This is a book for doctors. It tells them about health. It has been around a long time. It helps doctors learn new things. It helps people stay well. Do you want to be a doctor?
JAMA is a special book for doctors. It shares new health news. It has been around since 1883. This means it is very old. A group called the AMA makes it. They print it 48 times a year. It helps doctors learn about the body. It also shares new research. One time, a U.S. president wrote for it. He shared his ideas on health. This book is a top choice for doctors. It helps them do a great job.
JAMA is a famous medical journal. A journal is a set of papers published regularly. The American Medical Association makes JAMA. It has been around since 1883. Nathan Smith Davis was the first editor.
Doctors read JAMA to learn new things. It shares original research and reviews. Peer review is a way to check work. Other experts look at the papers first. This helps make sure the facts are right. JAMA ranks very high among other medical journals. In 2024, it ranked 4th out of 332 journals.
Many people have helped lead the journal. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo became the editor-in-chief in 2022. She took over from Howard Bauchner. In 2016, Barack Obama wrote for JAMA. He was a sitting U.S. president at that time. This was the first time a president wrote an academic paper.
JAMA also helps doctors keep learning. They call this continuing medical education. In the past, this was in a printed section. Now, doctors can use digital tools to learn. These tools are part of the JAMA Network.
JAMA is a very important medical journal. It is published by the American Medical Association. This group puts out the journal 48 times each year. It shares new research and many different reviews. These papers cover all parts of biomedicine, which is the study of biology and medicine.
Doctors and scientists use it to stay informed. It is a leading way to share new medical discoveries.
One way the journal works is through peer review. This is a way to check the work of authors. Other experts look at the papers to ensure they are good. This process became a routine part of the journal after World War II. Before the 1920s, the editors mostly just tried to fill the pages. Later, they entered a "turndown era." This meant they started rejecting papers that were not high quality.
JAMA has a long history that started in 1883. Nathan Smith Davis was the founding editor. It replaced an older publication called the Transactions of the American Medical Association. In 1960, the journal took its current name. It is now often just called JAMA.
A famous moment happened on July 11, 2016. Barack Obama published an article in the journal. He was the sitting U.S. president at that time. This was the first time a sitting president ever published an academic paper.
Many leaders have helped run the journal over the years. Howard Bauchner was an editor-in-chief from Boston University. He was succeeded by Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo on July 1, 2022. She works at the University of California, San Francisco.
The journal is very highly ranked in the medical world. In 2024, it had an impact factor of 55.0. This score ranked it 4th out of 332 journals in its category. It is considered a top source for general and internal medicine.
JAMA also helps doctors keep learning through new ways. This is called continuing medical education, or CME. In the past, doctors read lists of classes in printed sections. Between 1955 and 1981, the number of these offerings grew very fast. It went from 1,000 offerings to 8,500 offerings.
Now, these lessons are digital. Doctors can use JN Learning to get credit from the JAMA Network. This makes learning easier and more modern for everyone.
JAMA, or The Journal of the American Medical Association, is a premier medical journal. It is published 48 times every year by the American Medical Association. The journal serves as a vital platform for sharing original research, reviews, and editorials. These publications cover all aspects of biomedicine, which is the study of biology and medicine. Because it shares such critical information, it is a leading resource for the global medical community.
The journal operates through a rigorous process to ensure scientific quality. A key mechanism is peer review, where experts evaluate research before it is published. While the journal used to focus on simply filling its pages, it entered a "turndown era" between the 1910s and mid-1920s. During this time, the volume of submissions became high enough that editors began rejecting papers based on quality. The journal did not make routine peer review an institutionalized part of its process until after World War II. This evolution helped establish the high standards seen in the journal today.
JAMA has undergone several structural and stylistic changes throughout its long history. It was established in 1883 with Nathan Smith Davis serving as the founding editor. Originally, it superseded a publication called the Transactions of the American Medical Association. In 1960, the journal adopted its current full title. For many years, the journal also included a unique arts feature. From 1964 to 2013, JAMA used artwork on its covers to link the humanities with medicine. A 2013 redesign moved this art to inside pages to standardize the look of the JAMA Network.
Leadership and editorial independence are central to the journal's operations. Following the controversial 1999 firing of editor-in-chief George D. Lundberg, new protections were created. A seven-member journal oversight committee was established to evaluate the editor-in-chief. This committee meets at least once a year to help ensure editorial independence. Current policy also states that article content must be attributed to the authors rather than the publisher. Recent leaders include Howard Bauchner of Boston University and Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo. Bibbins-Domingo, from the University of California, San Francisco, became editor-in-chief on July 1, 2022.
One notable moment in the journal's history involved political leadership. On July 11, 2016, Barack Obama published an article in JAMA. His piece was titled "United States Health Care Reform: Progress to Date and Next Steps." This marked the first time a sitting U.S. president published an academic paper. Unlike most entries, his article was not subject to blind peer-review. He used the platform to argue for specific policies to improve national health care reform.
JAMA also plays a major role in continuing medical education, known as CME. This helps physicians stay updated on new medical developments. Between 1955 and 1981, the number of CME offerings grew from 1,000 to 8,500. In 2016, this service transitioned from print to a digital format. It is now known as JN Learning CME & MOC from the JAMA Network. Doctors can now earn credit using digital articles and audio materials from all 12 journals in the JAMA Network.
The journal's influence is clearly seen in its high academic rankings. In 2024, JAMA achieved an impact factor of 55.0. This score ranks it 4th out of 332 journals in the "Medicine, General & Internal" category. It also performs strongly on other indexing platforms like Scopus and Web of Science. In the Scopus category for General Medicine, it holds a rank of 6 out of 636. These numbers demonstrate how much the global medical community relies on the research found within its pages.
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