Archives of Disease in Childhood

Archives of Disease in Childhood is a peer-reviewed medical journal focused on paediatric research, clinical practice, and public health related to infants, children, and adolescents. Established in 1926, it serves clinicians, researchers, and policy makers engaged with child health across tertiary centres, community clinics, and international health organisations. The journal publishes original research, reviews, commentaries, and evidence-based guidelines that intersect with paediatric subfields, global health, and health systems.

History

The journal was founded in 1926 during a period of expansion in paediatric institutions and professional societies such as the British Paediatric Association and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. Early editorial leadership drew contributors from prominent hospitals and universities including Great Ormond Street Hospital, Guy's Hospital, University College London, and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. During the mid-20th century the journal reflected debates shaped by figures and institutions including the National Health Service, the Medical Research Council, and public health campaigns influenced by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Landmark clinical topics published over decades paralleled advances led by clinicians and researchers associated with institutions like Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard Medical School, Johns Hopkins University, and children's hospitals in Toronto and Boston. The late 20th and early 21st centuries saw editorial stewardship adapt to changes in publishing led by groups such as BMJ Publishing Group and digital initiatives pioneered by publishers familiar to readers of The Lancet and The New England Journal of Medicine.

Scope and Content

The journal covers a broad range of paediatric areas, including neonatology, paediatric cardiology, developmental paediatrics, paediatric oncology, infectious diseases, respiratory paediatrics, paediatric neurology, adolescent medicine, and child mental health. Articles often address clinical trials conducted at centres such as Great Ormond Street Hospital, Royal Children’s Hospital (Melbourne), Boston Children's Hospital, SickKids (Toronto), and UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital. Content intersects with guideline-producing bodies and research funders like NICE, the National Institute for Health Research, the European Medicines Agency, the US Food and Drug Administration, and the Wellcome Trust. Public health and global child health topics engage organisations such as WHO, UNICEF, Médecins Sans Frontières, Save the Children, and Gavi. The journal regularly features systematic reviews, meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, case series, and policy analyses relevant to practitioners affiliated with institutions including King's College London, Imperial College London, University of Edinburgh, Stanford University, Yale University, and the Karolinska Institutet.

Editorial and Publishing Details

Editorial governance has included editors drawn from academic medical centres and learned societies such as the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, the British Paediatric Association, and university faculties at Oxford, Cambridge, and UCL. The publisher, BMJ Publishing Group, coordinates peer review, production, and distribution alongside editorial boards comprising members from Johns Hopkins University, Harvard, University of Toronto, University of Melbourne, and University of Cape Town. The journal follows publishing standards aligned with the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, the Committee on Publication Ethics, and reporting guidelines such as CONSORT and PRISMA, which are also promoted by journals including The BMJ, The Lancet, and Pediatrics. Access models have included subscription and hybrid open access options familiar to readers of journals like JAMA and New England Journal of Medicine; digital platforms support online-first publication and article-level metrics used across scholarly publishers including Elsevier and Springer Nature.

Abstracting and Indexing

Archives of Disease in Childhood is indexed and abstracted in major bibliographic databases and indexing services used by clinicians and researchers working at institutions such as PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and CINAHL. Citation tracking and impact assessments occur alongside metrics reported by Clarivate Analytics and indexing used by academic libraries at Harvard, Oxford, Cambridge, and the University of Tokyo. The journal’s presence in indexing databases supports literature searches conducted by specialists associated with professional organisations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, European Society for Paediatric Research, and the International Pediatric Association.

Impact and Reception

The journal has had measurable influence on clinical practice, guideline development, and paediatric research agendas; notable citations and discussions have occurred in venues such as The Lancet, BMJ, JAMA, and specialty journals including Pediatrics, Pediatric Research, and Journal of Pediatrics. Its articles have informed policy debates in ministries of health, academic departments at institutions like Johns Hopkins, University College London, and University of Sydney, and global health programmes run by WHO and UNICEF. The journal’s impact factor and citation metrics are tracked by Clarivate and Scopus, and its editorial content is cited in clinical guidelines from NICE, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and European professional societies. Reception among clinicians and researchers reflects recognition of the journal as a longstanding venue for paediatric scholarship alongside contemporaries such as Pediatrics and The Journal of Pediatric Surgery, and it continues to contribute to debates involving institutions, researchers, and policy makers across the paediatric field.

Category:Paediatrics journals Category:BMJ Group academic journals