About the Journal of Family Medicine

Peer-reviewed, open access journal advancing comprehensive primary care, patient-centered medical homes, and lifespan health - trusted by family physicians, nurse practitioners, health system leaders, and community health strategists worldwide.

Family medicine operates at the intersection of acute intervention, chronic disease prevention, behavioral health support, and community partnership. JFM serves as a rigorous yet responsive publishing partner for research teams who need credible dissemination without sacrificing methodological clarity, ethical stewardship, or speed. Our editorial board - comprising family physicians, public health strategists, behavioral scientists, health systems researchers, and medical educators - curates submissions that deliver translational value for practitioners, educators, and policy makers.

Each manuscript receives a customized editorial roadmap. Statistical reviewers assess analytical robustness, ethics editors verify regulatory compliance, and subject experts interrogate novelty, reproducibility, and contextual relevance. Accepted articles are enriched with structured abstracts, visual data highlights, and discoverability metadata to support citation growth, teaching use, and health system integration.

Beyond publication, JFM equips authors with post-publication amplification - DOI registration, indexing submissions, search engine optimization, targeted social media promotion, and cross-linking to thematic collections. This holistic approach keeps your findings visible to scholars, clinicians, and decision-makers long after publication day.

JFM welcomes manuscripts that deepen clinical insight, quantify impact, or translate evidence into practice across the family medicine continuum. We intentionally cultivate diversity in methodology and geography to reflect the global realities of primary care, community health, and patient-centered medical homes.

JFM constantly monitors emerging topics in primary care and allied health sciences. Current editorial priorities include antimicrobial stewardship in outpatient settings, family-based mental health interventions, culturally attuned reproductive health counseling, telehealth equity, climate-sensitive health planning, refugee and migrant family health, eldercare transitions, indigenous health sovereignty, and health literacy innovations.

Every submission is screened for scope fit and ethical compliance before entering JFM's single-blind peer review process. Authors may request a double-blind workflow when anonymity is essential to mitigate implicit bias. Reviews emphasize clinical applicability, methodological rigor, reproducibility, and translational value, while providing constructive insights that strengthen the manuscript regardless of the final decision.

1. Editorial Triage: Scope alignment, methodological soundness, and ethical compliance review led by subject-specific editors.
2. Expert Peer Review: Two or more reviewers evaluate scientific rigor, practical applicability, and clarity for multidisciplinary readers.
3. Decision & Guidance: Acceptance, revision, or decline decisions accompanied by structured feedback to guide authors.
4. Production & Quality Control: Professional copyediting, layout checks, figure optimization, and final author approval.
5. Indexing & Promotion: Automatic deposit to Crossref, discovery platforms, and inclusion in issue collections, newsletters, and targeted announcements.

JFM's manuscript workflow is designed for busy research teams balancing clinical workloads, grant deliverables, and teaching responsibilities. Authors can submit through the streamlined submission portal, via email to [email protected], or through the Manuscript Zone platform. Our editorial staff acknowledges receipt within 72 hours and keeps corresponding authors informed of each milestone.

Authors seeking dedicated language polishing can access JFM's language editing service. Institutions or research consortia publishing multiple papers annually can explore membership packages that provide APC discounts and priority processing.

JFM publishes all content under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). Authors retain copyright, enabling unlimited reuse in teaching, derivative works, grant reports, and future publications with proper citation. Readers worldwide benefit from immediate, barrier-free access - a critical factor in equitable evidence translation.

Our data archiving permissions endorse preprint deposition, institutional repository hosting, and dissemination via subject databases. Article processing charges are levied only after acceptance. View detailed pricing, waiver pathways, and institutional agreements on the APC information page. Authors from low- and middle-income countries, early-career investigators, and student-led teams are encouraged to contact the editorial office to discuss eligibility for discretionary support.

Special issues allow the JFM community to explore pressing topics in depth. We welcome proposals from established scholars and rising leaders who can assemble interdisciplinary teams around themes such as family resilience in humanitarian crises, community health worker integration, or digital therapeutics for chronic disease self-management. Prospective guest editors can outline their vision via the special issue proposal page, while authors ready to contribute can submit directly through the special issue submission portal.

Navigate the full JFM ecosystem to plan, submit, and amplify your research.

We welcome questions about manuscript fit, special issue proposals, reviewer nominations, or partnership opportunities. Reach our team at [email protected]. Together we can ensure that evidence-based family medicine insights reach the professionals and communities who need them most.