An Assessment of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery Publication Trends From 2012 Through 2022.

Background: Clinical research is an integral component of orthopaedic practice with the purpose of advancing the field and improving patient care. The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS) is a well-respected journal with a high impact factor and considerable influence on clinical practice. To our knowledge, there has been no systematic evaluation highlighting the variety of research published in this journal. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate trends in characteristics of articles published in JBJS from 2012 to 2022, including type of study, level of evidence, author information, and country of publication.

Methods: Articles published in JBJS between 2012 and 2022 were retrieved from the JBJS Archives. Title, level of evidence, description of the study as delineated in the abstract, first author degree, number of authors, and country of publication were recorded for each published article.

Results: A total of 2668 articles were published in JBJS from 2012 to 2022. The proportion of preclinical studies published per year significantly decreased (P = 0.0025), whereas no statistically significant change was observed in the proportion of clinical studies (P = 0.34). A significant increase was noted in the proportion of database studies published (P = 0.00012). Studies classified as level II decreased over the study period (P = 0.029), whereas level III increased over the study period (P = 0.034). The average number of authors per article was 6 ± 3 authors with a significantly increasing trend over the study period (P = 0.0043). The proportion of first authors who were MD or equivalent decreased (P = 0.025), whereas first authors who were non-MD or non-PhD equivalent increased (P = 0.0068).

Conclusion: The publication trends in JBJS over the past decade demonstrate the changing landscape of orthopaedic research as it aims to address the burden of musculoskeletal injury and disease.