For Authors

About JAMA

Phil B. Fontanarosa, MD, MBA

Interim Editor in Chief

JAMA, published continuously since 1883, is an international peer-reviewed general medical journal. JAMA is a member of the JAMA Network, a consortium of peer-reviewed, general medical and specialty publications.

Journal Reach. JAMA is the most widely circulated general medical journal in the world, with more than 293,000 recipients of the print journal, more than 1.8 million recipients of electronic tables of contents and alerts, and over 57 million annual visits to the journal's website. JAMA's reach includes a growing social media presence (more than 956,000 followers on Twitter and Facebook) and vast international news media exposure.

Frequency of Publication and Access. JAMA is published 48 times per year in print/online issues, and new articles are published every weekday online. Without any author fees, all research articles are made free access online 6 months after publication on the JAMA website. In addition, the online version is freely available or nearly so to institutions in low- and middle-income countries through the World Health Organization's HINARI program.

Editorial Information. JAMA's acceptance rate is 7% of the more than 17,000 annual submissions and 3% of the more than 10,000 research papers received. The median time for an initial editorial decision for submitted manuscripts is 2 days; the median time from submission to acceptance for all articles is 30 days, and 17 days from acceptance to online publication (for additional information, see the JAMA Editorial). JAMA's Impact Factor is 56.3. For more information on the types of articles published and editorial policies, see the journal's Instructions for Authors.

Editorial Team. The Interim Editor in Chief of JAMA is Phil B. Fontanarosa, MD, MBA. See the Editors & Publishers for additional information on the journal's Editors and Editorial Board.

JAMA is a member of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, cosponsors the International Congress on Peer Review and Biomedical Publication, and is a member of the African Journal Partnership Project and is partnered with the Malawi Medical Journal.

JAMA's Key and Critical Objectives

Key Objective

To promote the science and art of medicine and the betterment of the public health

Critical Objectives

1. To maintain the highest standards of editorial integrity and quality independent of any special interests
2. To publish original, important, valid, peer-reviewed articles on a diverse range of medical topics
3. To promote and address diversity, equity, and inclusion within the journal and in medical research, clinical care, health policy, and society
4. To foster responsible and balanced debate on important issues that affect medicine, health, health care, and health policy
5. To provide physicians with continuing education in basic and clinical science to support informed clinical decisions and ongoing career development
6. To enable physicians to remain informed in multiple areas of medicine, including developments in fields other than their own
7. To improve health and health care internationally by elevating the quality of medical care, disease prevention, and research
8. To inform readers about the various aspects of medicine and public health, including the cultural, sociopolitical, ethical, legal, environmental, economic, structural, and historical
9. To recognize that, in addition to these specific objectives, JAMA has a social responsibility to improve equity and the total human condition, promulgate truth in science and medicine, and promote the integrity of science
10. To achieve the highest level of ethical medical journalism and to produce a publication that is timely, credible, and enjoyable to read
11. To use technologies to drive innovation and improve the communication of and access to journal content

JAMA
ISSN 0098-7484 (Print)
ISSN 1538-3598 (Online)

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Why Publish in JAMA?

Published since 1883, JAMA offers unparalleled reach and an author-friendly approach from manuscript submission through publication. JAMA reaches physicians, other health professionals, researchers, policy makers, librarians, journalists, and others interested in medicine and public health throughout the world. JAMA provides the following:

Impact and Reach

• Impact Factor of 56.3, one of the highest in medicine and science
• Over 57 million annual article views and downloads and the largest print circulation of any general medical journal, with more than 293,000 recipients worldwide
• Extensive press coverage, with more than 200,000 media mentions in 2020 and 2021 in outlets such as The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, CNN, and Reuters
• Top Altmetric scores—JAMA published 5 of the top articles among general medical journals
• Highlights of your article via weekly JAMA issue summary podcasts, audio and video interviews, and visual abstracts
• Broad reach, with more than 1.8 million recipients of electronic alerts (eTable of Contents and Online First) and more than 956,000 followers on Twitter and Facebook

Prompt Decisions and Rapid Publication Timelines

• Highly selective peer review and editorial evaluation, with 7% acceptance rate of the more than 17,000 annual submissions; 3% acceptance of the more than 10,000 research papers
• Median time to first decision: 2 days without external peer review; 31 days with review
• Fast publication: Median time from acceptance to online first publication for research manuscripts, 14 days; 48 days from acceptance to print publication
• Expedited peer review and online publication for select clinical trials, other major studies, or reports with urgent public health importance
• Coordination with meeting presentation: Opportunity to publish new research simultaneously with your presentation

Author Service

JAMA offers unparalleled reach and an author-friendly approach, from manuscript submission through publication.

• User-friendly manuscript submission system and process
• Prompt, expert review and consideration from JAMA's experienced editors
• Highest editorial standards followed to improve your accepted manuscript's accuracy, reliability, and readability
• CME credit available for lead authors who publish in JAMA
• Opportunity for your work to be augmented with expert illustration, interactive features, video, audio, and visual abstract
• Display of content on new, fast, device-responsive website with split screen presentation of article
• Citations, views, and Altmetric score displayed with every article
• Free public access: All research articles are freely available 6 months after publication on the JAMA website
• Direct deposit to PubMed Central: All research articles deposited directly in PubMed Central (PMC) for authors
• JAMA Network advantage: Authors of papers not accepted by JAMA may have the option to have their papers and reviewers' comments automatically referred to one of the JAMA Network Specialty Journals and/or JAMA Network Open
• Dedicated media team to promote your article to the news media and on social media

JAMA Network journals welcome manuscript submissions on diversity, equity, and inclusion. For example, see the Health Disparities Topic Collection and the list of articles on race, racism, and racial/ethnic disparities/inequities published during the last 5 years here.

For more information, see JAMA's Mission and Objectives and Instructions for Authors.

Submit your manuscript at https://manuscripts.jama.com.

Questions? Contact us at jamams@jamanetwork.org or call 312-464-4444.

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Updated August 2021