Journal of Pediatric Surgery

Journal of Pediatric Surgery is a peer-reviewed medical journal covering surgical care for infants, children, and adolescents, emphasizing operative techniques, perioperative management, and outcomes research. Founded in the mid-20th century, the journal serves as a primary venue for clinical reports, randomized trials, cohort studies, and technical notes that influence practice across pediatric hospitals and children's centers. It attracts submissions from academic departments, tertiary referral centers, and professional societies, and is cited by work from major pediatric institutions, surgical academies, and guideline-producing bodies.

History

The journal was established in 1966 during a period of rapid specialization that included growth at institutions such as Boston Children's Hospital, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and Mayo Clinic. Early editors and contributors included surgeons affiliated with Harvard Medical School, Stanford University School of Medicine, University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, and Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. Over successive decades the journal reflected developments tied to events and innovations associated with American Academy of Pediatrics, American Pediatric Surgical Association, Royal College of Surgeons, European Society for Paediatric Neurosurgery, and international congresses such as the International Pediatric Endosurgery Group meetings. The expansion of subspecialties—neonatal surgery, pediatric oncology surgery, minimally invasive surgery, and transplantation—paralleled contributions from centers like Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford, and Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne.

Scope and Content

Content ranges from clinical trials and systematic reviews to technical reports, case series, and surgical education research. Topics commonly covered include congenital malformations, trauma, appendicitis, Hirschsprung disease, hypertrophic pyloric stenosis, necrotizing enterocolitis, pediatric oncology resections, biliary atresia, and congenital diaphragmatic hernia, with methodology contributions referencing randomized controlled trials conducted at institutions such as National Institutes of Health, Children's Oncology Group, European Pediatric Surgeons' Association, and multicenter consortia like the Pediatric Acute Lung Injury and Sepsis Investigators network. The journal frequently publishes work involving imaging from centers like Mayo Clinic Radiology and technique descriptions influenced by minimally invasive developments popularized at Cleveland Clinic and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. Reviews and guidelines in the journal often intersect with recommendations from organizations including World Health Organization, American College of Surgeons, and specialty boards such as the American Board of Surgery.

Editorial and Publication Details

The journal is published by a major academic publisher headquartered in the Netherlands and distributed to institutions including university libraries at Oxford University Press subscribing universities, medical schools such as Yale School of Medicine, and national libraries like the National Library of Medicine. Editorial leadership has included editors affiliated with Washington University School of Medicine, University of Chicago Medicine, Mount Sinai Health System, and University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. Peer review follows standards common to journals discussed at meetings like the Committee on Publication Ethics and by societies including International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. The journal issues monthly volumes and accepts original research, review articles, meta-analyses, technical notes, and correspondence. It collaborates with professional associations including the American Pediatric Surgical Association and hosts special issues aligned with symposia organized at venues such as Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract meetings and international congresses in cities like Paris, Tokyo, and Toronto.

Abstracting and Indexing

The journal is indexed in major bibliographic databases widely used by clinicians and researchers, including the Index Medicus, MEDLINE, and databases curated by the National Library of Medicine. It is also listed in citation tracking services maintained by organizations such as Clarivate Analytics and included in abstracting products used by university consortia like EBSCO and ProQuest. Coverage facilitates literature searches across platforms linked to institutions such as PubMed Central and academic discovery services at Cambridge University Press and Princeton University Library holdings. Abstracting supports systematic reviewers and guideline panels formed under agencies such as Cochrane Collaboration.

Impact and Reception

The journal has influenced clinical guidelines and practice patterns in pediatric surgical care, with articles frequently cited by guideline statements from entities including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma. Its impact factor and citation metrics, tracked by services like Journal Citation Reports and organizations such as Scopus and Web of Science, reflect its role in disseminating surgical innovations and outcomes research. Landmark reports on topics such as neonatal intestinal failure, pediatric appendicitis management, and minimally invasive corrective procedures have been discussed at conferences including European Society for Paediatric Surgeons meetings and cited in textbooks used at Harvard Medical School and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Reception among practitioners and educators is shaped by contributions from leading children's hospitals and academic centers including Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Seattle Children's Hospital, Boston Children's Hospital, and Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Category:Pediatric surgery journals