The American Journal of Psychiatry Residents’ Journal: Training the Next Generation of Academic Psychiatrists

One of the most unique and rewarding aspects of the Residents’ Journal is the autonomy afforded its trainee editors to independently guide the direction of the journal. Although the Journal editorial staff is available for requested supervision and consultation, the trainee editors are otherwise empowered to make decisions independently. As opposed to a traditional research track in which a trainee may initially serve as one small component of a laboratory ocean liner of research staff, the Residents’ Journal trainee editors set out from the start on a rowboat and are given paddles to get themselves to shore (although emergency flares are available as needed). Through this independence, the trainee editors are able to learn from their own judgment and sense of responsibility, which contributes to their professional development as scholarly editors and leaders. This opportunity is particularly valuable for those trainees who are not inclined to enter traditional research careers and might otherwise miss out on such scholarly apprenticeship. This editorial work builds on one’s writing and editing skills, and ultimately contributes to increased confidence and capabilities in pursuing independent scholarly work.

Serving as Residents’ Journal editors enables trainees to begin to build the foundation of a unique skill set that they will further cultivate throughout their academic careers. Editors develop and hone the critical thinking skills necessary to understand and evaluate each submitted manuscript they review. They further build on an expanding knowledge base through their review of manuscripts from a variety of subspecialty disciplines, some of which they may not otherwise be exposed to during their training. Residents’ Journal editors also have several opportunities to improve their ability to present their ideas in a clear, succinct, and systematic manner. This occurs both in frequent written communications with authors and the editorial staff and in oral communications during the annual Journal editorial board meeting, at which the Residents’ Journal editorial board presents the highlights of the Residents’ Journal from the previous year.

Beyond the skills directly afforded the trainee editor through participation in this process, such a role can also serve as a springboard to other scholarly opportunities. As editors for other journals and periodicals become familiar with the trainee’s work, trainees may be invited to contribute their own manuscripts to outside forums. For example, two of the authors (M.R., R.R.) were invited to publish book reviews for the Journal (10), and the first three authors were invited to submit an article to Psychiatric News (11). Perhaps even more significantly, gaining experience as an editor for a trainee-led journal can serve as a stepping stone to additional peer review and editorial opportunities often not afforded to trainees, as they frequently have not yet had the opportunity to refine this skill set. Many who have completed terms as trainee editors have gone on to additional scholarly accomplishments and promising academic careers and cite the opportunity to hone their editorial, peer review, and leadership skills as a Residents’ Journal editor as pivotal in guiding their career trajectory.

Another rewarding aspect of serving as a Residents’ Journal editor is the sense of camaraderie and teamwork experienced by the editorial staff. As described above, the editorial team is in many ways analogous to a clinical training team; and just as a clinical team bonds, so too does the editorial team. Over the course of the year of service, the editors work together each month to craft each issue essentially from scratch. Going through this process together every month for 12 months leads to the formation of lasting and collegial professional connections and the opportunity for future collaborations. In this way, serving as a journal editor leads not only to individual and collective professional development, but also career advancement.

For all trainees, the Residents’ Journal provides an important outlet and space for the growth of novel scholarly ideas. The focused and succinct nature of the pieces published in the Residents’ Journal makes them well suited for busy trainees who often have little time to devote to reading scholarly articles or initiating their own independent scholarship. Some trainees have published small empirical studies or review articles in the Residents’ Journal that later developed into larger projects and subsequent publications in other peer-reviewed academic journals (12). The expansion of the Residents’ Journal’s national presence, in particular its social media presence, has also fostered a greater sense of community and provided a forum for trainees across the country to share experiences, ideas, and opportunities.

While there are many rewarding and beneficial aspects of serving as a Residents’ Journal editor, the experience is not without its limitations. An inherent limitation in being a “peer-reviewed” journal by trainees for trainees is that none of the journal’s peer reviewers are yet expert in the subject matter they are reviewing. So while reviewers are able to comment on certain aspects of each submission (writing style, grammar, syntax, etc.), they are not able to definitively make determinations commensurate with a true expertise in a particular area of the field (e.g., were the references utilized in this review article sufficiently comprehensive and representative of the literature on the subject?). Also, trainee reviewers are not all created equal. For example, the author of a submission might be a PGY-5 fellow, but the editor reviewing the submission might be a PGY-2 resident, creating an imbalance in experience and knowledge. Furthermore, while all editors are trained in the peer review process and are provided feedback regarding their work by more senior editors, there is still a somewhat limited capacity for quality-controlling other reviewers’ work. Another limitation is that because of time and resource constraints, each submission is reviewed by only one peer reviewer, which allows for reviewer bias. In the future, a goal of the Residents’ Journal is to have multiple peer reviewers assigned to each submission to facilitate interesting discussion and a more fair selection process.

Despite the opportunities for professional advancement described above, participation as a Residents’ Journal editor does not lead to a clear career path advancement. Serving as an editor does not necessarily propel one toward a career in translational or health services research, or even a career as a clinician-educator. So while the experience provides opportunities, it is still up to the trainee to pursue them after completion of their editorial term.

Certain pragmatic concerns also pose limitations to the Residents’ Journal. At this time, journal articles are not indexed in PubMed, which can serve as a disincentive for trainees to submit their scholarly work. Also, while upcoming journal themes are publicized in each issue, often the solicitation of manuscript submissions occurs through trainee word-of-mouth. This unfortunately may lead to lost opportunities to involve as wide a variety of authors and topics as possible.

Other conflicts sometimes arise from the nature of the supervisory relationship between the Journal and the Residents’ Journal. For example, the Journal has determined that Residents’ Journal authors must be trainees from North American training programs (i.e., the United States, Mexico, and Canada). This guideline on authorship was put into place in an effort to keep the number of submissions manageable, as the Residents’ Journal’s online manuscript processing and web publishing are generously provided by the Journal’s own resources and staff. The geographic limitation on authorship does unfortunately exclude many excellent trainees from international programs from publishing their work. Faculty from several countries have attended the Residents’ Journal’s presentation at the APA Annual Meeting to learn what it is doing, in order to replicate it through their countries’ own psychiatric journals. Another example of the symbiotic relationship with the Journal is when a Residents’ Journal submission is of such high quality that Dr. Freedman, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal, poaches it from the Residents’ Journal and chooses instead to publish it in the parent journal (13).