IJMSC Webinar Series Guides MS Clinicians From Idea to Publication

A new 4-part webinar series from the International Journal of MS Care (IJMSC) walks multiple sclerosis (MS) clinicians through the publishing cycle, from finding a research question to serving as a peer reviewer.^1-4 Throughout the series of relatively short videos, IJMSC editor-in-chief François Bethoux, MD, hosts each installment alongside associate editors Elizabeth S. Gromisch, PhD, MSCS, and M. Alissa Willis, MD. The journal developed the series in consultation with the International Organization of Multiple Sclerosis Nurses (IOMSN).

The webinars are intended for all clinicians, particularly nurses and early-career researchers, who encounter publishable questions in daily practice but have little experience moving them through the manuscript process. The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) annual meeting alone produces about 150 posters each year, many from students and early-career researchers.² The editors argue a poster reaches only a limited audience until it becomes a published paper.

How to Turn MS Clinical Observations and Posters Into Manuscripts

In the first webinar, Bethoux and Gromisch outline where publishable ideas originate, including unusual symptom presentations, unexpected treatment responses, new approaches to symptom management, and quality improvement programs.¹ A literature search, ideally with help from a mentor or an academic librarian, confirms whether a true knowledge gap exists. The shape of the gap then points to the paper type, such as a case series for a recurring, unreported phenomenon or a systematic review for reconciling conflicting results.¹

>>>WATCH WEBINAR 1: From the Spark of an Idea to a Published Paper: IJMSC Webinar 1

The editors recommend funneling the introduction toward a 1- or 2-sentence thesis statement without overpromising on the paper's contribution. Bethoux also cautioned against copying a published poster abstract into a manuscript, since doing so constitutes self-plagiarism, and Gromisch pointed first-time authors toward the IOMSN mentorship program.¹

The second webinar focuses on converting a conference poster into a full-length article using the introduction, methods, results, and discussion (IMRAD) format.² Methods should document demographics, inclusion criteria, and the psychometric properties of every measure in enough detail for replication. Results should pair statistical significance with clinical significance, such as effect sizes or minimal clinically important differences.²

>>>WATCH WEBINAR 2: From Conference Poster to Manuscript: IJMSC Webinar 2

Gromisch advised authors to settle authorship order and each contributor's role early, and to aim for submission within 90 days of the poster presentation.² Bethoux addressed artificial intelligence (AI) directly, noting AI use is generally not prohibited but must be disclosed, including the platform used and its specific role, such as language editing.²

"AI is never considered an author at this point, and this is not going to happen in the near future. You are the author," Bethoux said during the webinar.²

Literature Review and Peer Review Guidance for MS Clinicians

In the third webinar, Bethoux and Willis distinguish systematic reviews from scoping reviews.³ Systematic reviews answer precise clinical questions, often framed with the PICO model (participant, intervention, comparison, outcome), and require a risk-of-bias assessment for every included study. Scoping reviews map broad fields or locate research gaps using the PCC framework (population, concept, context).³

>>>WATCH WEBINAR 3: Searching With Purpose: Building a Literature Review IJMSC Webinar 3

The editors recommend Medical Subject Headings (MeSH), a structured search string, and backward and forward citation searching from a set of high-quality seed references. Willis described a scoping review of progressive MS which took more than a year to complete, during which a medical librarian set up a monthly automated search to keep her citations current.³ For formal systematic reviews, the editors advise screening in rounds with at least 2 reviewers and preregistering the protocol on PROSPERO.³

The final webinar turns to peer review, starting with which invitations to accept.⁴ Willis and Bethoux encourage first-time reviewers to stay within their expertise, flag gaps such as unfamiliar statistics to the editor, and consider a mentored review, which IJMSC permits when disclosed. Prompt declines, ideally with suggested alternate reviewers, help keep editorial decisions on schedule.⁴

>>>WATCH WEBINAR 4: Peer Review: How to Prepare and What to Write IJMSC Webinar 4

The editors suggest reading a manuscript several times, setting a calendar check-in at the halfway point to the deadline, and working from a section-by-section checklist. Bethoux also pointed reviewers to the TARCiS statement for evaluating how authors report citation searching.⁴ Confidential comments to the editor offer a place for concerns not suited to the authors.

"There's nothing more discouraging for a new author than a rude or unhelpful reviewer," Willis said during the webinar.⁴

References

1. Bethoux F, Gromisch ES. From the spark of an idea to a published paper: IJMSC webinar 1. International Journal of MS Care. Published October 7, 2026. Accessed October 28, 2026. https://www.ijmsc.org/view/spark-webinar-1

2. Bethoux F, Gromisch ES. From conference poster to manuscript: IJMSC webinar 2. International Journal of MS Care. Published October 14, 2026. Accessed October 28, 2026. https://www.ijmsc.org/view/poster-to-manuscript-webinar-2

3. Bethoux F, Willis MA. Searching with purpose: building a literature review. IJMSC webinar 3. International Journal of MS Care. Published October 21, 2026. Accessed October 28, 2026. https://www.ijmsc.org/view/literature-review-webinar-3

4. Bethoux F, Willis MA. Peer review: how to prepare and what to write. IJMSC webinar 4. International Journal of MS Care. Published October 28, 2026. Accessed October 28, 2026. https://www.ijmsc.org/view/peer-review-webinar-4