Journal of Medical Education and Curricular Development

Aims and Scope

The Journal of Medical Education and Curricular Development will focus on publishing timely information on medical education practices and development. In addition, the Journal will provide access to recent articles intended to help educators in the evaluation of curriculum development, methods of instruction, individualized learning practices, and of student and faculty assessment. The journal will focus on of medical education and curricular development, including basic science, clinical, and postgraduate medical education. Articles will be considered for publications that assess novel ways to improve upon existing curricula, designing of new curricular materials to engage students more effectively, effectiveness of large didactic lecture formats versus small group learning for teaching effectiveness, the value of independent learning assessments on education, and methods to improve effective teaching in the classroom. Specific areas that the journal will focus on include:

• Innovative approaches to teaching and learning

• Novel assessment and evaluation of knowledge, skills and attitudes towards professional education

• Professional education and development including development of CME, online courses, and internet based learning exercises

• Basic Science and Clinical Curriculum development

• Effectiveness of independent learning as a tool in medical education

• Effectiveness of team-based learning as a tool in medical education

• The role problem-based learning in medical education

• The interrelationship between basic science curricula and clinical curricula

Standard Author Services

The journal distinguishes itself from others in the field by combining individualized author service with editorial integrity and procedural efficiency.  At every stage authors will be introduced to the staff member responsible for their paper and will receive procedural explanations and regular status updates.  The progress of authors’ papers is continually monitored by staff, and a staff member is always available to answer authors' questions.  This is reflected in our consistently positive author testimonials. 

• Submission to first editorial decision including rigorous, expert peer review in average four weeks

• Rapid publication in two to four weeks after acceptance

• No deadlines for corrections to typeset proofs

• Paper announcement after publication through scholarly databases, social media, and opted-in newsletters

• Open access visibility and flexibility with no restrictions on author archiving

• CC-BY-NC licensing to prohibit unrestricted commercial re-use, CC-BY available on request

• Article level usage metrics (in beta)

• Permanent availability by leading institutional libraries under CLOCKSS and LOCKSS systems

• Proactive, professional journal staff

Optional Author Services

• Discounted article reprints

• English proof reading

• Pre-submission paper-matching and editor in chief consultation

• Pre-peer review language polishing and paper formatting

• Video abstracts

• Ebook on enhancing article visibility

• Social media promotion

Current Article Processing Fees

As an open access journal authors are charged an article processing fee after acceptance for publication by the editor in chief or associate editor.  Fees do not vary based on factors like word count or use of color images, and there is no fee charged upon submission.  Current fees are given below:

• Authors in North America: €974 

• Authors in Japan: €974 

• Authors in other countries: €974 

For a limited time the journal is offering full fee waivers for papers on topics approved by the editor in chief prior to manuscript submission.  Authors who wish to obtain a waiver must before submitting their paper, obtain his approval, and forward his email containing approval immediately after submitting the manuscript.  Where these steps are not followed waivers will not be given.

More information on article processing fees and availability of waivers and discounts are available on the article processing fees webpage.

Manuscript Types and Preparation Guidelines

Information on manuscript types accepted for peer review and guidelines for manuscript preparation are available here.  A manuscript template, sample manuscript, and pre-submission check list are available here.

Editorial Policies

All articles are subject to blind independent peer review by reviewers drawn from the journal's editorial board, volunteer peer reviewer pool, and where necessary from Pubmed.  Pubmed is used where specialized expertise is unavailable from the other sources.  Two to four peer reviewers will be used.  Editorial decisions are made by independent editors in chief or associate editors. The editorial process from peer review to first editorial decision takes three to four weeks following acceptance of each paper for peer review.

In the open access business model many editorial decisions result in a fee payment to the publisher.  Because of this we maintain a strict distinction between editorial decisions, made by editors in chief or associate editors, and business decisions.  Libertas does not make nor attempt to influence editorial decisions.  Editorial decision makers receive no incentives to make decisions leading to fee payments.

The journal is committed to high standards of integrity.  Authors are required to confirm their compliance with ethical and legal requirements upon submission.  Prior to publication all authors must provide signed confirmation of compliance. Where concerns arise the journal will apply the Committee on Publication Ethics guidelines on ethical matters.

Frequency of Publication

Articles are published upon completion of production.

Citing Articles

Article citations follow this format:

Authors: Title.  Journal [year]:[volume] [first page]-[last page]

Open Access

This is an open access journal which means that all content is freely available without charge to the user or his/her institution.  Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author.  This is in accordance with the BOAI definition of open access.

Inquiries 

Correspondence should be sent to .  Contact details for Libertas staff are available here.

Additional Information for Authors

• Manuscript preparation and submission requirements

• Monitoring the status of papers under review

• More information on standard and optional services for authors