JAMA Dermatology—The Year in Review, 2015

Our readers, authors, and peer reviewers may be interested in the performance of the journal in 2015. Our primary goal for 2015 was to reduce the time from the date of acceptance of a manuscript to its publication. To achieve publication online ahead of print within 2 months of acceptance, our acceptance rate has decreased. The acceptance rate for Original Investigations and Brief Reports is 10% (Table).^1-8 The overall manuscript acceptance rate was 13%.

Table.  JAMA Dermatology Statistics for 2015

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In 2015, 2445 manuscripts were submitted. The number of manuscripts submitted increases each year, and many of the submissions are case reports submitted as letters to the editor. It is important to realize that only novel observations about a single case will be considered. The editorial policy of the journal is to render a decision about each submission within 24 hours of the authors completing the submission. Our intention is to allow authors to submit their work to another journal as rapidly as possible. One or two editors read the submission and decide to start the quality assurance process for consideration of publication or reject the work without rendering comments. If the manuscript fails the quality assurance process, then the manuscript may be rejected. One such example is when the authors of an Original Investigation did not obtain institutional review board approval and/or did not register the study with clinicaltrials.gov or an equivalent site; then the manuscript cannot be considered.

Another goal of JAMA Dermatology is to use social media to inform physicians and the public about dermatologic advances in the recognition and treatment of diseases. Ashish Bhatia, MD, the Web and Social Media Editor, leads this initiative with weekly releases on Twitter and Facebook. JAMA Dermatology currently has 14 280 Twitter followers. The quiz cases published in the Clinicopathological Challenge section under the direction of the Section Editor, Molly Hinshaw, MD, with the support of the Assistant Section Editors Soon Bahrami, MD, Nicole Fett, MD, John R. Griffin, MD, Arni K. Kristjansson, MD, and Lori Prok, MD, are a mainstay of our Twitter releases. The social media and table of contents alerts sent to physicians help them decide which articles they wish to download. Altogether in 2015, there were 2.5 million online visits to the JAMA Dermatology website resulting in downloads of articles.

Informing patients about advances in diagnosis and treatment of skin conditions with information that is readable and comprehensible across different communities is achieved by our Patient Page. Since the average American reads at an eighth grade level,⁹ the American Medical Association and United States National Institutes of Health recommend presenting patient education materials between the third and seventh grade levels.^10,11 The Patient Page, which is published quarterly under the direction of the Section Editor, Misha Rosenbach, MD, uses eighth grade level language and graphic depiction of diseases to explain concepts to those with limited literacy. The artist’s renditions of skin diseases in non-Hispanic whites and in people with skin of color accentuate important findings that may not be easily discerned in clinical photographs. The Patient Page is highlighted on the home page of JAMA Dermatology and can be downloaded without charge. The importance of the Patient Page is reflected in number downloaded in 2105, eg, Raynaud phenomenon (21 687). Since 70% of American adults who used the internet to obtain health information reported that it influenced their decision about how to treat an illness or condition,¹² we believe our Patient Page features are influencing patients’ decisions.

Another important way of informing the public is media coverage of scientific advances published in our journal. In 2015, media-provided information resulted in 5663 news mentions in print and online. There were 4 mentions of articles we published in the New York Times, and other important media coverage appeared in the Washington Post, on National Public Radio, NBC News, Yahoo News, Fox News, ABC News, Mail online, Reuters, Huffington Post, the Boston Globe, the Chicago Tribune, US News & World Report, and Live Science. Six podcasts with authors, which are found on the web home page, featured their unique perspectives about their research.

In 2015, authors started to provide a brief summary of the key points of the article. The concise summary of the research question posed, the findings of the investigation, and the meaning of the research helps readers understand what they may wish to implement in their practices. Often, it takes an editor with a “fresh” look at the research to refine the authors’ key points. Eleni Linos, MD, Assistant Editor, reviews and refines the key points for the original research articles.

Another way for readers to ascertain which novel findings reported in our journal may be implemented in their practices is the Continuing Medical Education (CME) articles. A CME quiz appears in each print issue. We offer 1.0 American Medical Association Physician’s Recognition Award category 1 credit (per issue). You may earn CME credit, or Maintenance of Certification self-assessment credit,¹³ by reading the CME-designated article in the issue of JAMA Dermatology and taking the quiz online. Andrew D. Samel, MD, the CME Section Editor, selects the article, prepares the quiz, and links the quiz to the appropriate sections of the article.

A new section summarizing evidence-based reviews published in other journals is prepared by April Armstrong, MD, Section Editor of the Clinical Evidence Synopsis, and her assistant Section Editors, Diahung Do, MD, and Victoria R. Sharon, MD. They comb the literature to bring you clinically useful assessments of evidence-based reviews about dermatologic topics rendered by national organizations.

The accomplishments of JAMA Dermatology are a testament to the contributions of the peer reviewers, editorial board members, and section editors. In appreciation of the enormous contribution of those who prepared peer reviews in 2015, we publish online, in coordination with this Editorial, the names of the peer reviewers. With your support, we rapidly report scientific advances to help improve the dermatologic health of our patients and disseminate the findings with print and television media coverage as well as social media.

Corresponding Author: June K. Robinson, MD, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 676 N St Clair St, Ste 1267, Chicago, IL 60611 (june-robinson@northwestern.edu).

Published Online: May 11, 2016. doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2016.1139.