Fast track submission must be made through our online editorial office (Benchpress). Our fast track procedure is for papers of exceptional clinical importance and urgency or where there is a public policy reason for urgent publication.

• Please ensure that your paper matches the BMJ’s format for the type of paper and contains the information required in all BMJ manuscripts.
• Please go to our online editorial office and fill out the necessary information on authors, addresses, possible reviewers, and competing interests and upload your manuscript file.
• Please make clear in your covering letter why you are seeking fast track publication.
• When you submit your paper please suggest three or four people who might be suitable reviewers for your paper and give their contact details (including email).
• We will tell you by the end of the next working day whether we can offer fast track assessment. If we decide not to we may offer to consider your paper in the normal way.
• If we do fast track your paper we will send it to reviewers and reserve a place for it at the next editorial meeting, at which we make our final decisions about publication. You will have a reply within 24 hours of that meeting.
• In return we will need the revised manuscript within 48 hours of your receiving our decision.
• Once the final paper has been edited we will need proofs returned within 24 hours.
• If the paper is accepted we will aim to publish it within four weeks of its registration. Exceptions include the situation where a theme issue is planned for a particular date, when the paper arrives over a public holiday, you when you want longer than 48 hours to revise the manuscript, or as otherwise negotiated.