Original submissions only

Inspiring Physicians can only accept original submissions, for copyright reasons. We understand that authors may have been invited to write an obituary for more than one publication. E.g. BMJ, national newspaper, specialty journal. It is important that any submission to Inspiring Physicians is substantially different to those submitted elsewhere (unless the other publication has given permission for the text to be re-published).

Author
The author should have known the fellow either personally or professionally. The author need not be a fellow themselves. We also welcome collaboratively written obituaries.

Length
Our obituaries are usually between 250 and 1,000 words in length. 

Deadlines
We do not have set deadlines at present, but contributors on average take up to three months to write an obituary. We encourage writers to update us on their progress. If you no longer feel able to complete an entry, please let us know, along with any suggestions as to whom you think we could approach in your stead.

Preferred format for entries
Please submit the obituary as a Word document by email with the name(s) of the author(s). Type-written memoirs are also acceptable. We regret hand-written scripts cannot be accepted.

Your opening lines should command the attention of the reader. The best obituaries start with a summary or a condensed version of the achievements of the subject. Ideally, the rest of the memoir will be an interesting, accurate and honest summary of the highlights of the subject’s career and of their character. Please avoid a dry listing of the subject’s achievements, CV-style!

Please incorporate the following information into the piece where appropriate:

•    details of the subject’s family background, including place of birth, date of birth, names of parents
•    education (schools, universities, medical schools, fellowships etc)
•    junior posts
•    war service/National Service
•    definitive consultant appointment(s)
•    writing, research, including significant papers/books
•    membership of local, regional, national and international organisations
•    names of wives/husbands/civil partners and children. 

We encourage writers to include anecdotes and personal recollections as an effective means of capturing the ‘spirit’ of the subject. 

Reference sources should be quoted at the end of the obituary.

• Pubmed lists journal references.The British Library includes a comprehensive catalogue of books published in the UK; for US-published books see the Library of Congress catalogue; for Australian books see the Australian National Library catalogue 
• The British Medical Journal publishes obituaries every week.
• Obituaries published in The Independent,  The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian  are available free online: to access The Times obituaries you will need to pay a subscription (www.thetimes.co.uk).
• It is always worth searching online for the name of the deceased to find other resources
• Local and regional papers sometimes publish obituaries. These are very variable, but some areas are better served than others: The Camden New Journal, The Oxford Mail etc.
• You may want to check Who’s Who if your subject had a high profile. This is a yearly publication, and it may be worth checking previous editions. These may be available at your local public library. (Some local authorities also provide access to Who’s Who online for their library members.)
• It may be useful to contact the archives department of the hospital where the subject held their major appointment.

Resources for authors
The Royal College of Physicians may hold CVs, ‘biographical forms’ (which were filled out at the time of the subject’s election to the fellowship), and occasionally other material. Please contact us for more details.

The editor will verify all factual statements contained in the obituaries, including dates of qualifications and appointments, names, places and publication titles. The Harveian Librarian and editor reserve the right to edit submitted manuscripts, and to amend factual errors or contentious statements.

Please note: 

Entries should be unique to Inspiring Physicians. We cannot accept previously published obituaries (or texts about to be published). You may adapt a piece if you have had it published elsewhere, but please ask for guidance.

The series contains biographical summaries of doctors connected with the RCP since 1518. It is our policy to retain original entries, as first published, as a historical record of contemporary views.

Where later information challenges facts or generally accepted views within published entries, we include post publication additions, listing factual changes and citing authoritative sources.

We would love to have images of fellows to accompany their obituaries. If you have an image which you would like to add to an entry, please send it to us in JPEG format, as an email attachment. We have release forms which you can complete, confirming that you own the copyright and can license us to publish it on the website. Please email us at munksroll@rcp.ac.uk for the relevant forms, or if you have any questions about whether an image is suitable.

We encourage fellows to regularly update us on their careers and achievements during their lives. If you are a fellow, you can fill out our online form at any stage in your career to the obituary service.

If you would like to update your own biographical details use the biographical details update form 

If you would like to write an obituary or  notify the RCP of the death of a fellow, email: munksroll@rcp.ac.uk 

Please contact us if you need further clarification or advice. The easiest way to contact us is by email.

A glossary of terms used throughout the Inspiring Physicians database can be viewed on our glossary webpage.