JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association)

JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association)
Title	JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association)
Discipline	Medicine
Abbreviation	JAMA
Publisher	American Medical Association
Country	United States
History	1883–present
Frequency	Weekly
Impact factor	Highest among general medical journals (varies annually)

Contents

JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) is a weekly, peer-reviewed medical journal published by the American Medical Association that covers original clinical research, reviews, commentary, and editorials across a broad range of medical specialties. Founded in the late 19th century, the journal has been a central platform for influential studies and debates affecting clinicians associated with institutions such as Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Cleveland Clinic. Authors and readers include practitioners and researchers affiliated with Harvard Medical School, Stanford University School of Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, and international entities like World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

History

The journal was established in 1883 amid professional developments in American medicine involving figures and organizations such as William Osler, Abraham Flexner, American Medical Association founders, and contemporaneous institutions like Bellevue Hospital and NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital. During the Progressive Era and the interwar period, editors engaged with public health initiatives linked to Rudolf Virchow-influenced social medicine debates and policy discussions involving Rockefeller Foundation and Carnegie Institution. In the mid-20th century, JAMA published work by researchers from National Institutes of Health and reports connected with World War II–era biomedical advances. Coverage in the late 20th and early 21st centuries reflected collaborations and tensions among stakeholders such as Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, British Medical Journal, The New England Journal of Medicine, and major academic medical centers including Indiana University School of Medicine and University of Pennsylvania Health System.

JAMA publishes original research articles, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, clinical trials, practice guidelines, viewpoints, and case reports authored by investigators at organizations such as Karolinska Institute, Imperial College London, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, University of Toronto, and Peking University Health Science Center. Content spans specialties represented by professional societies like the American College of Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Heart Association, and American Psychiatric Association. The journal has featured multicenter randomized trials conducted at networks including ClinicalTrials.gov-registered consortia, cohort studies from Framingham Heart Study, and epidemiologic analyses drawing on data from UK Biobank and National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Reviews often synthesize guidelines and recommendations from bodies such as World Health Organization and U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

Editorial governance has involved editors-in-chief appointed by the American Medical Association editorial board and advisory committees with representatives from institutions like Columbia University Irving Medical Center and University of Chicago Medicine. The journal employs external peer review by experts affiliated with centers such as Mount Sinai Health System and Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and enforces policies on conflicts of interest involving entities like Pfizer, Roche, GlaxoSmithKline, and Johnson & Johnson. Manuscript submission and reporting standards align with guidelines promoted by organizations including International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, CONSORT, PRISMA, and STROBE. Ethical oversight references committee practices at institutions such as Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and compliance with declarations akin to those from Declaration of Helsinki-adopting bodies.

JAMA's articles have influenced clinical practice and policy across systems and settings represented by National Health Service (England), Medicare (United States), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and academic centers like Stanford Health Care. The journal is indexed alongside peers such as The Lancet and The New England Journal of Medicine in databases used by libraries at National Library of Medicine and institutions like Harvard University, University of Oxford, and University of Tokyo. Citation metrics and impact assessments reference tools maintained by Clarivate Analytics and scholarly evaluations by organizations such as Institute for Scientific Information. Reception has ranged from acclaim for landmark trials originating at Mayo Clinic to critique in editorials from journals like BMJ and commentary by advocacy groups including Doctors Without Borders.

Noteworthy publications include pivotal randomized trials and guideline-informing studies with authors from Brigham and Women's Hospital, Vanderbilt University, University of California, Los Angeles, and international collaborators from Karolinska Institute and University College London. JAMA has been the venue for high-profile reports and controversies involving data reproducibility, editorial independence disputes connected with the American Medical Association, and debates over industry funding from firms including Merck and AstraZeneca. Controversial retractions and expressions of concern have involved researchers associated with institutions like Duke University and prompted responses from regulatory agencies such as Food and Drug Administration and oversight bodies like Office of Research Integrity.

The journal is distributed in print and online, accessible through institutional subscriptions held by libraries at Columbia University, University of California, University of Toronto, and consortia such as the Research Libraries Group. Online content is abstracted and indexed in bibliographic resources managed by National Library of Medicine, Scopus (Elsevier), and Web of Science, and integrated into academic discovery systems used by universities including Yale University and University of Michigan. The journal participates in licensing arrangements with professional societies such as American College of Surgeons and supports educational use by residency programs at institutions like Massachusetts General Hospital and University of Pennsylvania Health System.

Category:Medical journals