Journal of Mother and Child

The history of the title

Relatively new only by the title, the Journal of Mother and Child (JMC) has a long tradition of being issued for nearly 25 years. The journal is a direct successor of a former periodical: Developmental Period Medicine/Medycyna Wieku Rozwojowego. The change of the journal title from Developmental Period Medicine to Journal of Mother and Child took place on January 01, 2020. The archive papers under the old name can be found at: journals.indexcopernicus.com.

The Institute of Mother and Child, Warsaw, Poland, has been publishing the journal Medycyna Wieku Rozwojowego (ISSN 1428-345X) since 1997. That title stems from another journal: Problemy Medycyny Wieku Rozwojowego (ISSN 0303-2264), issued by the Institute in 1972-1990. From 1998 until the end of 2019, the English language translation: Developmental Period Medicine (e-ISSN 2354-0060) was used on the title page. Since 2020, the quarterly Developmental Period Medicine changed its English-language title to one more to the point: Journal of Mother and Child (ISSN 2719-6488; e-ISSN 2719-535X).　

Thus, until December 31, 2019, the journal was titled Medycyna Wieku Rozwojowego (ISSN 1428-345X) / Developmental Period Medicine (e-ISSN 2354-0060), and from January 1, 2020 it is published further under the title Journal of Mother and Child/Medycyna Wieku Rozwojowego (ISSN 2719-6488; e-ISSN 2719-535X). In other words, there is an uninterrupted continuation of the issuing of the journal from 1997 to the present. Title modifications on the way reflected a more and more focused selection of topics of interest and the increasing role of the English language in medical sciences. With our international readership visibly broadened over the last years and with the solely English-language contents, we intend to abandon the title’s Polish translation (subheading: ‘Medycyna Wieku Rozwojowego’) in the near future.

The former version of this journal: Medycyna Wieku Rozwojowego / Developmental Period Medicine was indexed in PubMed / Medline and as such was entered into other databases. Journal of Mother and Child / Medycyna Wieku Rozwojowego continues to be indexed in PubMed / Medline.

Cooperating societies:

The title is published in association with the Polish Society of Perinatal Medicine and the Polish Society of Inborn Errors of Metabolism.

Aims & Scope

JMC is a peer reviewed, diamond open access journal dedicated to disseminating basic and applied research related to the health of mother and child. The journal’s ambition is to create a platform for presenting original results from all areas of research studies that aim to improve human maternal, fetal, neonatal, and child health, reflecting the connection between clinical and basic science. We at JMC strongly believe that translational medicine should support interdisciplinary collaboration, which usually results in important scientific papers. We accept original research papers, review articles, editorials, short communications and case studies.

JMC‘s scope is based on a holistic approach towards the patient, covering all medical aspects of the health of a mother and her child, including such important life sciences areas as origins of disease, modern diagnostic tools, effective up-to-date treatment, long-term health consequences, nutrition, psychology, as well as social and bioethical issues. Most importantly, we focus on the patient throughout all stages of life, from early years, i.e. prenatal and perinatal periods, through early childhood and childhood to adolescence and adulthood (including maternal health). JMC follows a concept of systems medicine, looking at the human body as part of an integrated whole that incorporates biomolecular, physiological, and environmental interactions.

JMC also encourages submissions of papers pertaining to rare diseases which may be a good model for a study on common disorders and thus revealing novel pathomechanisms and conditions.

Submitted manuscripts must be the author's original work and must not have been published or considered for submission in another journal.

JMC strives to maintain a continuous publication schedule. From 2022 JMC is published as Volume Open to better meet publishing needs. Articles are published online as soon as they are completed, as quickly as possible.

Journal of Mother and Child is a double-blind peer-reviewed journal. The editors supervise a rigorous review process, which ensures high substantive quality of the published content. The Editorial Office is responsible for the final decision to accept or reject a manuscript, based on the reviewers' comments.

The journal does not charge author fees for publishing articles (such as article processing charges, page charges, editorial processing charges, language editing fees, colour charges, submission fees, membership fees, or other supplementary charges).

