The Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health 2016–2025: Advancing Through Growth and Change

Abstract

In 2025, we celebrate the seventieth anniversary of the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) and the seventieth anniversary of the Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health (JMWH), as we publish the seventieth volume of JMWH. JMWH, the official journal of ACNM, began as the Nurse-Midwife Bulletin in 1955, then the Bulletin of the American College of Nurse-Midwifery in 1956, the Bulletin of the American College of Nurse-Midwives in 1969, when ACNM changed its name, and the Journal of Nurse-Midwifery in 1973.¹ Today, we celebrate the Journal of Midwifery and Women's Health, so named in 2000.

The only midwifery journal in the United States, JMWH publishes research and other scholarly articles to support the profession and practice of midwifery. Our authors are primarily midwives and from the United States. However, increasingly midwife authors are from countries outside the United States. Authors also represent nurses, including advanced practice nurses, as well as physicians, social workers, public health professionals, dentists, psychologists, pharmacists, and others. Although maintaining a strong focus on midwifery research, practice, policy, and education in the United States, JMWH is truly an international and interprofessional journal. JMWH leadership participates in the International Academy of Nursing Editors and was pleased to be included in their inaugural group of 13 journals named to the Nursing Journal Hall of Fame for achieving at least 50 years of sustained excellence in publication.

Two major changes occurred since the previous JMWH history update was published in 2015.² The first was a change to the cover of JMWH in 2019, the first since 1979. The purpose of the cover change was to better reflect the current profession, including our scope of practice as well as ACNM's commitment to inclusion and respect for diverse identities.³ The second change was a complete transition in the editorial leadership of JMWH.⁴ December 2021 marked the retirement of then editor-in-chief Frances E. Likis, who was named Editor Emeritus by the ACNM Board of Directors. Deputy Editors Tekoa King and Patricia Aikins Murphy also retired from their positions in Fall 2021. Following a 4-month editorial transition, Melissa Avery became editor-in-chief of JMWH in January 2022. Ira Kantrowitz-Gordon, who had assumed a one-year position as deputy editor in 2021, joined the new senior leadership team with Linda Hunter, who joined as deputy editor in Fall of 2021.

The number of manuscripts submitted to JMWH continues to increase. The number of new manuscripts submitted in 2016 was 355, increasing to 627 in 2020 when many journals received more manuscripts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Remaining steady after the height of the pandemic, the number of submitted manuscripts has risen again, reaching 749 in 2024. This increase represents a doubling of submissions from 2016 through 2024. Along with the increase in submissions has been a change in the publisher's page limits. Consequently, beginning July/August 2024, the number of articles published has increased. We anticipate adding a third deputy editor by the end of 2025.

In addition to growth in articles received and published, JMWH tracks other metrics. The Journal Impact Factor (JIF) is the average number of citations for each published article over the previous 2 years. The JIF was 1.4 in 2016 and is 2.3 in 2025 (for the year 2024, including articles published in 2022 and 2023). Changes to the process for calculation of the JIF and the increase in articles published worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the JMWH JIF increasing and then decreasing again. Over the past 10 years, the JIF continues to rise for JMWH. The number of electronic page views was 847,535 in 2016 and rose to 1,467,194 through 2024. Full text downloads equaled 340,308 in 2016 and rose to 663,852 by the close of 2024. Authors, your work is being seen and used! Winners of the JMWH Best Article Awards from 2015 through 2025 are identified in Appendices 1 and 2.

Recognizing the major contribution to the journal made by peer reviewers, JMWH has increased its available support for reviewers. A new section for peer reviewers was added to the JMWH website in 2022. A guide to peer review and many resources are available to peer reviewers to assist in the process of critically reviewing manuscripts and providing scholarly guidance to authors and editors. A recorded live session of a JMWH senior editors presentation on peer review is also located under the reviewers tab at jmwh.org. A new award honoring peer reviewers with the greatest quantity and quality of reviews over 10 years was given in 2021. This Outstanding Peer Reviewer Award became an annual award in 2022 (Appendix 3).

JMWH publishes a popular column with information for patients on a variety of topics. In 2022, the name of the column was changed to Ask the Midwife (formerly Share with Women). JMWH associate editors prioritized existing columns for content update, including gender neutral language, and these are being expeditiously updated with the new column title by contributing editors Lindsey Wilson and Lucinda Canty. The column (freely printable handouts for patients) are the top downloaded items published in the Journal, telling us that you are using them and your patients are reading them. In 2024, JMWH leadership built a new team and also begin updating and publishing new Spanish language Ask the Midwife columns under the leadership of associate editor Ali Cocco and contributing editor Jenifer Fahey. Other article type changes include launching Quality Improvement articles in 2016, introducing Innovations from the Field, replacing Brief Reports in 2019, and adding a new column Innovations in Midwifery Education in 2025.

The world of scholarly publishing is undergoing major changes in the 2020s. We are witnessing the ongoing transition from subscription-based access to journals to open access (OA), where authors, their funded grants, or their institutions pay a fee for publication of their accepted articles.⁶ JMWH is publishing many more articles funded by OA fees. In 2021, JMWH published 6 articles OA. In 2024, that number had increased to 36. The OA article is then available to anyone, anywhere with access to the internet. Along with OA is an increase in the number and pace of journals moving from print to online. JMWH currently offers many online resources including earlier access to published articles.⁷ We anticipate informing the ACNM membership of a gradual transition from print and online to online only (with an option to self-print or purchase print) between 2025 and 2027.

The growth of artificial intelligence (AI) is also impacting scholarly publishing and will be a concern as well as provide some benefits for the foreseeable future. JMWH leadership approved and published a new policy in 2024 on the use of AI. Our aim is to ensure that any use of AI by authors, editors, and peer reviewers is acknowledged publicly, and that generative AI use is ethical, appropriate, and transparent in its use.⁸

Diversity and inclusion, with the ultimate goal of publishing research and other scholarship that contribute to improving health equity and making sure all midwives feel part of JMWH, are a major focus at JMWH. Following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, an editorial with resources was published in JMWH.⁹ Publication of the editorial grew into a Racial Equity Library, available on the JMWH website (jmwh.org), where articles published in JMWH related to improving health equity, including reducing maternal mortality and morbidity, are continuously added and easily available to all readers. Recent JMWH article collections related to equity include Health Care for Transgender and Non-binary Individuals, and Abortion Challenges and Implications for Midwifery Practice.

Important ongoing activity related to inclusion and equity is a project led by the JMWH Inclusivity Task Force chaired by Lauren Arrington, a JMWH associate editor. A team comprised of a deputy editor, 2 associate editors, one contributing editor, one consulting editor, and 2 peer reviewers has been meeting monthly since January 2025. The group is reviewing JMWH policies, statements, initiatives, and recent activities. They will provide a report with recommendations at the JMWH Editorial Board Leadership Team meeting at the ACNM Annual Meeting in Palm Springs, California, in October 2025. Discussion, including participation of an external consultant, will follow the report. The JMWH Editorial Board Leadership Team will review the recommendations at a later meeting and make decisions based on the report and discussion. A report will be made to the ACNM membership and JMWH readers in early 2026.

JMWH leadership will continue to publish high quality articles using the best guidance for publication integrity and transparency. We will stay on top of ongoing rapid changes in scholarly publishing, bringing you, the reader, the best possible information to support the midwifery profession. As ACNM members, this is your journal, and we welcome your communication and participation.