aligned with the stated scope.

Read the call itselfThis guide summarises the call. Open the official collection page before you plan a submission, and record the date you checked it and the guest editors listed.Open the official call

Expert help

How Pubrica Can Help With This Submission

Pubrica’s subject specialists can review, write, edit, format and prepare your manuscript for this call, planned back from the deadline. You remain the author of your work.

Original research article writingManuscript writing from your data, structured to the journal’s article type and reporting guideline. Biostatistics and statistical programmingStatistical analysis plans, analysis, simulation code and statistical review of results. Manuscript editingLanguage and technical editing to prepare the manuscript for submission. Journal formattingFormatting of the manuscript, references, figures and tables to the journal’s guidelines. Cover letterA cover letter that explains how the manuscript fits the collection and the journal’s scope. Journal submissionPreparation of submission files and completion of the journal’s online submission system.
Go to the official call

FAQs

Questions Authors Ask

The published deadline is 7 December 2026. Collections can close early or be extended, so confirm the date on the official call page before you plan your submission.

The guest editors are listed on the official collection page. Check their research interests, as they help to judge whether your manuscript fits the collection.

The stated scope focuses on preparing clinicians to care for disabled patients, so a study of disabled learners may fit if it connects to that aim. Authors should confirm on the official call page whether the collection also covers inclusion of disabled students and trainees.

BMC journals publish articles open access, and an article processing charge normally applies on acceptance. Check the journal’s fees and funding page, and whether your institution has an agreement that covers the charge, before you submit.

Sources

  1. BMC Medical Education. (2026). Disability in medical education [Collection call for papers]. BMC, part of Springer Nature. Retrieved 10 November 2026, from https://link.springer.com/collections/cccbbaigdh

How to cite this page

Pubrica Insights. (2026). Call for Papers: Disability in medical education (BMC Medical Education). Pubrica. https://pubrica.com/insights/calls-and-conferences/disability-in-medical-education/

  • Disability
  • Medical education
  • Curriculum
  • Inclusive care
  • Health professions education

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Disability in medical education (BMC Medical Education)Deadline 7 December 2026

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