Journal of General Internal Medicine Guide

The Journal of General Internal Medicine (JGIM) is a monthly peer-reviewed medical publication dedicated to clinical practice, health services research, medical education, and healthcare delivery. Established in 1986, JGIM is the official publication of the Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM) and is published by Springer Nature. It provides general internists, primary care physicians, hospitalists, and health policy researchers with scholarship spanning chronic disease management, inpatient hospital care, and health equity.

What it is

The Journal of General Internal Medicine is an academic journal indexed in MEDLINE, PubMed Central, and the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE). Under its official MEDLINE title abbreviation, J Gen Intern Med, the publication covers original clinical trials, observational research, systematic reviews, and policy analyses. Unlike specialty journals limited to single organ systems, JGIM focuses on outpatient primary care, general inpatient medicine, and clinical reasoning.

JGIM operates as a hybrid open access journal. Authors accepted for publication can choose traditional subscription dissemination with zero author fees, or immediate open access dissemination under a Creative Commons license.

Who runs it and what it covers

JGIM is operated through a publishing partnership between the Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM) and Springer Nature under the Springer imprint. SGIM directs editorial governance, while Springer provides digital hosting, production, and distribution.

Editorial leadership is directed by Co-Editors-in-Chief Joseph Conigliaro, MD, MPH; D. Michael Elnicki, MD; and Lenny López, MD, MPH, MDiv. They oversee an international editorial board spanning clinical care, medical education, research methodology, and health disparities.

The journal covers five primary areas:

• Clinical General Medicine: Outpatient primary care, diagnostic reasoning, inpatient hospital medicine, therapeutics, and disease prevention.
• Health Services Research: Healthcare delivery, quality improvement, clinical outcomes, patient safety, and healthcare economics.
• Medical Education: Curriculum development, clinical teaching evaluations, and trainee assessment across internal medicine clerkships, residencies, and fellowships.
• Health Equity and Ethics: Disparities in healthcare delivery, social determinants of health, and bioethics.
• Narrative Medicine: Reflective essays, clinical vignettes, and historical perspectives relevant to generalist practice.

What is the impact factor of Journal of General Internal Medicine?

The Journal Impact Factor for the Journal of General Internal Medicine is 4.1 according to the 2025 Clarivate Journal Citation Reports release. Its 5-year Journal Impact Factor is 5.2. JGIM logged over 6.3 million annual downloads in 2025. It maintains an efficient peer review turnaround, with a median of 14 days from submission to first editorial decision. On the SCImago Journal Rank (SJR), JGIM tracks in Quartile 1 (Q1) for General and Internal Medicine.

How to search or use it

Researchers reading articles, accessing archives, or submitting manuscripts interact with the journal through Springer Nature Link and Editorial Manager. Prospective authors follow these official submission steps:

1. Select Manuscript Category and Observe Limits: Confirm that the submission matches an official article category. Original Research manuscripts are capped at 3,000 words with a 300-word structured abstract. Research and Reporting Methods papers are limited to 3,500 words. Concise Research Reports cannot exceed 700 words, 7 authors, and 7 references. Qualitative Original Research allows up to 5,000 words, and Systematic Reviews permit 3,500 words.
2. Format Citations to Vancouver Style: Format references using the ICMJE Vancouver numerical standard. Cite references consecutively with Arabic numerals. List up to six authors; for seven or more authors, list the first three followed by “et al.”
3. Apply Reporting Guidelines: Prepare the study in accordance with biomedical reporting guidelines. Randomized controlled trials require a completed CONSORT flow diagram and clinical trial registry details. Observational studies require STROBE compliance, and systematic reviews require PRISMA checklists.
4. Access Editorial Manager: Log in to the submission portal (editorialmanager.com/jgim) using an ORCID iD or registered Springer Nature credentials.
5. Enter Metadata and Direct Cover Letter: Populate article title, short running title (5–6 words), abstract, and indexing keywords. Enter the cover letter directly into the designated electronic system text field rather than uploading supplemental files.
6. Upload Text, Tables, and Figures: Upload the manuscript document double-spaced in a 12-point font. Embed tables created with word processor table tools (single-spaced, minimum 10-point font). Submit figures as separate files with dedicated legends.
7. Document Ethics Approval and Consent: Explicitly state institutional review board (IRB) approval, documented exemption, or ethics committee oversight in the methods section. Attach patient consent forms for clinical vignettes or identifiable case material.
8. Approve System PDF and Submit COI: Inspect the compiled system PDF before final submission. At the invited revision stage, each author must submit an individual ICMJE Conflict of Interest disclosure form.

For open access publishing, authors selecting CC BY 4.0 pay an article processing charge of £3,790 GBP / $5,490 USD / €4,490 EUR. Authors selecting traditional subscription publication pay zero author fees ($0 APC). Institutional library agreements frequently cover the open access APC.

