Medical Education Theme Issue 2012: Title and subTitle BreakCall for Papers

My favorite poem is the one that starts “Thirty days hath September” because it actually tells you something. —Groucho Marx

How do learners value information? What is the most effective way to transmit knowledge across generations? How can this be done in a way that will not only engage students but will ultimately have a positive effect on patient care? These are core questions with which medical educators struggle, oftentimes in the dark.

JAMA will attempt to provide some illumination in the form of the next theme issue on medical education, which will be published in December 2012. We invite authors to submit manuscripts related to all aspects of the educational process. We are particularly seeking studies that either incorporate the most relevant educational outcomes (effects on clinical practice and patient care, rather than measures of knowledge, skills, or attitudes) or address better techniques for their measure.

Articles in past Medical Education theme issues have addressed the use of technology in education; the use of social media, the Internet, and professional behavior; the presence of unconscious biases in trainees; the relationship between education and medical decision making; the effects of stress on trainees and clinicians; career choices and the physician workforce; education in evidence-based medicine; methods, quality, and funding of medical education research; effects of communication skills; teaching quality improvement; diversity in medical education; changes in resident work hours and patient mortality, patient safety, and physician health; and inaccuracy of physician self-assessment.

While these topics remain of interest for the 2012 Medical Education theme issue, other potential topics include (but are not limited to) continuing professional development, physician reentry programs, the appropriate use of medical literature, and the use of interdisciplinary approaches to learning. Given the role of educator that is played by all physicians, we are also interested in studies of the effectiveness of training physicians to be teachers, or residents as teachers, if these studies are conducted with methodological rigor and include important objective outcome measures. Mr Marx notwithstanding, we recognize the essential roles of the humanities in educating students and sustaining physicians,¹ and we welcome related submissions consistent with our usual criteria and standards for publication.

We will consider all original research papers, systematic reviews, and scholarly Viewpoints² addressing medical education, including randomized trials, high-quality observational studies, evidence-based reviews, and presentation of novel methodologies. The effects of medical education at the student, physician, patient, and societal levels are all appropriate for consideration. As with all research published in JAMA, we are seeking studies that meet the highest standards for validity and generalizability; preference will be given to studies that include large sample sizes and multiple study sites.

Manuscripts received by May 15, 2012, will have the best chance for consideration for publication in the Medical Education theme issue. All submitted manuscripts will undergo JAMA 's usual rigorous editorial evaluation and review. Authors should consult the JAMA Instructions for Authors³ for guidelines on manuscript submission and preparation.