Sciendo archives the contents of this journal in Portico - a digital long-term preservation service of scholarly books, journals, and collections. The journal is also indexed in PubMed Central with the contents archiving.

The editorial board is participating in a growing community of Similarity Check System users to ensure that the content published is original and trustworthy. Similarity Check is a medium that allows for comprehensive manuscript screening, aimed to eliminate plagiarism and provide a high standard and quality peer-review process.

Informed Consent Policy

The data and information of individuals (e.g., information obtained through a doctor-patient relationship) must be handled with the highest levels of confidence and discretion. It is therefore almost always necessary for authors to obtain written informed consent from any patients described in case reports and from those who are the subject of photographs. However, a report may be published without explicit consent if it meets all three of the following conditions: it is of great significance to public health (or is important in some other way); consent would be unusually difficult to obtain; and a reasonable individual would be unlikely to object to publication.

Publication Timeframe

JMC strives to maintain a continuous publication schedule. From 2022 JMC is published as Volume Open to better meet publishing needs. Articles are published online as soon as they are completed, as quickly as possible.

Open Access Statement

JMC is a peer-reviewed, open access journal. All content of the journal is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

This license allows users to copy, to create extracts, abstracts and new works from the Article, to alter and revise the Article and to make commercial use of the Article (including reuse and/or resale of the Article by commercial entities), provided the user gives appropriate credit (with the link to the formal publication through the relevant DOI), provides a link to the license, indicates if changes were made and the licensor is not represented as endorsing the use made of work. The license lets users distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon the work, even commercially, as long as they credit the creator for the original creation. This is the most flexible and accommodating of the available Creative Commons licenses. Recommended for maximum dissemination and use of licensed materials.

The Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Public License (CC BY) link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Journal metrics

Medycyna Wieku Rozwojowego

Cite Score (2020) 0,9
Cite Score (2019) 0,8
Cite Score (2018) 1,2
Cite Score (2017) 0,9
Cite Score (2016) 0,9
Cite Score (2015) 0,7
Cite Score (2014) 0,6
Cite Score (2013) 0,4
Ministry of Education and Science (Poland) Journal Rating Scale - Medycyna Wieku Rozwojowego – 20 points (2019-2021)
SCImago Journal Rank (2022) 0,213
SCImago Journal Rank (2021) 0,154
SCImago Journal Rank (2020) 0,215
SCImago Journal Rank (2019) 0,210
SCImago Journal Rank (2018) 0,282
SCImago Journal Rank (2017) 0,218
SCImago Journal Rank (2016) 0,219
SCImago Journal Rank (2015) 0,239
SCImago Journal Rank (2014) 0,177
SCImago Journal Rank (2013) 0,144
SCImago Journal Rank (2012) 0,115
SCImago Journal Rank (2011) 0,120
SCImago Journal Rank (2010) 0,112
SCImago Journal Rank (2009) 0,113
SCImago Journal Rank (2008) 0,143
SCImago Journal Rank (2007) 0,117
SCImago Journal Rank (2006) 0,113
SCImago Journal Rank (2005) 0,113
SCImago Journal Rank (2004) 0,108
SCImago Journal Rank (2003) 0,108
SCImago Journal Rank (2002) 0,102
SCImago Journal Rank (2001) 0,102
SCImago Journal Rank (2000) 0,100
h-index 19

Journal of Mother and Child

Ministry of Education and Science (Poland) Journal Rating Scale – Journal of Mother and Child / Medycyna Wieku Rozwojowego – 20 points (2023-2024)
Cite Score (2023) 1,3
Cite Score (2022) 0,7
Cite Score (2021) 0,3
SNIP (2023) 0,452
SNIP (2022) 0,288
SNIP (2021) 0,434
SCImago Journal Rank (2023) 0,277
SCImago Journal Rank (2022) 0,193
SCImago Journal Rank (2021) 0,187
h-index 7

Journal review process

Journal of Mother and Child is a double-blind peer-reviewed journal. The editors supervise a rigorous review process, which ensures high substantive quality of the published content. The Editorial Office is responsible for the final decision to accept or reject a manuscript, based on the reviewers' comments.

