For Authors

About JAMA

Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, MAS

Editor in Chief

Gregory Curfman, MD

Executive Editor

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 125,000 recipients of the print journal, more than 2.6 million recipients of electronic tables of contents and alerts, and over 30 million annual visits to the journal's website. JAMA's reach includes a growing social media presence (more than 1.3 million social media followers [Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn]) 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 13% of the more than 10,000 annual submissions and 6% of the more than 5,000 research manuscripts received. JAMA's Journal Impact Factor is 63.1, among the top 5 journals in medicine and science. For information about JAMA’s reach and impact, decision and publication timelines, and author services, see below and the JAMA Editorial. For more information on the types of articles published and editorial policies, see the journal's Instructions for Authors.

Editorial Team. The Editor in Chief of JAMA is Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, MAS. 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

• Journal Impact Factor of 63.1, among the top 5 journals in medicine and science
• Broad reach, with more than 2.6 million recipients of electronic alerts (eTable of Contents and Online First) and more than 1.3 million social media followers (Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn)
• Over 62 million annual article views and downloads and the largest print circulation of any general medical journal, with more than 125,000 recipients worldwide
• Extensive press coverage, with over 122,000 media mentions in 2023 and 2024 in outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, and the BBC
• Top Altmetric scores—JAMA published 14 of the top 50 articles among general medical journals
• Highlights of your article via weekly JAMA issue summary podcasts, audio and video interviews, and visual abstracts

Prompt Decisions and Rapid Publication Timelines

• Highly selective peer review and editorial evaluation, with 13% acceptance rate of the more than 10,000 annual submissions; 6% acceptance of the more than 5,000 research papers
• Median time to first decision: 3 days without external peer review; 31 days with review
• Fast publication: Median time from acceptance to online first publication for research manuscripts, 37 days; 47 days from acceptance to print publication
• JAMA Express: Expedited peer review and online publication within 4 weeks of submission for late-breaking research to be presented at major scientific meetings and those with time-sensitive findings of major clinical or 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 fast, device-responsive website
• 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
• Deposit to PubMed Central: The journal deposits all published research articles into PubMed Central (PMC) for authors
• Authors may post accepted research manuscripts in public repositories on or after publication provided that they link to the published article on the journal website
• 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

Commitment to Equity

• JAMA Network journals welcome manuscript submissions on equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI).
• For more information, see the JAMA Network EDI Editors, Policies, and Topic Collection

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 July 2024