The Journal experienced a transformational change in 2025. With the launch of the new cover and new article types in November, we signaled our move toward adapting to a rapidly changing future in publishing, while maintaining our integrity as the home for high-quality scientific content. Through several new commissioned article types (Viewpoints, Expert Reviews, World Reports, and Health Care Recommendations), we aim to engage our global community more deeply. We also consolidated our editorial board structure to maximize operational excellence. Scientific research, however, remains our priority.
In 2025, we continued to receive a high volume of submissions across the six journals in our portfolio, with acceptance rates ranging from 15.5% to 82.6%. As we move into 2026, we will engage in the issues that matter most to our inter-disciplinary network of surgeons, health care professionals, and researchers. With a number of planned theme issues, including Artificial Intelligence, we aim to stay highly relevant and informative. Data will be central to JBJS, guiding informed decisions about our future course. Ultimately, our success depends on the value we bring to the care of patients worldwide—and it is, indeed, this community for whom we strive for excellence.
Mo Bhandari
Editor-in-Chief
Table of Contents
Important Dates and Upcoming Meetings
2025 Stats
Complete statistics for the portfolio can be found here.
Submissions Received Across Portfolio
| Number Received (All Article Types) | |||||
| Journal | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
| The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery | 1,512 | 1,355 | 1,421 | 1,569 | 1,606 |
| JBJS Case Connector* | 825 | 815 | 705 | 630 | 732 |
| JBJS Essential Surgical Techniques | 50 | 47 | 78 | 43 | 53 |
| JBJS Reviews | 212 | 218 | 227 | 202 | 266 |
| JBJS Journal of Orthopaedics for Physician Assistants | 31 | 31 | 31 | 37 | 24 |
| JBJS Open Access | 148 | 152 | 183 | 253 | 355 |
| TOTAL | 2,778 | 2,618 | 2,645 | 2,734 | 3,036 |
Submissions to Case Connector appear to be bouncing back after the introduction of the $99 submission fee in mid-2023. Submissions to Open Access have increased substantially in part due to an increase in transfer offers from other JBJS journals.
Acceptance Rates Across Portfolio
| Journal | 2025 Acceptance Rate | Previous Year |
| The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery | ||
| Scientific articles | 15.3% | 18.1% |
| Other article types (perspectives, reviews, etc.) | 66.7% | 57.1% |
| JBJS Case Connector | 42.5% | 37.7% |
| JBJS Essential Surgical Techniques | 90.6% | 91.9% |
| JBJS Reviews | 30.3% | 45.1% |
| JBJS Journal of Orthopaedics for Physician Assistants | 82.6% | 87% |
| JBJS Open Access | ||
| Scientific and review articles | 39.4% | 61.5% |
| AOA Critical Issues in Education | 78.4% | 69% |
Turnaround Times Across Portfolio
| Journal | Receipt to First Decision | Receipt to Acceptance | Acceptance to Online Pub. | Receipt to Online Pub. |
| The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery | 33 days | 200 days | 139 days | 247 days |
| JBJS Case Connector | 32 days | 118 days | 42 days | 160 days |
| JBJS Essential Surgical Techniques* | 106 days | 392 days | 189 days | 584 days |
| JBJS Reviews | 21 days | 72 days | 40 days | 112 days |
| JBJS Journal of Orthopaedics for Physician Assistants | 18 days | 56 days | 46 days | 106 days |
| JBJS Open Access | 38 days | 132 days | 52 days | 209 days |
| Targets | <30 days | <120 days | <60 days | <210 days |
*Due to the video format and increased production time of EST articles, EST targets differ: Receipt to First Decision: <60 days; Receipt to Acceptance: <180 days; Acceptance to Online Publication: <120 days; Receipt to Publication: <360 days.
Author Survey Feedback (2025 Q2-3 Authors)
- About 30% of authors (accepted and rejected) use AI in their manuscript process, primarily for editing/grammar
- 40% of rejected authors were offered a transfer to another JBJS journal
- 42.5% of authors offered a transfer declined and submitted to a different journal
- Both accepted and rejected authors expressed dissatisfaction with quality of reviewer feedback, submission fees, and turnaround times
- Many rejected authors indicated that the reasons for rejection were unclear
Recent Updates
Introducing Theme Issues
- The first JBJS theme issue (Infection) was published in November 2025. See Theme Issues for more information.
- Up next: AI (February), Sports (June), Osteobiologics (September).
Follow-up on Fall Meeting Action Items
- The Author Incentive Program (JBJS Priority Path) is in development with plans to be piloted in Q1.
- JBJS Ambassador nominations are currently under review.
