If you work as a medical educator, you likely want to conduct original research and publish it in high-impact journals. Why? Because it advances the field and offers you other benefits, such as:
- Improving the reputation and prestige of the institution where you work.
- Creating opportunities for you to become a tenure-track professor and advance toward becoming a full professor.
- Growing into a thought leader in your field who receives invitations to speak at important conferences and workshops.
You can submit your research manuscript to dozens of medical education journals. And, as a result, understanding the ins and outs of these publications can be difficult.
That’s why we’ve compiled a list of high-impact medical education journals below to help you identify the right home for your future research.
The Most Important Medical Education Journals
Academic Medicine
Impact factor: 5.2 (source)
Frequency: 12 issues per year
Overview: First published in 1926 by the Association of American Medical Colleges, this leading peer-reviewed journal focuses on research topics that impact academic medicine, such as “education and training issues; health and science policy; institutional policy, management, and values; research practice; and clinical practice in academic settings.“
Medical Education
Impact factor: 5.2 (source: journal website)
Frequency: 12 issues per year
Overview: Medical Education is a peer-reviewed journal that publishes research on faculty development, teaching methods, curriculum design, assessments, and other topics. It makes publishing decisions on most papers in about eight weeks.
Advances in Health Sciences Education
Impact factor: 3.3 (source)
Frequency: Quarterly
Overview: Advances in Health Sciences Education focuses on research that reviews “important developments” in health education and invites researchers to submit papers that discuss new technologies and teaching strategies.
Medical Teacher: An International Journal of Education in the Health Sciences
Impact factor: 4.4 (source)
Frequency: 12 issues per year
Overview: This journal is published by the Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE). It features research on topics such as teaching methods and assessment strategies that affect health education faculty and administrators.
JMIR Medical Education
A leading open-access journal highlighting innovations in digital and online medical education. Publishes research on e-learning, virtual simulations, and technology-driven approaches to enhance healthcare training.
Impact Factor: 12.5 (source)
Frequency: Continuous
Perspectives on Medical Education
An open-access journal that publishes high-quality research on all aspects of medical education, including curriculum design, assessment, faculty development, and learner experiences. PME emphasizes evidence-based approaches and innovative strategies to improve healthcare training worldwide.
Impact Factor: 3.9 (as of 2024)
Frequency: Bimonthly
Top Medical Journals That Also Publish Medical Education Research
The New England Journal of Medicine
Impact factor: 78.5 (source: journal website)
Frequency: 52 issues per year
Overview: Published for over 200 years, The New England Journal of Medicine aims to bring the best research to clinicians and health educators. It has the highest impact factor of any general medical journal in the world.
JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association
Impact factor: 63.5 (source: journal website)
Frequency: 48 issues per year
Overview: JAMA is one of the world’s leading peer-reviewed medical journals. It also has the world’s largest audience for a general medical journal (277,000 print journal recipients, 1.6 million electronic alert recipients, and 27 million annual website visits). JAMA’s editors publish research on various medical topics, including medical education.
The Lancet
Impact factor: 88.5 (source: journal website)
Frequency: 52 issues per year
Overview: The Lancet began publishing research on every major medical topic and practice area in 1823, including oncology, neurology, psychiatry, infectious diseases, and others (including medical education), to publish studies with findings that can improve human lives.
PLOS Medicine
Frequency: Continuous
Overview: This widely-read, peer-reviewed open-access journal publishes studies examining the “biomedical, environmental, social, and political determinants of health.” It has featured many different papers focused on medical education.
Other Noteworthy Medical Education Journals
Teaching and Learning in Medicine
Impact factor: 1.8 (source)
Frequency: 5 issues per year
Overview: Teaching and Learning in Medicine is a medical education journal focused on a global audience. It publishes premedical, postgraduate, and continuing medical education research in five categories: Groundwork, Validation, Investigations, Educational Case Reports, and Observations.
