American Journal of Pathology

American Journal of Pathology
Title	American Journal of Pathology
Discipline	Pathology
Abbreviation	Am. J. Pathol.
Publisher	American Society for Investigative Pathology
Country	United States
Frequency	Monthly
History	1896–present

American Journal of Pathology is a peer-reviewed medical journal covering research in human disease mechanisms, experimental pathology, and translational investigation. It publishes original research, reviews, and commentaries that bridge laboratory models and clinical implications and is affiliated with a major professional society in the United States. The journal interfaces with a wide network of academic institutions, funding agencies, and clinical centers across North America, Europe, and Asia.

History

Launched in the late 19th century during a period of institutional expansion in biomedical research, the journal emerged alongside organizations such as Johns Hopkins University, Massachusetts General Hospital, Mayo Clinic, Columbia University, and Harvard Medical School. Early editorial interactions involved figures linked to Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research, Boston Medical Library, University of Pennsylvania, Yale School of Medicine, and the University of Chicago. Throughout the 20th century it paralleled developments at National Institutes of Health, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Mount Sinai Hospital (Manhattan), and Stanford University School of Medicine. In later decades editorial leadership included contributors associated with University of California, San Francisco, University of Michigan, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and Washington University in St. Louis. The journal’s archives reflect interactions with funding and oversight entities such as the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Wellcome Trust, Medical Research Council (United Kingdom), European Molecular Biology Laboratory, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Key historical transitions correspond with shifts at American Society for Experimental Pathology, American Society for Investigative Pathology, International Society for Experimental Hematology, Society for Leukocyte Biology, and major meetings at venues like Society for Neuroscience and American Association for Cancer Research.

Scope and Focus

The journal emphasizes mechanistic studies linking cellular and molecular findings to disease phenotypes, attracting submissions from investigators affiliated with National Cancer Institute, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Cleveland Clinic, and Scripps Research. Topics span oncology, immunopathology, renal pathology, pulmonary disease, cardiovascular pathology, and neurodegeneration, connecting to work at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, Max Planck Society, Institut Pasteur, and University College London. Methodological coverage includes histopathology, molecular genetics, proteomics, and imaging approaches developed at Broad Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, and specialized centers such as The Jackson Laboratory.

Editorial Board and Peer Review

The editorial board comprises clinicians and scientists from institutions like Brigham and Women's Hospital, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Toronto, University of Oxford, and McGill University. Associate editors and reviewers are often specialists with appointments at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Imperial College London, University of Cambridge, and Karolinska University Hospital. The peer-review process aligns with standards upheld by organizations such as Committee on Publication Ethics and integrates practices adopted at meetings like International Committee of Medical Journal Editors and World Association of Medical Editors. Editorial policies reference guidelines used by entities including European Society of Pathology, American Board of Pathology, and major grantors such as National Science Foundation.

Publication and Access Model

Published monthly, the journal operates under a hybrid access model balancing subscription revenue and author-choice open access, similar to arrangements at Nature Publishing Group, Elsevier, Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford University Press, and Springer Nature. Authors affiliated with universities like Princeton University, Yale University, Cornell University, Brown University, and Duke University commonly use institutional agreements to cover open-access fees. The journal’s online platform supports digital archiving with services provided by partners akin to Portico, CLOCKSS, and consortia such as HathiTrust. Production workflows intersect with indexing and metadata standards used by CrossRef, PubMed Central, and Scopus.

Abstracting and Indexing

Abstracting and indexing include major databases and catalogues comparable to MEDLINE, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and EMBASE, ensuring discoverability alongside journals from The Lancet, New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, Cell, and Nature Medicine. Bibliometric tracking is performed using services similar to Journal Citation Reports, Google Scholar, Dimensions, and Altmetric.

Impact and Reception

The journal has been cited in landmark studies and reviews produced by investigators associated with Nobel Prize-winning laboratories, prominent cancer centers, and translational consortia. Its impact factor trajectories reflect citation patterns comparable to specialty journals in pathology and translational medicine and influence hiring and promotion decisions at institutions like University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, University of Washington School of Medicine, and Emory University School of Medicine. Reception among clinical pathologists and research scientists is shaped by symposia and position statements coordinated with societies such as American Society of Clinical Oncology and Association of Pathology Chairs.

Notable Articles and Contributions

Notable contributions include mechanistic studies on tumor microenvironment, inflammation, fibrosis, and organ-specific pathology cited alongside breakthroughs from Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, RIKEN, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and Institute of Cancer Research (UK). Influential articles have influenced practice guidelines and research priorities referenced by panels at National Comprehensive Cancer Network, World Health Organization, Food and Drug Administration, European Medicines Agency, and multidisciplinary consortia including P4 Medicine Institute and Human Cell Atlas initiatives.

Category:Medical journals Category:Pathology journals