E156 Student Board ◆ Synthēsis

How this works

1. You need a GitHub account (free, 2-minute signup at github.com/signup). If you're a researcher you'll want one anyway.
2. Browse the list. Search by topic (e.g. "heart failure", "network meta-analysis", "diagnostic").
3. Click ▶ Claim this paper on the card you want. A GitHub form opens pre-filled with the paper number — fill in your name, affiliation, email, and optional mentor/co-author details if you already have them, tick the agreements, click "Submit new issue". Within ~60 seconds this board updates automatically showing your name and a 30-day countdown (extendable to 40).
4. Copy the Current body on your card. Rewrite it in your own words: 156 words, 7 sentences (Question · Dataset · Method · Result · Robustness · Interpretation · Boundary).
5. Submit your rewrite to Synthēsis (synthesis-medicine.org). The journal mints DOIs on acceptance; no Zenodo step needed.
6. Once submitted, click ✓ Confirm submission on your card. A second GitHub form opens — paste your submission ID / DOI, submit. Board updates to show SUBMITTED. You are listed as first author.
7. One paper at a time. You may hold AT MOST one active claim until you either submit or let it expire.
8. You have 30 days from claim to submission. Need more time? Click +10-day extension on your card and a GitHub form opens — just submit it. Auto-approved, gives you 40 days total. If you don't confirm submission within the window (30 days, or 40 if extended), your claim expires and the paper reopens for another student.

Authorship rules (read before claiming)

• You are first author AND corresponding author on the submission you claim. You fill in the corresponding-author fields (name, email, affiliation) on the OJS submission form yourself — Mahmood is not the contact for the journal.
• A mentor/co-author is optional, not required. If you already have a supervisor, mentor, or co-investigator, include them. If you do not, leave that field blank and submit without one.
• Mahmood Ahmad must not be first author or corresponding author. His role, where included, is Conceptualization, Methodology, Software, Data curation; not original drafting.
• Competing interests: none declared. (Mahmood is not on the Synthēsis editorial board; there's no COI to disclose.)

How to submit to ◆ Synthēsis (OJS, step-by-step)

Synthēsis runs on OJS (Open Journal Systems). The flow is the same for every paper.

Step 1 — Prepare the manuscript file

• Microsoft Word .docx, A4 page, 1.5 line spacing, 2.5 cm margins.
• Font: 11-pt Calibri OR 12-pt Times New Roman (consistent throughout).
• Order: Title · Authors + ORCIDs + affiliations · Body · References · Data availability · Ethics · Funding · Competing interests · CRediT · AI disclosure · Copyright line.
• Body length: paste your 156-word, 7-sentence E156 rewrite verbatim — that is the submission. The journal caps main text at ≤400 words, but the E156 format deliberately targets 156 words; do NOT pad to 400. References, tables, figures, and captions don't count against the 400 ceiling anyway.
• References: Vancouver / numeric, NLM journal abbreviations, DOI without URL prefix; up to 6 authors then "et al.". Two starter refs are already in your card's SUBMISSION METADATA — keep them, add more as needed.
• Copy/paste these blocks unchanged from the SUBMISSION METADATA on your card: Data availability, Ethics, Funding, Competing interests ("None declared."), CRediT, AI disclosure. If the CRediT block mentions a supervising faculty author and you are submitting without one, remove that placeholder line.
• Copyright line at the very bottom: © The Author(s) 2026. CC BY 4.0.

Step 2 — Register / login

• Register: synthesis-medicine.org/.../register — use your ORCID where possible, tick the Author role.
• Login: synthesis-medicine.org/.../login

Step 3 — OJS 5-step submission wizard

1. Start — Section: pick whatever section is listed on YOUR card's Target journal: ◆ Synthēsis block (one of Methods Note, Short Meta-Analysis, or Brief Update). The section is preassigned per paper — you don't need to reason about which one fits. Language: English. Tick all 5 submission-checklist items. Agree to CC-BY-4.0 copyright + privacy.
2. Upload File — upload your .docx. Component: "Article Text".
3. Enter Metadata — paste the title; paste YOUR REWRITE (the 156-word body) verbatim as the abstract — the E156 7-sentence structure is the abstract, no shortening needed; add 4-6 keywords; add ALL contributors with ORCIDs and affiliations IN ORDER:
   • 1st = YOU (first author + corresponding author — enter your email as the contact address)
   • Mahmood Ahmad · ORCID 0000-0001-9107-3704 · mahmood.ahmad2@nhs.net · Tahir Heart Institute, Rabwah, Pakistan. Do NOT tick "corresponding author" on this row.
   • Optional: your mentor, supervisor, or co-investigator if you have one. This is not required.
   Then paste the Vancouver references.
4. Confirmation — review and click "Finish Submission".
5. Next Steps — note the submission ID shown on screen. You'll need it for the next step.

Step 4 — Confirm on this board

• Come back to this page, find your card, click ✓ Confirm submission, and paste your OJS submission ID (or DOI once minted). Your card flips to SUBMITTED. The countdown stops.

Fallback: if the OJS site is down, try again after a few hours — do NOT email a .docx to a personal address. The canonical submission channel is the Synthēsis OJS submission wizard. Still confirm here once you complete the submission so the board updates.