The Annals of Family Medicine is the #1 North American primary care research journal, according to the 2021 Clarivate Journal Citation Reports, with a journal impact factor of 5.166. It is a peer reviewed open access research journal that does not charge submission or publication fees. Published since 2003 as a collaborative effort of seven family medicine organizations, the Annals publishes around 120 articles per year over six bimonthly issues, and is indexed in a number of databases, including MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cinahl, Science Citation Index Expanded, and Current Contents/Clinical Medicine. The Annals deposits all published content in PubMed Central (PMC).
Why Publish in Annals of Family Medicine? / Journal Metrics
Is My Article Right for Annals of Family Medicine?
Manuscript Preparation
Submit A Manuscript
Editorial Policies
Author Forms
Copyright/Permissions
ISSNs
Editorial Correspondence
| Why publish in Annals of Family Medicine? | Journal Metrics (2021) |
|---|---|
| - We are open access and charge no fees for submission or publication. | - Journal Impact Factor: 5.166 |
| - Articles are made available to the public immediately upon publication. | - 5-Year Journal Impact Factor (JIF): 6.429 |
| - e-TOC alerts are sent to approximately 125,000 subscribers per issue. | - Acceptance rate: 9% |
| - Editorial staff available to answer questions via email or phone. | - Days to first decision (median): 12 |
| - Aggressive social media and traditional news promotion of all articles. | - Days to first decision with review (median): 67 |
| - We are indexed in most major science databases, including MEDLINE. | - Average unique visitors per month (2021): 142,796 |
| - The Annals deposits all published content in PubMed Central (PMC). | - Average page views per month (2021): 417,315 |
| - Online-first publication available for time-sensitive content. | - Average Altmetric score per article (2021): 39 |
Is my article right for Annals of Family Medicine?
The Annals welcomes manuscripts from authors with new knowledge to contribute to understanding and improving health and primary care. We publish a broad range of content, from theory development and rigorous quantitative and qualitative research, to the application of research in practice and the development and implementation of policy. We also welcome work that bridges boundaries between disciplines. Simply put, we support efforts to bring research to practice and practice to research.
Article Length
Tightly written, short manuscripts often have high impact. A limited amount of additional material that provides extra depth may be submitted in appendixes.
- In all article categories below, we welcome brief manuscripts of 800-1100 words, 1-2 figures or tables, and a short abstract. This length is particularly appropriate for papers with a single, crisp, powerful idea or new ideas evaluated with small samples or other limitations.
- Longer articles that convey fully developed, rigorous exposition of a topic may be up to 2700 words with 3-6 tables and/or figures. Some topics, including some qualitative research, may require more words and fewer tables/figures. However, additional length must contribute added value.
- 1200-2500 words is the most effective length for many topics. For example, see www.annfammed.org/content/10/1/50.full and www.annfammed.org/content/11/3/258.full
| What we publish | What we don't publish |
|---|---|
| Original Research. Reports of clinical, biomedical, behavioral, social, health-services, and policy research. | Case Reports |
| Methodology. Development of methods to advance understanding. | Cross-sectional surveys w/less than 50% response rates (unless sample is justified) |
| Theory. Development and testing of explanatory models. | Pilot Studies |
| Systematic Reviews. Critical syntheses that advance theory, methods, or identify new research directions. | Basic Science |
| Research Briefs. Concise reports of research summaries, hypotheses, or works in progress. | Research on patients seen in subspecialty clinics |
| Special Reports. Reports of important, timely topics that do not fit into other article categories. Usually by invitation. | Non-research based Clinical Advice/Summaries or Expert Clinical Reviews |
| Essays. Reflections from clinicians, patients, families, communities, and policymakers. | Unsolicited Opinion Pieces |
| Innovations in Primary Care. Succinct stories of on-the-ground innovations that make a difference in primary health care. | Secondary data analysis without clear causal model and consideration of confounding |
If Annals of Family Medicine is not the right journal for my article, which journal might be more appropriate?
| If your article is: | We recommend submitting to: |
|---|---|
| Educational | Family Medicine |
| Clinical | American Family Physician |
| A Pilot Study | PRiMER |
Manuscript Preparation
In general, manuscripts should be prepared according to guidelines described in the ICMJE's "Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals" (formerly Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts.) The following PDF documents provide important information for authors.
Instructions for Authors *updated June 15, 2021
How to Make a Visual Abstract
Submit a Manuscript
The Annals of Family Medicine uses a web-based manuscript submission system called eJournalPress. All manuscripts must be submitted through this system.
To check on the status of an existing submission, log on to eJournalPress. Note: eJournalPress uses one account for both author and reviewer tasks.
1. Read the Instructions for Submitting a Manuscript. Follow the instructions as you go through the submission process.
2. If you have any questions about your submission, contact the Annals at AnnFamMed@umich.edu or 734-763-7454.
3. If a revised manuscript is invited by the editors, complete and return required forms (see below) to the Annals office.
Editorial Policies
Policy on Authorship *updated October 16, 2008
Policy on Conflict of Interest *updated September 25, 2008
Policy on Duplicate/Prior Publication *updated October 22, 2019
Policy on Prepublication Release of Information and Embargo *updated October 22, 2019
Policy on Supplements *updated June 25, 2019
POLICY ON SUBMITTING PAPERS REJECTED FROM OTHER JOURNALS
The Annals is happy to consider papers that have been rejected from other journals. We do not require you to reformat them. If you have reviews, please include them and your response to the reviewer comments with your submission. Please also indicate you are including these in your cover letter. All Annals submissions should include the following required elements listed in our author instructions:
Title Page
Abstract
Keywords
Abbreviations
Article Text
Acknowledgments
COI statement
References
If relevant, please include separate files for:
Tables and Figures
Appendixes
Supplemental Files and Original Data
Forms
All authors are required to complete and return the Manuscript Agreement form before publication. For additional information about forms, see the Instructions for Authors.
Manuscript Agreement (PDF) *updated December 10, 2020
Manuscript Agreement (Word)
Checklist for Submission *updated June 15, 2021
Consent of Individual to Publish Material *updated June 15, 2021
Permission to republish previously published material *updated June 10, 2002
Copyright/Permissions
To create single reprints for personal use, print the Adobe Acrobat (PDF) files available on the individual article pages.
To order reprints in bulk quantity or ePrints, contact Sheridan at scsreprints@sheridan.com.
For permission to reproduce or adapt content from the Annals for academic classroom use, submit your request to the Republication Department, Copyright Clearance Center, at http://www.copyright.com, or by fax at 978-646-8700.
To reproduce or adapt content from the Annals for any other purposes, send a written request by email to copyrights@aafp.org or mail to the Intellectual Property Department at the Annals of Family Medicine, Inc., 11400 Tomahawk Creek Parkway, Leawood, KS 66211-2680; by fax to 913-906-6093.
For more information, visit the Annals copyright and permissions page.
ISSNs
Print: 1544-1709
Online: 1544-1717
Editorial Correspondence
Please address editorial correspondence to:
John Holkeboer, Senior Editorial Coordinator
Annals of Family Medicine
300 North Ingalls Street, NI-4D09
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
AnnFamMed@umich.edu
734-763-7454 (phone)
734-936-6006 (fax)
Last edited 2/16/2022 10:22AM EST