Descriptions, summaries, or observations that lack the systematic rigor of original research or systematic reviews may be published as Case Reports (for patient descriptions), Clinical Observations, Special Articles, or Special Communications. To merit publication, such articles should make novel observations that can stimulate research or should provide useful information about topics of particular interest to a journal’s readership. Since the scientific value of single case reports is often limited, many journals prefer to consider them as Letters to the Editor and publish them only if they make a unique observation that merits more systematic investigation. Some medical journals publish case ...
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