AJP Residents’ Journal: New Formats and New Opportunities

The American Journal of Psychiatry Residents’ Journal, APA’s exclusive resident-run journal, moved into its 10th year last month. The journal, which is the brainchild of American Journal of Psychiatry’s Editor-in-Chief Robert Freedman, M.D., and Deputy Editor Susan Schultz, M.D., first began in 2006 as a four-page issue. Today it is a 16-page journal that is written, peer-reviewed, and edited exclusively by psychiatry residents and fellows. The journal also has a vibrant online presence with a Facebook page and a Twitter account. Over the past year, the journal has seen a remarkable growth with approximately threefold greater engagement by residents and fellows.

The journal offers many exciting opportunities for medical students, residents, and fellows. The process typically begins with the medical student/resident/fellow submitting an article for the journal. The submission goes through a process of peer review before it is accepted. Once the writer is successful in publishing an article in the journal, he or she is eligible for additional opportunities such as serving as a Guest Section editor for a future issue, receiving a free book for a book review, and joining the Editorial Board.

The Guest Section editor has the opportunity to bring together a theme issue on a topic of his or her choice. The responsibilities include soliciting articles, reviewing them, and helping other residents/fellows write scholarly articles in keeping with the theme. Each theme consists of six to seven articles, including an editorial by the Guest Section editor. The position is competitive and fairly coveted since there are only eight Guest Section editors each year. Many of the Guest Section editors and Editorial Board members of the past year have gone on to obtain fellowship positions and academic awards at the national level. This speaks to the immense academic opportunities and recognition that participation with the journal provides.

The new academic year also brings with it some new changes to the format of articles in the journal. The journal is gearing up toward a more educational experience for residents and fellows and aspires to fill the gap in psychopharmacology and neuroscience education across the country. In the coming months, medical students, residents, and fellows will have the opportunity to submit reviews of pharmacological medications in the new format called “Drug Review” and to submit articles in the format called “History of Psychiatry.” These new formats, along with our existing formats of “Treatment in Psychiatry“ and “Clinical Case Conference“ will cover topics on psychopharmacology, clinical treatment, neuroscience, and DSM-5. Each article will be accompanied by a table that lists out key points or clinical pearls to enable readers to quickly peruse key teaching points. Readers will also be able to answer a quiz at the end of each issue. Additionally, authors will have an opportunity to create podcasts for their articles to be featured on our Facebook page.

This is indeed an exciting time for the American Journal of Psychiatry Residents’ Journal, and we invite you to get involved with the journal! This year’s Editorial Board is composed of three of the authors of this article—Rajiv Radhakrishnan, M.B.B.S., M.D., Katherine Pier, M.D., and Hun Millard, M.D., M.A. We are joined by Associate Editors Rafik Sidaros, M.B.B.Ch., of SUNY Downstate Medical Center and Janet Charoensook, M.D., of the University of California, Riverside.

To get more involved or have your questions answered, please send an email to [email protected]. ■