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Call for papersPaediatrics and mental health

Call for Papers: Genetic screening in childhood: paths to preventing future illness and personalized care (BMC Medicine)

BMC Medicine’s collection on genetic screening in childhood covers genomic medicine in childhood screening and personalised care. This guide sets out topic areas consistent with that scope, how to judge whether a manuscript fits and the kinds of contribution likely to interest the editors.

Pubrica InsightsEditorial team, reviewed by a subject specialist
Deadline
29 April 2027
Last checked
10 November 2026
Reading time
5 min
Sources
1
Submit through the official call

Key dates

Manuscript deadline
29 April 2027
Details last checked
10 November 2026
Open the official call

About the journal

Journal
BMC Medicine
Publisher
BMC, part of Springer Nature
Call type
Call for papers
Scope
Genomic medicine in childhood screening and personalised care.
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

  • Studies of genomic newborn screening programmes, uptake and outcomes
  • Clinical utility of genetic testing in children with suspected inherited conditions
  • Polygenic risk assessment in childhood and its implications for prevention
  • Ethical, legal and family perspectives on childhood genomic screening
  • Pharmacogenomics and personalised treatment decisions in paediatric care
  • Health economic and implementation studies of paediatric genomic medicine

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 genetic or genomic screening or testing in children, linked to prevention or personalised care.
  2. Findings have clinical, public health or policy relevance for a broad medical readership, in line with BMC Medicine’s remit.
  3. The design is one the journal publishes, such as a trial, observational study, systematic review or translational study.
  4. Consent, data governance and ethics approval for work with children and families are clearly reported.
  5. The manuscript is complete, approved by all co-authors and submitted before 29 April 2027, after confirming article types on the official call page.

Why This Call Is a Priority Now

Advances in sequencing have made it feasible to screen children for a wide range of genetic conditions, raising the prospect of earlier diagnosis, prevention and treatment tailored to each child. These possibilities bring questions about clinical utility, equity, cost, consent and how families and health systems manage the information produced. A themed collection in a general medical journal brings clinical, ethical and implementation evidence together, helping clinicians and policymakers weigh benefits and risks and giving authors a visible venue for this research.

Who Should Submit

Academic backgrounds

  • Clinical genetics and genomic medicine
  • Paediatrics and neonatology
  • Bioethics
  • Public health and screening policy
  • Genetic counselling

Institutions and sectors

  • Children’s hospitals and university medical centres
  • National screening programmes and public health agencies
  • Genomic research institutes
  • Diagnostic and genomics companies

Article types commonly published in BMC Medicine

  • Clinical trials and other interventional studies
  • Observational studies
  • Systematic reviews and meta-analyses
  • Translational and mechanistic research

What the Editors Typically Value

  1. Evidence on whether genomic screening in childhood leads to earlier intervention and better health outcomes.
  2. Studies that address equity of access and performance across diverse populations.
  3. Research on family experiences, consent and communication that informs responsible programme design.
  4. Implementation and economic evaluations that support decisions about adopting genomic screening.

Paper Ideas You Could Develop

Genomic newborn screening outcomesA prospective cohort describing diagnostic yield, follow-up and early clinical actions arising from a genomic newborn screening programme.
Parental decision-makingA mixed-methods study of how parents decide whether to accept genomic screening for their newborn and what information they value.
Cost-effectiveness of paediatric sequencingAn economic evaluation comparing genomic sequencing with standard diagnostic pathways for children with suspected genetic disorders.

Your Plan to the Deadline

A suggested schedule working back from 29 April 2027. Adjust it to the stage your work has reached.

  1. By 15 Mar 2027

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

  2. By 29 Mar 2027

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

  3. By 8 Apr 2027

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

  4. By 19 Apr 2027

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

  5. By 24 Apr 2027

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

  6. By 27 Apr 2027

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

  7. By 29 Apr 2027

    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 Medicine, 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 Medicine 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 is looking for research on how genetic screening in childhood can help prevent future illness and support personalised care. Consistent with BMC Medicine’s remit, it is likely to favour studies with clear clinical or public health relevance, including trials, observational studies, systematic reviews and translational work. Manuscripts that address clinical utility, equity, ethics and implementation, and that report consent and data governance carefully, fit 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. Systematic reviewProtocol, screening, data extraction and risk-of-bias assessment for review articles. 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 29 April 2027. 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.

An ethics or policy analysis may fit given the scope’s focus on prevention and personalised care, particularly if it draws on empirical evidence. BMC Medicine mainly publishes research articles, so authors should confirm whether such article types are accepted on the official call page.

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 Medicine. (2026). Genetic screening in childhood: paths to preventing future illness and personalized care [Collection call for papers]. BMC, part of Springer Nature. Retrieved 10 November 2026, from https://link.springer.com/collections/eiacjcggjg

How to cite this page

Pubrica Insights. (2026). Call for Papers: Genetic screening in childhood: paths to preventing future illness and personalized care (BMC Medicine). Pubrica. https://pubrica.com/insights/calls-and-conferences/genetic-screening-in-childhood-paths-to-preventing-future-illness-and/

  • Genomic medicine
  • Newborn screening
  • Paediatrics
  • Personalised care
  • Genetic testing

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Genetic screening in childhood: paths to preventing future illness and personalized care (BMC Medicine)Deadline 29 April 2027

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