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Who searches this and what they need: researchers, clinicians and students deciding whether to cite or submit to JAMA Pediatrics, who need its identity, naming history, stated metrics, article limits and open-access route in one place. Everything below is taken from the journal’s own pages on jamanetwork.com and the National Library of Medicine (NLM) Catalog, read 2026-11-07.
JAMA Pediatrics: what the journal is
JAMA Pediatrics is a pediatrics journal published by the American Medical Association (AMA) as part of the JAMA Network. Its stated mission is to advance the health and well-being of infants, children and adolescents, and it serves as a forum for child and adolescent health and care. It publishes online weekly, on Mondays, with 12 issues a year. Its ISSN is 2168-6203 (print) and 2168-6211 (online). The editor in chief named on the about page is Dimitri A. Christakis, MD, MPH, of Seattle Children’s. The spelling “JAMA Paediatrics” searched by some readers is a variant; the journal’s own title is “JAMA Pediatrics”, abbreviated JAMA Pediatr by NLM.
What does JAMA stand for, and what does JAMA Pediatrics mean?
The NLM Catalog lists the journal’s other title as “Journal of the American Medical Association pediatrics”, so JAMA is the acronym of Journal of the American Medical Association, the AMA’s flagship title, and “Pediatrics” names the specialty the journal covers. JAMA Pediatrics is one of several specialty titles in the JAMA Network; see our guide to JAMA Neurology for a sibling title.
Where JAMA Pediatrics came from
| Item | What the sources state | Source |
|---|---|---|
| First published | 1911; described as the oldest continuously published pediatric journal in the United States | JAMA Pediatrics about page |
| Previous title | Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine (ISSN 1072-4710) | NLM Catalog |
| Current title since | 2013 (NLM start year; PubMed coverage listed from volume 167, issue 1, January 2013) | NLM Catalog |
| Publisher | American Medical Association, Chicago, IL | NLM Catalog; about page |
If you are citing older work, expect the earlier title on pre-2013 articles.
Is JAMA Pediatrics credible?
CASRAI does not issue its own verdicts on journals. What the primary sources state: the journal is published by the AMA; its author page describes “highly selective peer review”; and the NLM Catalog lists it as currently indexed for MEDLINE (read 2026-11-07). For what MEDLINE indexing means, see MEDLINE database; for how the wider network handles review, see Is the JAMA Network peer reviewed?.
Impact factor and acceptance rate
What is the impact factor for JAMA Pediatrics?
The journal’s about page states an impact factor of 17.1. The page gives no year for that figure, so treat it as the journal’s own stated value rather than the current-year Journal Citation Reports figure, and check the year before quoting it. For how the metric is computed and what it can and cannot tell you, see how the journal impact factor is calculated.
Acceptance rate
The about and for-authors pages both state an acceptance rate of 10%.
Review timing
The for-authors page states a median time to first decision of 3 days for manuscripts decided without external review and 41 days for those sent for external review. It also describes expedited review for select trials and urgent public-health reports.
Article types and word limits
From the journal’s instructions for authors (read 2026-11-07):
| Article type | Stated limit |
|---|---|
| Original Investigation | 3,000 words; up to 5 tables and figures |
| Research Letter | 800 words; up to 10 references; up to 2 tables or figures |
| Systematic Review without meta-analysis | 3,000 words; 50-75 references |
| Narrative Review | 2,000-3,500 words |
| Special Communication | 3,000 words; up to 50 references |
| Viewpoint | 1,200 words; up to 7 references; up to 4 authors |
| Letter to the Editor | 400 words; up to 5 references; up to 3 authors |
| Letter in Reply | 500 words |
The instructions also give 3,000 words and 50-75 references for trials, meta-analyses and observational studies. Limits can be revised, so confirm them on the instructions page at submission time.
Open access and submission
Authors may pay for immediate open access on the day of publication. The journal’s pages state that research articles are deposited in PubMed Central, and that an accepted manuscript may be placed in a public repository, though not made public before the publication date. Free or low-cost access for developing countries is offered through HINARI. The pages checked do not state a fee amount for the paid open-access option, so confirm it with the journal before budgeting.
Submissions go through the journal’s own manuscript system, linked from the for-authors page. To find it, open the journal’s page on jamanetwork.com and choose the author information link.
Alternatives to JAMA Pediatrics
Readers weighing where to read or submit child-health research often compare JAMA Pediatrics with the titles below. The table states only what the NLM Catalog records and the journals’ own pages say (read 2026-11-07); it does not rank them, and it omits impact factors because the sources give no comparable, dated figures.
| Journal | Publisher | Scope as stated | MEDLINE status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JAMA Pediatrics | American Medical Association | Health and well-being of infants, children and adolescents | Currently indexed | JAMA Pediatrics about page; NLM Catalog |
| Pediatrics (print ISSN 0031-4005; online 1098-4275) | American Academy of Pediatrics, Elk Grove Village, IL | Pediatrics; NLM start year 1948 | Currently indexed (coverage from v36 n3, Sept. 1965) | NLM Catalog |
| The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health (print ISSN 2352-4642; electronic 2352-4650) | Elsevier Ltd., Cambridge, UK | Child and adolescent health; began September 2017 | Currently indexed (coverage from v2 n1, Jan. 2018) | NLM Catalog |
| JAMA Network Open | AMA (copyright notice: American Medical Association); JAMA Network title | Research on all aspects of clinical care across more than 40 subject areas, not pediatrics only; open access with an article processing charge and stated waivers | Listed as indexed in PubMed/MEDLINE | JAMA Network Open about page |
JAMA Network Open is the broad-scope open-access title in the same network; the others are child-health specialty journals from different publishers. Check each journal’s own author pages for current scope, fees and article types before choosing.
Strengths and limits of this information
- The stated impact factor and acceptance rate are the journal’s own figures and carry no year, so they are not a substitute for a dated citation-index report.
- The word limits above apply to the article types listed; check the live instructions for figures, supplements and reporting-guideline checklists.
- A journal-level metric says nothing about the quality of an individual article.
FAQ
Is JAMA Pediatrics credible?
It is published by the AMA, describes highly selective peer review and is listed by NLM as currently MEDLINE-indexed (checked 2026-11-07). CASRAI gives no separate verdict.
What does JAMA Pediatrics mean?
It is the pediatrics title in the JAMA Network, formerly Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, renamed in 2013.
What does JAMA stand for in medical?
Journal of the American Medical Association, per the NLM Catalog’s other-title entry for this journal.
What is the impact factor for JAMA Pediatrics?
The journal’s about page states 17.1, without naming a year.
What are the journal’s frequency and ISSN?
Weekly online, 12 issues a year; ISSN 2168-6203 (print) and 2168-6211 (online).
Sources
- JAMA Pediatrics, About: jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/pages/about (read 2026-11-07)
- JAMA Pediatrics, For Authors: jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/pages/for-authors (read 2026-11-07)
- JAMA Pediatrics, Instructions for Authors: jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/pages/instructions-for-authors (read 2026-11-07)
- NLM Catalog record, ISSN 2168-6203: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nlmcatalog (read 2026-11-07)