Strengths and limits

Strengths

• Dedicated Generalist Scope: Focuses directly on ambulatory internal medicine, inpatient hospital care, and clinical education rather than narrow subspecialties.
• Official Society Leadership: Institutional backing from the Society of General Internal Medicine aligns publication priorities with academic medicine and health policy.
• Publishing Model Flexibility: Authors can publish free of charge through the subscription route or select open access with CC BY 4.0 licensing.
• Rapid Turnaround: Operates with a median 14-day timeline from initial submission to first decision.

Limits

• Exclusion of Narrow Subspecialties: Highly procedural manuscripts or organ-specific laboratory investigations fall outside the primary care and generalist scope.
• Substantial Open Access Fee: Authors choosing open access without institutional funding face a $5,490 USD APC.
• Rigid Length Restrictions: A 3,000-word cap on original research demands concise reporting that may require moving secondary analyses into online appendices.

Alternatives

Researchers evaluating publication venues for internal medicine, medical education, and health systems research compare JGIM against related general medical periodicals:

Journal	Publisher / Society	Publishing Model	Primary Editorial Scope
Journal of General Internal Medicine (JGIM)	Society of General Internal Medicine / Springer Nature	Hybrid ($0 subscription or $5,490 APC)	Primary care, general internal medicine, health services, medical education
Annals of Internal Medicine	American College of Physicians (ACP)	Hybrid	Broad internal medicine clinical practice, guidelines, health policy
Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)	American Medical Association (AMA)	Hybrid	Multispecialty clinical medicine, clinical trials, global health
Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR)	JMIR Publications	Open Access (Gold)	Digital health, biomedical informatics, health technology interventions

What is the journal of the American Medical Association?

The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) is a weekly peer-reviewed medical journal published continuously since 1883 by the American Medical Association. While JGIM focuses specifically on primary care, general internal medicine, and health services research, JAMA publishes clinical investigations across all surgical and medical subspecialties, with citation performance outlined in the JAMA Network impact factor analysis.

Is Annals of Internal Medicine a good journal?

Annals of Internal Medicine is the flagship peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Physicians (ACP), founded in 1927. In academic publishing, journal standing is determined by rigorous editorial peer review, selective acceptance criteria, and comprehensive MEDLINE indexing. Annals is recognized alongside JGIM and the New England Journal of Medicine as a leading general medical journal, frequently publishing clinical practice guidelines and large randomized clinical trials.

Is Jmir a legit journal?

Scholarly legitimacy is established by transparent editorial governance, formal peer review standards, and indexing in authoritative bibliographic databases. The Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR) is a legitimate, peer-reviewed open access scientific journal published by JMIR Publications. Founded in 1999, JMIR is indexed in MEDLINE, PubMed Central, and Clarivate’s Science Citation Index Expanded. While JGIM focuses on general medical practice and health services, JMIR specializes in digital health, telemedicine, and healthcare informatics.

FAQ

What is the abbreviation for the Journal of General Internal Medicine?

The official ISO and MEDLINE title abbreviation is J Gen Intern Med. It is commonly designated by the abbreviation JGIM.

What is the impact factor of the Journal of General Internal Medicine?

JGIM has a Journal Impact Factor of 4.1 and a 5-year Journal Impact Factor of 5.2 in the 2025 Clarivate Journal Citation Reports.

Who publishes the Journal of General Internal Medicine?

JGIM is published monthly by Springer Nature under the Springer imprint on behalf of the Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM).

Does JGIM charge mandatory submission fees?

No. JGIM charges no submission fees. Authors publishing through the subscription route pay no fees ($0 APC). Authors choosing immediate open access pay an APC of $5,490 USD (£3,790 GBP / €4,490 EUR), often covered by institutional agreements.

Sources

• Springer Nature Link, Journal of General Internal Medicine – Aims and Scope, Journal Metrics, and Editorial Board: https://link.springer.com/journal/11606 (Checked November 8, 2026).
• Springer Nature, Journal of General Internal Medicine – How to Publish With Us, Fees and Funding: https://link.springer.com/journal/11606/how-to-publish-with-us (Checked November 8, 2026).
• Springer / JGIM, JGIM Instructions for Authors (Official Publication Guidelines): https://media.springer.com/full/springer-instructions-for-authors-assets/pdf/11606_JGIM%20Instructions%20for%20Authors_%202025.pdf (Checked November 8, 2026).
• National Library of Medicine (NLM) Catalog, Journal of General Internal Medicine (NLM ID: 8605834): https://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/esummary.fcgi?db=nlmcatalog&id=8605834 (Checked November 8, 2026).
• Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM), Journal of General Internal Medicine (JGIM) Publication Overview: https://www.sgim.org/publications-resources/journal-of-general-internal-medicine/ (Checked November 8, 2026).