From Patient to Publication: How to Write a Case Report for Publication, Stage by Stage (Flowchart with Owners and Timelines)

A publishable case report starts long before the first draft. Knowing how to write a case report for publication means managing a sequence of clinical, ethical and editorial steps: confirming that the case is worth reporting, obtaining patient consent, protecting patient data, writing to the CARE guidelines and choosing the right target journal [1, 3].

The case report workflow below sets out each stage with an accountable owner and an indicative duration. Adapt it to your institution’s rules and to the requirements of the target journal [2]. For the writing itself, see our step-by-step guide on how to write a case report.

The flowchart groups ten stages into three phases: preparation (stages 1 to 3), writing (stages 4 to 7) and publication (stages 8 to 10). Each box names the accountable owner [1, 3]. Consent comes before data collection, because the patient’s agreement decides what you may collect and publish.

The durations in Table 1 are our working estimates for a single case report. Peer review times vary widely by journal, so build the publication timeline around the target journal’s published turnaround where it is available [2, 3].

Run back to back, stages 1 to 8 take roughly seven to twelve weeks. Running the literature search and journal shortlist while consent is being obtained shortens this. A pre-submission peer review before stage 8 catches gaps that would otherwise surface in stage 9.

The ICMJE recommendations state that identifying information should not be published unless it is essential for scientific purposes and the patient, or a parent or guardian, has given written informed consent for publication [3]. Many journals go further and require written consent for every case report, whether or not the patient is identifiable.

Health data are a special category of personal data under the GDPR, so collect only what the report needs and remove dates, locations and other details that could identify the patient [4]. Our guide to anonymisation vs pseudonymisation in case reports explains where the legal line sits. Check with your institution whether ethics committee notification is expected; UK authors can use our guide on case report ethics approval in the UK.

Clear roles prevent delays and authorship disputes. The ICMJE authorship criteria apply to every named author, and a medical writer who does not meet them is acknowledged rather than listed [3].

Draft the manuscript in CARE order: title, keywords, abstract, introduction, patient information, clinical findings, timeline, diagnostic assessment, therapeutic intervention, follow-up and outcomes, discussion, patient perspective and informed consent [1, 2]. Complete the CARE checklist as you write, and check the target journal’s word limits and figure rules before co-author review. Write the abstract last, using our guide to the case report abstract.

The answer to how to write a case report for publication is a managed workflow: clear owners, early patient consent, careful de-identification, CARE-based drafting and a realistic publication timeline. Treating each stage as a checkpoint reduces revisions and protects both the patient and the authors.