JAMA
Peer-reviewed medical journal published by the American Medical Association.
JAMA, short for *The Journal of the American Medical Association*, is a peer-reviewed medical journal that comes out 48 times annually under the American Medical Association. It covers original research, reviews, and editorials across biomedicine. First published in 1883, it replaced the *Transactions of the American Medical Association*, with Nathan Smith Davis as its founding editor. The AMA calls it the most widely circulated general medical journal globally, citing over 101,000 print subscribers, more than 2.9 million recipients of electronic tables of contents and alerts, and over 29 million yearly website visits. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo from the University of California, San Francisco, took over as editor-in-chief on July 1, 2022, following Howard Bauchner of Boston University. According to *Journal Citation Reports*, its 2025 impact factor is 65.4, ranking 4th out of 336 journals in "Medicine, General & Internal." The JAMA Network reports an acceptance rate of 10% from over 11,500 annual submissions, and 4% from more than 5,400 research manuscripts.
In the late 1800s, medical journals resembled general journalism, and publishing in JAMA was seen as a perk of AMA membership. Before the 1920s, editors focused on filling issues, but between the 1910s and mid-1920s, submissions grew enough to allow rejections based on quality—marking the "turndown era." Routine peer review wasn't institutionalized until after World War II. The journal got its current name, *JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association*, in 1960. It's commonly called JAMA.
A semiannual section called *Continuing Education Opportunities for Physicians* listed regional and national CME programs. From 1937 to 1955, the list came out quarterly or semiannually; from 1955 to 1981, it became annual as offerings jumped from 1,000 to 8,500. In 2016, CME moved online as JN Learning CME & MOC from JAMA Network, offering credit from articles and audio across all 12 JAMA Network journals, including JAMA.
On July 11, 2016, JAMA published an article by sitting U.S. President Barack Obama titled "United States Health Care Reform: Progress to Date and Next Steps"—the first academic paper ever from a sitting president. It wasn't blind peer-reviewed and argued for specific policies future presidents could pursue to improve health care reform.
After the controversial 1999 firing of editor-in-chief George D. Lundberg, a seven-member journal oversight committee was created to evaluate the editor-in-chief and ensure editorial independence, meeting at least yearly. JAMA now states that article content should be attributed to authors, not the publisher.
From 1964 to 2013, JAMA featured artwork on its cover with accompanying essays, a practice former editor Lundberg said linked humanities and medicine. A 2013 redesign moved the art to an inside page and replaced the cover image with a table of contents to standardize the JAMA Network's look. The arts feature was discontinued in 2024.
A February 2021 JAMA podcast suggested that "structural racism is an unfortunate term to describe a very real problem" and that "taking racism out of the conversation would help" ensure equal opportunities for disadvantaged people. A JAMA tweet read, "No physician is racist, so how can there be structural racism in health care?" Criticism followed, leading to the podcast's deletion and the deputy editor's resignation. On June 1, 2021, the editor-in-chief announced his resignation effective June 30, 2021, to "create an opportunity for new leadership." Columnists Eric Zorn and Daniel Henninger separately argued the resignations were a poor substitute for meaningful conversations about racism and health care. The episode was cited as a case study on social media, polarization, and radicalization in Greg Lukianoff and Rikki Schlott's 2023 book *The Canceling of the American Mind*.
Previous chief editors include (list from source not provided here, but the entry would include the names from the source). JAMA is abstracted and indexed in (list from source). It consistently ranks among leading medical journals; a 2023 ranking summary (table from source) shows its citation performance across major platforms. See also: List of American Medical Association journals. External links: Official website, American Medical Association Archives (archived May 12, 2012), and free copies of volumes 1–80 (1883–1923) from the Internet Archive and HathiTrust.
Lore & Background
JAMA is a peer-reviewed medical journal published 48 times per year by the American Medical Association. It covers all aspects of biomedicine through original research, reviews, and editorials. Established in 1883, it superseded the Transactions of the American Medical Association, with Nathan Smith Davis as its founding editor. The publisher describes it as the most widely circulated general medical journal globally, with over 101,000 print recipients, more than 2.9 million recipients of electronic tables of contents and alerts, and over 29 million annual website visits. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo of the University of California, San Francisco became editor-in-chief on July 1, 2022, succeeding Howard Bauchner. According to Journal Citation Reports, its 2025 impact factor is 65.4, ranking 4th out of 336 journals in "Medicine, General & Internal." JAMA Network reports a 10% acceptance rate for more than 11,500 annual submissions and 4% for over 5,400 research manuscripts. In the late 19th century, publishing in the journal was considered a privilege of AMA membership, and editors focused on filling issues. Between the 1910s and mid-1920s, submission volume grew enough to begin rejecting manuscripts based on quality, marking the "turndown era." Routine peer review was not institutionalized until after World War II. The journal obtained its current title in 1960. From 1964 to 2013, artwork appeared on its cover with accompanying essays, a practice intended to link humanities and medicine. In 2013, a redesign moved the art feature inside and replaced cover art with a table of contents to standardize appearance across the JAMA Network; the arts feature was discontinued in 2024. A 2016 article by President Barack Obama was the first academic paper published by a sitting U.S. president and was not subject to blind peer review. Following a controversial 1999 editorial firing, a seven-member oversight committee was created to ensure editorial independence.
Reader's Guide
JAMA has been a central force in medical communication since its founding in 1883, when it replaced the AMA’s earlier transactions and was initially treated as a membership privilege. Its editorial approach evolved significantly: before the 1920s, editors focused on filling pages, but rising submission volumes ushered in a “turndown era” of quality-based rejection. Routine peer review was not institutionalized until after World War II. The journal’s influence is reflected in its high acceptance selectivity—accepting 10% of over 11,500 annual submissions and only 4% of more than 5,400 research manuscripts—and its 2025 impact factor of 65.4, ranking 4th among 336 general internal medicine journals. It reaches over 101,000 print recipients and draws more than 29 million website visits yearly. The journal has also navigated controversies that underscore its role at the intersection of medicine and society. In 1999, the firing of editor-in-chief George D. Lundberg prompted the creation of a seven-member oversight committee to safeguard editorial independence. A 2021 podcast and tweet that questioned the term “structural racism” led to the podcast’s deletion, the deputy editor’s resignation, and the editor-in-chief’s resignation, with commentators noting the episode as a case study in social media polarization. In 2016, JAMA published the first academic paper by a sitting U.S. president, Barack Obama, which was not blind peer-reviewed. From 1964 to 2013, the journal featured artwork on its cover to link humanities and medicine; this practice moved inside in 2013 and was discontinued in 2024. Continuing medical education, offered as a print list from 1937, transitioned to a digital platform in 2016.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is JAMA?
JAMA, short for The Journal of the American Medical Association, is a peer-reviewed medical publication released 48 times per year under the American Medical Association's banner. It covers the full spectrum of biomedical research and clinical practice.
What types of content does JAMA publish?
The journal features original research articles, review pieces, and editorial commentary spanning every area of biomedicine.
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