Writing for publication: case reports

A publishable case report in the field of lactation consulting informs readers about some new or unexpected facet of lactation (the production of milk) or breastfeeding (the act of infant feeding). It increases our understanding of this physiological process and improves our ability to resolve breastfeeding problems. The Introduction should state the topic and why it is important. The Description should vividly describe the essential elements needed to understand the case; the Summary should discuss evidence from one's own observations and from pertinent literature that defends one's own observations and from pertinent literature that defends one's conclusions, and it should state how this information will be useful clinically. Having decided on the intended readership and a journal to which to submit the manuscript, and searched the literature for similar cases, the investigator has enough perspective to begin preparing a case report.