Journal of Medical Case Reports
📄 Credibility & Indexing
- Publisher: BioMed Central (part of Springer Nature).
- Established: 2007.
- Indexing: Included in Scopus, PubMed, and CINAHL.
- Impact Factor (2024):
- 2-year IF:
'0.8' - 5-year IF:
'0.9' - SNIP:
'0.677' - SJR:
'0.310'
- The journal is considered legitimate and well-indexed but with modest academic influence.
🕒 Editorial Process & Turnaround
- Median time to first decision:
'32 days' - Median time to acceptance:
'145 days' - Peer Review: Structured and guided, especially supportive for early-career reviewers.
📝 Scope & Article Types
- Focuses on:
- Rare or unusual presentations
- Novel diagnostic or therapeutic approaches
- Adverse drug reactions
- “N-of-1” studies and prevalence data from case series
- Includes clinical meta-analyses based on individual case reports.
🔍 Strengths vs Weaknesses
| Strengths | Considerations |
|---|---|
| ✅ Open-access: High daily visibility (~11,400 accesses) and over 4.5 million downloads/year | ⚠️ Low impact factor, typical for case-report journals |
| ✅ Indexed in reputable databases (Scopus, PubMed) | ⚠️ Not suitable for researchers prioritizing high citation metrics |
| ✅ Transparent review process and editorial integrity | ⚠️ Less academic prestige compared to high-impact clinical journals |
🧭 Comparison with Alternatives
- Compared to Cureus:
- Cureus has faster publication, but variable indexing and review stringency.
- Compared to major clinical journals (e.g., *Mayo Clinic Proceedings*):
- Those journals rarely accept isolated case reports unless embedded in broader research.
✅ Recommendations
- Suitable for:
- Clinicians aiming to publish instructive or rare clinical observations.
- Early-career authors seeking entry into peer-reviewed publication.
- Less suited for:
- Researchers focused on improving their h-index or aiming for high-impact journals.
⚠️ Watchpoints
- The journal is
'not predatory': clear fees, legitimate peer-review, and ethical standards. - Always verify indexing status in Scopus/PubMed before submitting.
- Avoid confusing with similarly named, non-indexed case-report outlets.
📌 Conclusion
- The *Journal of Medical Case Reports* is a reliable and well-indexed platform for publishing clinical case material.
- It balances accessibility and visibility with rigorous but attainable editorial standards.
- Not intended for high-impact scientific contribution, but highly useful for clinical documentation, education, and academic engagement.