AG-T09: Brief Communication — Compact IMRaD Structure for Reporting Preliminary Findings

A Practical Guide to Submitting Pilot and Exploratory Studies to the Georgian Medical Journal

Abstract

The GMJ Author Toolkit (AG-T09) provides a structured, self-contained guide for the preparation and submission of Brief Communication manuscripts in accordance with international academic standards. A Brief Communication is a short original research article reporting a single focused finding from a pilot, exploratory, or small-scale study using a compact IMRaD structure.

The guide is organized into three components: (1) theoretical foundations explaining the distinction between Brief Communication and full Original Research, including appropriate use for preliminary findings and pilot studies; (2) a comprehensive pre-submission checklist ensuring adherence to strict word limits, ethical requirements, and reporting standards; and (3) a complete worked example demonstrating concise Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion sections, including correct reporting of confidence intervals and explicit statement of study limitations.

Particular emphasis is placed on methodological completeness despite brevity, including ethics approval or exemption, sample size justification, and reporting of key outcomes with appropriate statistical measures. By combining concise writing principles with academic rigor, this resource supports authors in producing high-quality, publication-ready Brief Communications for the Georgian Medical Journal.