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Annals of Family Medicine (abbreviated Ann Fam Med) is an open access, peer-reviewed research journal run by six family medicine organizations. This page is for researchers deciding whether to cite it or submit to it: it separates what the journal says about itself from what the National Library of Medicine (NLM) Catalog records, and sets out the submission mechanics. Facts were read from the journal’s own pages and the NLM Catalog on 2026-11-08.
What it is
The journal’s About page describes it as an open access, peer-reviewed research journal that is “a collaborative effort of six family medicine organizations”. It says the journal accepts clinical, biomedical, social and health services research, with the aim of identifying and addressing important questions in health, and that it uses an editorial and blinded peer review process. Readers searching for the “annals of family medicine journal” are looking for this publication; it is a distinct title from the general explainer What is family medicine?, which covers the discipline rather than the journal.
Who runs it and what it covers
The six sponsoring organizations named on the About page are the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM), the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM), the Association of Departments of Family Medicine (ADFM), the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors (AFMRD) and the North American Primary Care Research Group (NAPCRG). The journal’s scope, per the About page, is not limited to a single study type: clinical, biomedical, social and health services research are all listed.
Fact sheet: journal statement versus NLM record
| Item | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Title and abbreviation | Annals of family medicine; Ann Fam Med | NLM Catalog |
| ISSN | 1544-1709 (print); 1544-1717 (electronic) | NLM Catalog |
| Publisher entity | Annals of Family Medicine, Inc., Leawood, KS | NLM Catalog |
| Frequency | Bimonthly | NLM Catalog |
| First issue year | 2003 | NLM Catalog |
| MEDLINE status | Currently indexed for MEDLINE; a PubMed Central link is listed | NLM Catalog |
| Access model | Open access | Journal About page |
| Fees | No fees for submission or publication | Journal About and Information for Authors pages |
| Peer review | Editorial and blinded peer review | Journal About page |
Neither the journal’s About page nor its author page states an impact factor, so none is given here. Journal Citation Reports from Clarivate is the source for that figure. For the NLM identifiers used above, see PMID vs PMCID.
How to submit (author workflow)
- Read the Information for Authors page on the journal website.
- Choose an article type from the list below and check its word limit.
- Prepare the manuscript as a Word (.docx) file.
- Submit through the journal’s eJournalPress system (afm.msubmit.net). The author page states that all manuscripts must be submitted through this system.
- Type the cover letter text into the submission form rather than attaching it.
- Expect an initial editorial evaluation of about six to eight weeks, as the author page states.
The sign-in for the submission system is linked from the Information for Authors page.
Article types and length limits
| Item | What the author page states |
|---|---|
| Article types | Original Research, Methodology, Theory, Systematic Reviews, Research Briefs, Special Reports (usually by invitation), Essays, Innovations in Primary Care |
| Brief manuscripts | 800-1,100 words, 1-2 figures or tables |
| Longer manuscripts | Up to 2,700 words, 3-6 tables or figures |
| Abstract | 250 words maximum |
| Briefs and Essays | 100-150 word overview |
Open access, fees and repositories
The journal states that it charges no fees for submission or publication. Its author page says an Author Accepted Manuscript may be deposited in a noncommercial repository after publication, citing the journal and linking to the version of record. The author page does not name a specific reuse license in the section read, and preprints fall under a separate Duplicate/Prior Publication/Preprint Policy, so check that policy before posting a preprint.
Strengths and limits
- Strength: sponsorship by six family medicine bodies ties the journal directly to primary care research, teaching and practice communities.
- Strength: no submission or publication fee, and MEDLINE indexing is recorded in the NLM Catalog.
- Limit: the journal’s own pages do not state an impact factor or acceptance rate; use Clarivate’s Journal Citation Reports for citation metrics.
- Limit: a brief word limit of 800-1,100 words and a 2,700-word cap for longer papers constrain how much detail fits.
Alternatives and related profiles
This page does not rank journals. For a comparable journal fact sheet built the same way, see JAMA Surgery: journal facts and submission limits. To understand how a journal like this is found in literature databases, see CINAHL vs PubMed.
FAQ
What is Annals of Family Medicine?
It is an open access, peer-reviewed research journal published through a collaboration of six family medicine organizations, according to the journal’s About page.
How often is it published?
The NLM Catalog lists it as bimonthly.
Does it charge to publish?
The journal states it charges no fees for submission or publication.
Is it indexed in MEDLINE?
The NLM Catalog lists it as currently indexed for MEDLINE (checked 2026-11-08).
What is its ISSN?
1544-1709 (print) and 1544-1717 (electronic), per the NLM Catalog.
Sources
- Annals of Family Medicine, About the journal: https://www.annfammed.org/content/about-annals-family-medicine (read 2026-11-08)
- Annals of Family Medicine, Information for Authors: https://www.annfammed.org/content/information-authors (read 2026-11-08)
- NLM Catalog record for Ann Fam Med: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nlmcatalog/ (read 2026-11-08)
