Submitting to Synapses

Submission Guidelines — 2024-2025

Synapses seeks top quality original works of poetry, artwork, photography, fiction and non-fiction. We are open to a wide range of forms and styles.

Fiction & Non-Fiction:

• Must be 3,500 words or fewer, including excerpts and quotes of fewer than 50 words
• Submit as Word document

Poetry:

• All types will be considered
• Submit as Word document

Artwork & Photography:

• All types will be considered
• Resolution must be 300 dpi or higher
• Submit as a digital file (.jpg or .tif)
• For non-digital artwork: please scan your artwork if possible (e.g., drawings, paintings, collages) to create a digital file. If it is not possible to scan it (e.g., sculptures), please submit at least one photo of the artwork. You can submit multiple photographs of one piece (which will be considered as one submission) if more than one image is needed to capture different angles or views of 3-D art.
• Please include a brief artist's statement about the artwork or photograph
• For artwork, please indicate the medium used (for example, "pencil on paper," "acrylic paint on canvas," "digital artwork using Procreate")

Synapses Cover Image

• Submissions in this category will be considered for display on the front cover of the 2025 issue of Synapses
• Submissions should show an artistic rendition of the synapses
• Include an artist statement explaining how your work represents the journal and its themes
• Resolution must be 300 dpi or higher
• Submit as a digital file (.jpg or .tif)
• Submissions in this category which are not chosen for the cover will still be considered for publication in the journal

An Additional Note for Alumni:

Alumni non-fiction submissions may be considered for inclusion in the “Alumni Retrospectives” section.  Please consider the following three questions in your non-fiction submission if you would like your work to be considered for this section:

• How would you evaluate your experiences in life as a physician?
• What lessons about humanity and the human condition emerge from your experiences in life as physician?
• What could medical students today learn from these lessons?

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Any use of artificial intelligence in submitted works must be disclosed upon submission. This disclosure should be included in the artist's statement for visual works, and in the submitted Word document for written works, and should include the name of the AI tool(s) used and an explanation of the extent to which AI contributed to the final work. Submissions created with the use or assistance of AI tools will be considered by our editors on a case-by-case basis. AI works are not categorically disqualified, but our board will consider how much individual effort was put into creating the piece.

Any AI-generated image must be accompanied by the text of the prompt used to generate the image.

In general, works of writing (i.e., poetry and essays) that have been generated with the use of AI will not be accepted for publication unless the submitter includes a compelling rationalization or explains how individual human effort also contributed to the work.

Examples of AI works that are not likely to be considered for publication: 

• An AI-generated poem about medical school, with no other contribution from the submitter
• An AI-generated image using the prompt "drawing of a doctor with a patient"

Any submission that is flagged as having been created with the use or assistance of AI, when such use was not disclosed by the submitter, will be automatically disqualified from consideration.

How to Submit

Synapses uses the university's secure Brightspace by D2L to facilitate submission and review of creative works. Anonymous submissions will not be considered for review. You must have an RFU HelixNet account to use D2L. For alumni who are interested in submitting to Synapses but do not have a HelixNet account, please send us your works directly by emailing them to synapses@rosalindfranklin.edu.

For students, faculty, staff, residents and fellows, follow the steps below to submit using D2L:

1. Log on to Brightspace by D2L using your HelixNet account.
2. Self-enroll in the course SYN300 - Synapses 2024-2025.
   • On the D2L home page, click "Self Registration" (upper, left, under the RFU logo).
   • Select the course SYN300 - Synapses 2024-2025.
   • Click "Register."
   • Fill out the required information and click "Submit."
   • Synapses has now been added to your courses.
3. In the Synapses course on D2L, go to the Dropbox section and click on the category (Fiction, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Artwork/Photography, or Synapses Cover Image) for your submission.
4. Use the "Add a File" button to submit your file. If you are submitting artwork or photography, include a brief artist's statement in the Comments section. For artwork, please also include the medium used (e.g., "ink on paper," "mixed media on canvas").

Editorial Review

Submissions to Synapses are considered by our team of reviewers and our team of editors (Synapses Editorial Board). Our team will read all submissions, with each submission being considered by at least two reviewers. All works that are approved by the reviewers will then be considered by at least two editors.

Administrators will remove names and other indications of identity before submissions are reviewed by reviewers and editors. We will circulate submissions among the editorial board members and make selections of the strongest submissions during editorial board meetings. We will inform authors whether or not their submissions are accepted for publication.

Bibliography

Authors are responsible for the accuracy of reference information in their submissions to Synapses. They are also required to follow the American Medical Association citation style. Citations should be numbered consecutively in the submission, with references at the end.

Copyright

The journal is copyrighted, with rights reverting to the author on publication. Chicago Medical School may reprint artworks and photography (with attribution) to decorate spaces on campus or to promote Synapses or Synapses-related events.

Standard of Acceptance

Creative works that are not consistent with the values of Rosalind Franklin University will not be accepted. The core values of the Rosalind Franklin University are Collaboration, Excellence, Innovation, Integrity, Justice, Respect and Scholarship.