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🧠 Critical Review of *The Spine Journal* (Elsevier, ISSN: 1529-9430)
*The Spine Journal* is the official journal of the North American Spine Society and one of the highest-impact publications in the field of spinal surgery and research.
📊 Core Metrics
- Impact Factor: ~4.9 (2023)
- CiteScore: ~6.9
- H-index: ~126
- Quartile: Q1 in Orthopedics and Surgery
- Frequency: Monthly (since 2001)
✅ Strengths
- High Academic Influence:
Maintains strong impact factor and citation metrics, with consistent inclusion of top-tier clinical and translational spine research.
- Reputable Society Affiliation:
Official journal of the North American Spine Society, which enhances credibility and attracts influential research.
- Multidisciplinary Scope:
Covers spine surgery, rehabilitation, biomechanics, pain, imaging, and clinical trials. Includes reviews, case reports, and methodologically sound original research.
- Transparent Editorial Guidelines:
Provides clear author instructions and peer-review flow, improving submission experience.
⚠️ Weaknesses
- Peer-Review Variability:
Like other spine journals, reviewer agreement is low (“slight”), raising concerns over inter-reviewer reliability.
- Impact Factor Bias Risk:
There is potential prioritization of reviews or “trendy” studies over negative or neutral findings to maintain citation metrics.
- Limited Transparency in Conflicts of Interest (COI):
COIs for editors and reviewers are not publicly listed, limiting transparency despite adherence to Elsevier/ICMJE standards.
- Hybrid Access & APC Costs:
Open access is optional but costly. May disadvantage authors without funding, especially from low/middle-income countries.
- Unclear Time-to-Publication:
The journal lacks publicly reported average timeframes from submission to final publication.
🆚 Comparative Table
| Feature | *The Spine Journal* | *Spine* (LWW) |
|---|---|---|
| Impact Factor (2023) | ~4.9 | ~2.6–3.0 |
| Publishing Frequency | Monthly | Bi-weekly |
| Society Affiliation | North American Spine Society | Multiple global societies |
| Peer Review Agreement | Slight | Slight |
| Open Access Model | Hybrid (Elsevier) | Hybrid (LWW) |
🧩 Overall Assessment
- For Authors:
Prestigious venue with high visibility, but high APCs and peer-review variability must be considered.
- For Readers:
Broad, clinically applicable content and innovation in spinal research make it a high-value source.
- For the Field:
A leading journal, but improvement is needed in peer-review transparency, COI disclosure, and support for open-access equity.
✅ Final Verdict
*The Spine Journal* is a top-tier platform in spine science with outstanding academic influence. It balances clinical and basic science content, but remains bound by structural publishing limitations shared across high-impact journals.