Double-blind Peer Review Process at the Journal of Mother and Child (JMC)

This section provides a brief overview of the peer review process at the Journal of Mother and Child (JMC).

1. Review Criteria

Manuscripts submitted to JMC are evaluated based on the following criteria:

• The manuscript offers new and original scientific information, within the scope of the journal's focus, namely maternal and child health.
• The aim of the work is clearly defined.
• Materials and methods are clearly described.
• Statistical methods are appropriately chosen.
• Results, including tables and figures, are presented concisely and in an orderly manner.
• The discussion is relevant and includes all major findings.
• Conclusions are based on the results and clearly stated.
• References are adequately chosen.
• The information is important, topical, and medically relevant.

2. Peer Review Mode

JMC employs a double-blind peer review process, ensuring that the identities of both the reviewers and the authors remain unknown throughout the review.

Typically, each manuscript is reviewed by at least two reviewers, though additional opinions may be sought if necessary. Reviewers are selected for their expertise and ability to provide high-quality, constructive, and fair reviews. For research manuscripts, the editors may also seek the opinion of a statistical reviewer.

The review process is confidential. Reviewers must not disclose any information about the manuscript or its content to third parties without prior permission from the journal’s editors.

Information from submitted manuscripts may be systematically collected and analyzed to improve the quality of the editorial or peer-review processes. Identifying information remains confidential. The Editorial Office makes final publication decisions.

3. Provenance and Peer Review

JMC is committed to transparency. Articles that are commissioned, undergo rapid communication pathways, or are published without external peer review (such as editorials and interviews) will include a “Provenance and Peer Review” statement in the footnote, indicating whether the article was commissioned and how the review was organized.

The Rapid Communication Pathway is available for articles of exceptional clinical importance and urgency, public policy reasons, or those with previous peer review comments and revisions after rejection from another esteemed journal.

4. Online Review System

To ensure a convenient and efficient peer review process, reviews are conducted electronically via the EM system, accessible through the journal’s website: JMC website or directly via the EM system: EM system link.

5. Recognition for Reviewers

JMC’s peer review system is connected to the Web of Science Reviewer Locator platform, enhancing the recognition and management of peer reviews since its integration in 2023.

6. Peer Review Flowchart

• The submitted manuscript is initially evaluated by the Editor-in-Chief and/or Associate Editors, if it meets the scope and general criteria of publication in JMC. If not - the manuscript is rejected, if yes – a technical check is done by the Editorial Assistant,
• Depending on the topic, the Editor-in-Chief assigns the manuscript to the Editor-in-Chief, the Associate Editors or an Editorial Board member with related expertise, who becomes the Managing Editor.
• The assigned Managing Editor reviews the manuscript and recommends external reviewers.
• External experts review the manuscript.
• External experts provide their recommendations.
• Recommendations, along with reviews from the assigned Managing Editor are sent to the Editor-in-Chief.
• The Editor-in-Chief decides on the manuscript: accept, minor revision, major revision, or reject.

7. Peer Review for Editorial Team Members or Special Series

Editorials, news items, and interviews by the journal’s editors do not undergo external peer review. Research articles by editors are independently reviewed. Editors are excluded from handling their own manuscripts to avoid conflicts of interest. Submissions from editorial team members or for special series, if accepted, will include a footnote declaring conflicts of interest and peer review details.

8. Submission Turnaround Time

• In-house review: 1-3 weeks
• External peer review: 4-6 weeks
• Formal publication: within 4-8 weeks after acceptance

Note: Original Articles are given priority.

Rejection rate in 2024: 83,61%

Author fees

The journal does not charge author fees for publishing articles (such as article processing charges, page charges, editorial processing charges, language editing fees, colour charges, submission fees, membership fees, or other supplementary charges).

Article processing charges

The journal has no article processing charges (APCs) and article submission charges.