Journal of Medical Ethics
Impact factor: 3.4 (source)
Frequency: 12 issues per year
Overview: This journal presents articles and research on medical ethics. It encourages clinicians, researchers, legislators, and patients to consider ethics in healthcare and the policies that affect it.
Journal of Surgical Education
Impact factor: 2.1 (source)
Frequency: 6 issues per year
Publishes research on surgical education for students, residents, fellows, and practicing surgeons, and as the official journal of the Association of Program Directors in Surgery, and also features proceedings from the annual Surgery Education Week.
Medical Science Educator: The Journal of the International Association of Medical Science Educators
Impact factor: 1.8 (source)
Frequency: 5 issues per year
Overview: The International Association of Medical Science Educators publishes this journal. It includes studies and opinions that teach “the scientific skills which are fundamental to modern medicine and health, including basic science education, clinical teaching and the incorporation of modern education technologies.“
Medical Education Online
Impact Factor: 3.8 (source)
Frequency: Annual
Overview: Publishes research and innovations across all aspects of medical education, providing a platform for educators and researchers to share strategies, assessment methods, and curriculum development practices.
Open-access Medical Education Journals
BMC Medical Education
Impact factor: 3.2 (source)
Frequency: Monthly
Overview: This open-access journal features peer-reviewed research, and it focuses on several special topic areas: “curriculum development, evaluations of performance, assessment of training needs, and evidence-based medicine.“
MedEdPORTAL: The Journal of Teaching and Learning Resources
Impact factor: No impact factor listed
Overview: The AAMC and American Dental Education Association publish this peer-reviewed open-access journal together. Each publication is a “complete teaching or learning module.”
Journal of Medical Education and Curricular Development
Impact factor: No impact factor listed
Overview: The Journal of Medical Education and Curricular Development is a peer-reviewed publication that offers quick research reviews and open access to its articles. It includes research that covers the entire medical education landscape.
Journals Focused on Graduate and Continuing Medical Education
The Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions
Impact factor: 1.265 (source: journal website)
Frequency: 4 issues per year
Overview: Published by the Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions, the Association for Hospital Medical Education, and the Society for Academic Continuing Medical Education, this journal presents research on theories, teaching methods, and policies that impact continuing health education.
Journal of Graduate Medical Education
Impact factor: 2.58 (as of 2024)
Frequency: Quarterly
Overview: This journal is published by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, and its mission is to share peer-reviewed research that improves graduate medical education.
What is a high-impact medical education journal?
A high-impact medical education journal publishes research widely cited by other academics and is used to shape how medicine is taught and learned. Published articles influence policy, teaching practices, and educational standards worldwide.
How is “impact” measured?
The most common metric is the Impact Factor (IF), which reflects how often a journal’s articles are cited compared to others.
What makes a journal high impact?
High-impact journals typically have:
- Rigorous peer review ensuring quality and originality
- Publishes articles regularly cited in research and guidelines
- Has an international readership and diverse authorship
- Has a reputation for shaping best practices in medical education
- Selective acceptance rates that embrace and enforce high standards
Why does publishing in a high-impact journal matter?
Publishing in one or more of these journals increases the visibility of your work, enhances your academic credibility, and helps your findings reach educators, institutions, and policymakers who can then apply them in practice.
Are impact factors the only thing that matters?
While these metrics are important, the actual measure of impact is whether your work influences how medical education is delivered, improves learning outcomes, or sparks meaningful innovation.
The Importance of High-impact Research
No journal on this list or elsewhere will publish your research if it’s not original, high-impact work. So, always make it your priority to answer meaningful research questions through studies with sound operational design.
If you know of a high-impact medical education journal that isn’t already on this list and you’d like us to add it, please email us at [email protected] to let us know.
Key Takeaways
- High-impact journals advance medical education research and careers.
- Journals vary by focus: general medicine, ethics, anatomy, education methods.
- Publishing in reputable journals boosts professional recognition.
- Access to diverse journals supports comprehensive learning.
- Staying current with research improves healthcare education quality.
Interested in using Osmosis at your medical institution? Start a conversation with us today!
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