The American Public Health Association (APHA) 2024 Annual Meeting & Expo in Minneapolis was a hub of critical conversations about the future of public health. One particularly insightful session featured Dr. Arnab Mukherjea, a Professor of Public Health at California State University East Bay, and JMIR Infodemiology author, interviewed by JMIR Publications CEO and founder, Gunther Eysenbach. Their discussion centered on the urgent need to rebuild trust in public health and science, a challenge thrown into sharp relief by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The world of machine learning research is rapidly evolving, and with it, the need for clear and concise reporting standards. Recently, the JMIR AI journal hosted a webinar titled "Guidelines for Publishing Machine Learning Modeling Studies," featuring Dr. Khaled El Emam, Co-Editor-in-Chief of JMIR AI. This blog post summarizes the key takeaways for researchers looking to publish their machine learning modeling studies.

For junior faculty members, the path to academic promotion can seem daunting. However, with a strategic approach, you can successfully navigate the journey from assistant to associate to full professor. In a recent JMIR Publications webinar, Dr. Lawrence Mbuagbaw and Dr. Cynthia Lokker from McMaster University shared invaluable advice for junior faculty on what to focus on and what not to worry about when it comes to academic promotion. Here are a few of the key insights from their presentation.

Overlay journals represent a significant advancement in open access academic publishing. By leveraging the infrastructure of preprint servers, these journals offer researchers an efficient, accessible, and open route to peer-reviewed publication. Examples like JMIRx, with its focus on author collaboration and PubMed indexing, underscore the transformative potential of overlay journals in reshaping the landscape of scholarly communication.

JMIR Publications is excited to be headed to the American Public Health Association (APHA) 2024 Annual Meeting! The conference will take place in Minneapolis from October 27-30, 2024. Whether you’re a researcher, student, or policy maker working to rebuild trust in public health, we hope you’ll stop by JMIR Publications’ booth (2110) to chat about your work and meet our founder and CEO, Gunther Eysenbach, editors, and team.

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into the peer review process is a rapidly evolving landscape, offering the promise of streamlined efficiency and increased objectivity. However, this exciting development also highlights several ethical considerations that reviewers should thoughtfully address and navigate. Most importantly, if a reviewer is considering using generative AI to help them with performing a peer review, first check journal policy on whether this is permissible and, if so, then how.

Ethical considerations are paramount in eHealth and informatics research, particularly when dealing with human subjects. Peer reviewers play a crucial role in ensuring that research adheres to the highest ethical standards. Therefore, one of the main responsibilities of a reviewer is to carefully scrutinize studies and verify that they have conducted their human subjects research ethically. 

Inclusive language is more than just a matter of political correctness; it's essential for cultivating an academic environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and heard. In the realm of peer review, where critical feedback is exchanged, the choice of words carries significant weight. Let's delve deeper into how we can make our reviews more inclusive and unbiased.

Peer review is a cornerstone of scholarly publishing, acting as a way to support the publication of high-quality research and to maintain scientific integrity. During peer review, experts evaluate the work of their peers, providing invaluable feedback. Some examples of key feedback during peer reviews include: evaluations of the validity of the scientific question(s) and approach, methodological rigor, how the work contributes to scientific advancement, potential errors or missing relevant/milestone references in the field, and significance and originality of the research (or appropriateness of reproduction in reproducibility studies, if applicable). 

Welcome to a special JMIR Publications blog series: Inside Peer Review: A Special 5 Part Series. 

Over the course of Peer Review Week, we’ll dive into essential topics for peer reviewers, including insights for early career researchers, the art of high-quality reviews, inclusive language, ethical considerations, and the impact of AI. 

Stay tuned each day for valuable tips and expert perspectives that will enhance your understanding of the peer review process.