Archiving

Sciendo archives the contents of this journal in Portico - digital long-term preservation service of scholarly books, journals and collections. The journal is also indexed in PubMed Central with the contents archiving.

Plagiarism Policy

The editorial board is participating in a growing community of Similarity Check System's users in order to ensure that the content published is original and trustworthy. Similarity Check is a medium that allows for comprehensive manuscripts screening, aimed to eliminate plagiarism and provide a high standard and quality peer-review process.

EDITORIAL POLICIES AND ETHICAL STANDARDS 　

The Institute of Mother and Child, Warsaw, Poland, the owner of the Journal of Mother and Child (JMC) / Medycyna Wieku Rozwojowego is committed to upholding standards of ethical behaviour at all stages of the publication process. The Editorial Board of the Journal follow closely the industry associations, such as the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE - https://publicationethics.org/), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE - https://www.icmje.org/), the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME - https://wame.org/recommendations-on-publication-ethics-policies-for-medical-journals), the Council of Science Editors (https://www.councilscienceeditors.org/) that set standards and provide guidelines for best practices in order to meet these requirements.

Publication Ethics Policy

JMC follows the Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly work in Medical Journals issued by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE - https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/), the Cope of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors issued by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE - https://publicationethics.org/files/Code_of_conduct_for_journal_editors_Mar11.pdf), and WAME recommendations on publication ethics policies for medical journals (https://wame.org/recommendations-on-publication-ethics-policies-for-medical-journals).

Ethical values ​​that guide our publishing activities:

Authorship and contributorship: All authors and co-authors must meet the criteria for authorship and ensure appropriate credit is given in their manuscripts. Authors are encouraged to make a clear statement about contributions to their work. We strongly recommend the CRediT statement (https://credit.niso.org/).

Originality: Authors must guarantee the submitted manuscript was originally written by them. The work must not have been published previously nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere. If the work and/or words of others are included, they must be appropriately cited or quoted.

Data access and citation: Authors may be requested to provide the raw data relevant to the paper for editorial review. They should also be prepared to provide public access to such data. Data must be cited in the same way as article, book, and web citations and authors are required to include data citations as part of their reference list.

Acknowledgment of sources: The authors should properly acknowledge any work in the manuscript that has been contributed by others.

Declaration and conflicts of interest: All submissions must include disclosure of all relationships that could be viewed as presenting a potential conflict of interest.

Reporting standards: Authors of original research papers should present an accurate account of the work performed as well as an objective discussion of its significance.

Human and Animal Rights: For research that includes experiments involving humans, a statement of compliance is required to show that procedures were followed in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national). For research that reports on experiments involving animals, authors are asked to indicate whether the institutional and/or national guide for the care and use of laboratory animals was followed.

Research ethics: The research we publish must have received a statement of approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and, where applicable, informed consent. Clinical trials must have been registered in clinical trial registries, in adherence with local and international standards.

Authors’ ethical statement: Authors are accountable for all aspects of their work (including full data access, data integrity, and the accuracy of the data analysis) in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Informed Consent Policy: The data and information of individuals (e.g., information obtained through a doctor-patient relationship) must be handled with the highest levels of confidence and discretion. It is therefore almost always necessary for authors to obtain written informed consent from any patients described in case reports and from those who are the subject of photographs. However, a report may be published without explicit consent if it meets all three of the following conditions: it is of great significance to public health (or is important in some other way); consent would be unusually difficult to obtain; and a reasonable individual would be unlikely to object to publication.

Duties and responsibilities of Authors

The Author(s) is obliged to prepare and send the article following the requirements set out in the Instructions for Authors. Moreover, the Author(s) is obliged to submit editorial complemented by a statement which will be included (signed and scanned author statement and JMC license agreement – in one document JMC License Agreement available at the web page of the Journal): a statement about the originality of the content of the article (work not yet published anywhere), the integrity of the copyrights of others, no conflict of interest or its application, as well as the superior permission to publish an article in the journal. The Author(s) is obliged to participate in the peer-review process. The Author(s) is obliged to provide retractions or corrections of mistakes, they also should provide a list of references.
The Author(s) is responsible for disclosing all financial and personal relationships that might bias or be seen to bias their work.　
Authors may, at any time before accepting the article for publication, withdraw the article by submitting a statement in the electronic system of the Editorial Manager.