Policy and Workflow Changes
- Expanded AI policies were published on JBJS.org on January 1, 2026.
- Updated AI disclosure questions for authors and reviewers were added to EM in late 2025. The new questions request more detail about how AI was used, if it was used.
- The reviewer grading system has been updated for greater clarity. See Rating Reviewers.
From the Editors
Policy Reminder: All scientific manuscripts that will eventually be published in JBJS or OA must undergo at least one round of stats and/or methods review prior to acceptance. See Assigning Stats/Methods Editors for more details.
Sheila Sprague and Sameer Parpia, JBJS Senior Editors for Methodology and Statistics, also shared the following comment from a recent reviewer regarding a common statistical concern Editors should be wary of:
“The journal may be becoming overly permissive toward a recurring statistical misinterpretation—namely, treating “no significant difference” as implicit evidence of no effect or durability. While such interpretations may be common in the literature, they nevertheless represent a well-recognized violation of fundamental principles of statistical inference.”
The Statistics and Methodology group plans to meet in March to develop broader stats/methods guidance for the Journal. This guidance, combined with ensuring that all accepted papers are seen by either Sheila or Sameer prior to acceptance, will help improve the methodological rigor of JBJS articles.
Reminders and Best Practices
- The flagship target acceptance rate for scientific articles is 10%. For more guidance on decision-making, see “What Makes a Manuscript ‘JBJS Quality?’.”
- The Editorial Office continues to see mistakes in the usage of decision terms for JBJS to OA transfers. Please carefully review the Transfer Options page for details on correct usage.
- Note also that a limited number of APC waivers are available for JBJS to OA transfers. Editors may contact the editorial office if they would like to use one.
- Please always be sure to provide authors with clear reasons for rejections. Editors are encouraged to edit the template decision letters to improve clarity whenever necessary.
- If the feedback given by a reviewer(s) is low-quality, consider seeking an additional review.
- Senior Editors should feel free to utilize Associate Editors outside their sections when appropriate.
- For more Best Practices, see Top 5 Best Practices.
Important Dates and Upcoming Meetings
- The Academy Meeting in New Orleans will take place from March 2-6, 2026. A JBJS Reception will be held at the New Orleans Marriot Warehouse Arts District on March 4, from 5:30-7:30 PM. We hope to see you there!
- The second virtual Senior Editors Meeting will take place in April.
- A virtual Editorial Boards Meeting for all editorial board members will take place later this year (date TBD).
- The annual in-person Editorial Board Meeting will take place in the fall (date/location TBD).
Top Articles in 2025 by Page Views*
*May include articles published prior to 2025.
JBJS
- AOA Critical Issues: A Culture of Safety Across All Orthopaedic Professional Endeavors
- Anteromedial Cortical Support in Reduction of Trochanteric Hip Fractures. From Definition to Application
- Modern Management of Severe Open Fractures of the Extremities. The Role of the Induced Membrane Technique
CC
- Significant Arterial Injury by Referencing Pin Placement in Robotic-Assisted Total Hip Arthroplasty. A Case Report
- Reimplanting a 35-cm Extruded Femoral Bone Segment with Maintained Osteoinductive Properties. A Case Report
- The Motown Corkscrew. A Simple Method for Extraction of an Embedded Intra-Articular Foreign Body
EST
- Bikini Incision Modification of the Direct Anterior Approach
- Modified Dunn Procedure for Open Reduction of Chronic Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis
- Comprehensive Modified Latarjet Technique. What the Masters Taught Us
REV
- Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Agonists. What the Orthopaedic Surgeon Needs to Know
- Intertrochanteric Fractures in the Elderly Treated with Different Intramedullary Devices. A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Based on Comparison Studies
- Distinguishing Fractures in Posterior Distal Tibia and Ankle. A Review of Posterior Malleolar, Pilon, and Pilon-Variant Definitions and Treatments
JOPA
- Precision and Progress: A Review of Tibiofemoral Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty
- A Review of Current Treatments of Knee Osteochondral Defects in High-Level Athletes
- Management of Articular Cartilage Defects in the Knee: An Evidence-Based Algorithm
OA
- The Coronal Plane Alignment of the Knee Classification. How It Works, How to Apply It, and How It can Affect Outcomes in Knee Reconstruction Surgery
- Cast Versus Surgery for Displaced Intra-Articular Distal Radius Fractures in the Elderly a Randomized Clinical Noninferiority Trial (the DART Study)
- Robot-Assisted Retrograde Elastic Intramedullary Nailing Versus ORIF with a Plate for Displaced Midshaft Clavicular Fractures
Questions? Email editorial@jbjs.org.