Submission readiness

Evidence boundary: This dossier explains the evidence and reasoning behind an Analysis article. It does not establish that DMICP caused harm, contains the civilian defects described, is unsafe, or fails DCB0129/DCB0160. Evidence cut-off: 15 July 2026.

This checklist separates completed project preparation from decisions and approvals that only accountable human authors and the relevant organisations can provide. Journal requirements must be rechecked in ScholarOne on the day of submission.

Status record

Any manuscript change after clearance must create a new version and checksum and must be assessed for re-review. Only non-sensitive completion metadata should be recorded here; clearance comments and protected reference numbers belong in the controlled system of record.

Current draft controls

• [x] Article framed as Analysis, not Original Research.
• [x] 232-word unstructured abstract.
• [x] 1,548-word main text against the currently recorded 2,000-word limit.
• [x] Three-part key-message box.
• [x] One table and no figures against the currently recorded maximum of six combined.
• [x] Thirty Vancouver references against the currently recorded maximum of 30.
• [x] Word submission draft generated from the canonical Markdown manuscript.
• [x] AI-use declaration and human-accountability wording included.
• [x] Every manuscript reference mapped to a stable project source record.
• [x] Word rendering, accessibility, table geometry and both Zensical profiles checked on 15 July 2026.

Current format and policy controls are recorded in the journal instructions (SRC-159), BMJ formatting guidance (SRC-160) and BMJ AI policy (SRC-161).

Evidence refresh and factual review

• [ ] Re-run the literature search to the submission date.
• [ ] Recheck CORTISONE procurement, rollout, migration and retirement status.
• [ ] Recheck DCB0129/DCB0160 review status and any replacement publications.
• [ ] Verify every URL, DOI, author list, journal citation, report number and publication date.
• [ ] Confirm that every factual proposition remains within the boundary recorded in the evidence and argument map.
• [ ] Confirm that author-supplied operational context has not been presented as independent public evidence.
• [ ] Confirm that “unknown” has not been converted into absent, non-compliant, unsafe or unassured.

Human authorship and accountability

• [ ] Confirm the complete human author list and order.
• [ ] Add affiliations, qualifications and ORCID identifiers.
• [ ] Name the corresponding author and provide contact details.
• [ ] Record each author's contribution using the journal's required taxonomy.
• [ ] Name one human guarantor.
• [ ] Have every author read and approve the final manuscript and references.
• [ ] Confirm that AI is not listed as an author and that the AI-use statement remains accurate after revision.

Governance, ethics and declarations

• [ ] Obtain the required institutional review or determination.
• [ ] Obtain and record MOD publication and security clearance.
• [ ] Confirm funding and the role of any funder.
• [ ] Obtain competing-interest declarations from every author, including relevant MOD, DMS, programme, supplier and advisory roles.
• [ ] Confirm the patient-consent statement.
• [ ] Confirm the ethics statement.
• [ ] Confirm the data-availability statement.
• [ ] Confirm the MOD disclaimer and any required Crown copyright wording.

Final manuscript package

• [ ] Recheck the current BMJ Military Health instructions and ScholarOne fields on submission day.
• [ ] Confirm final title, running title, abstract and keywords.
• [ ] Ensure author details and declarations are present in the locations required by the submission system.
• [ ] Rebuild the Word file from the canonical manuscript.
• [ ] Inspect every rendered page, table and reference after the final human revision.
• [ ] Remove drafting instructions and unresolved completion text from the submission copy.
• [ ] Confirm the final word, table/figure and reference counts.
• [ ] Record the approved file checksum and evidence cut-off.
• [ ] Obtain accountable human sign-off for upload and submission.

Current release gate

Status: not yet cleared for journal submission. The author draft and technical preparation are complete, but human authorship, source verification, declarations, institutional determination and MOD publication/security clearance remain open.