Submission Guidelines

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Welcome to The Odyssey Journal. Please read the following guidelines carefully before submitting.

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How to Submit

• Our first submission period is between 1st December 2025 – 9th January 2026.
• Work will be published on a rolling basis, launching January 2026.
• Submissions are via Google form ONLY
• Maximum word count: 3,000 words for all genres.
• Submissions are free. We cannot offer any payment for authors at the moment.

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who can submit

• Anyone can submit – doctors, nurses, allied healthcare professionals, students, patients, carers, friends, and anyone who has a story to tell about the body or the mind.
• We especially want to amplify female, minority ethnic, LGBTQ+, disabled, and otherwise underrepresented writers. 

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EXAMPLES OF WORK WE WANT

• A short story about a nurse navigating their first night shift.
• A poem capturing the sensory world of the hospital – lights, sounds, smells.
• A reflection on menstruation, fertility, or reproductive health.
• A short story about blood.

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Response Time

• We are a volunteer-run editorial team comprised of practising doctors.
• Please allow up to 90 days before enquiring about your submission.

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Originality

• Please do not submit previously published work, including work that has appeared on personal blogs or public online platforms.
• Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but please notify us immediately if your piece is accepted elsewhere.

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Patient Privacy and Confidentiality

We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of patient dignity, privacy, and confidentiality.

Contributors must:

• Review confidentiality expectations outlined in the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), particularly the list of 18 unique identifiers.
• Seek patient permission whenever appropriate before writing or submitting personal stories.
• Fictionalise, anonymise, or modify identifiable details wherever possible to protect patient privacy.

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Rights and Permissions

• Intellectual property rights remain with the author.
• Upon acceptance, the work becomes part of the archive of The Odyssey Journal in perpetuity and may be reproduced in part or in whole at the discretion of the Editors in future online or print publications.
• Any subsequent republication by the author should acknowledge first publication in The Odyssey Journal.

Any questions, just ask! bapioyoungdoctorsforum@gmail.com