Reporting standards

The Author(s) reporting results of original research should present an accurate account of the work performed, as well as an objective discussions of its significance. Underlying data should be represented accurately in the manuscript. A paper should contain sufficient detail and references to permit others to replicate the work. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behaviour and are unacceptable.

Originality and Plagiarism

The Author(s) should ensure that they have written entirely original works, and if the Author(s) have used the work and/or words of others that this has been appropriately cited or quoted.

Multiple, redundant or concurrent publication

The Autho(s) should not in general publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal or primary publication. Parallel submission of the same manuscript to more than one journal constitutes unethical publishing behaviour and is unacceptable.

Acknowledgement of sources

Proper acknowledgement of the work of others must always be given. The Author(s) should also cite publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the reported work.

Authorship of a manuscript

Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. Where there are others who have participated in certain substantive aspects of the research project, they should be named in an Acknowledgement section.

The corresponding author should ensure that all appropriate co-authors (according to the above definition) and no inappropriate co-authors are included in the author list of the manuscript, and that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the paper and have agreed to its submission for publication.

Hazards and human or animal subjects

If the work involves chemicals, procedures or equipment that have any unusual hazards inherent in their use, the Author(s) must clearly identify these in the manuscript.

Disclosure and conflicts of interest

All Authors should disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantive conflict of interest that might be construed to influence the results or their interpretation in the manuscript. All sources of financial support for the project should be disclosed.　

Fundamental errors in published works

When the Author(s) discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in his/her own published work, it is the author’s obligation to promptly notify the journal’s editor or publisher and cooperate with them to either retract the paper or to publish an appropriate erratum.　

Authorship criteria and/or who should be listed as a contributor

In the matter of authorship criteria and/or who should be listed as a contributor, the Institute of Mother and Child, Warsaw, Poland, the owner of the Journal of Mother and Child (JMC) / Medycyna Wieku Rozwojowego respects standards recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics. Detailed information about these criteria can be found in the COPE Report: publicationethics.org/files/2003pdf12_0.pdf and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE): https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/

Duties and responsibilities of Reviewers 　

Articles are selected for publication in a double-blind selection system and published in an open-access system. A Reviewer(s) will provide his/her review using the electronic system based on questions prepared for a specific title. It is also possible for a Reviewer(s) to send individual comments to be published in the article content. All judgments and findings in the peer-review process should be objective. Reviewers should have no conflict of interest (they make an appropriate statement before proceeding to review). When it is a legitimate need, Reviewers should point out relevant published work that is not yet cited, and articles reviewed by them should be treated confidentially prior to their publication.

Contribution to editorial decisions

Peer review assists the Editor in making editorial decisions and, through the editorial communication with the Author, may also assist the author in improving the manuscript.

Promptness

Any invited referee who feels unqualified to review the research reported in a manuscript or knows that its timely review will be impossible, should immediately notify the Editor so that alternative reviewers can be contacted.

Confidentiality

Any manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. They must not be shown to or discussed with others except if authorized by the Editor.

Standards of objectivity

Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the Author is unacceptable. Referees should express their views clearly with appropriate supporting arguments.

Acknowledgement of sources

Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the Authors. Any statement that an observation, derivation, or argument had been previously reported should be accompanied by the relevant citation. A Reviewer should also call to the editor’s attention any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other published data of which they have personal knowledge.

Disclosure and conflict of interest

Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage. Reviewers should not consider evaluating manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the Authors, companies, or institutions connected to the submission.

Duties and responsibilities of Editors 　

Editors are responsible for deciding which articles are accepted for publication. Editors act in a balanced, objective and fair way while carrying out their expected duties, without discrimination on the grounds of ethnicity or geographical origin, religious or political beliefs, or sexuality of the authors.
Publisher and Editors are always ready to publish corrections, clarifications, withdrawals and apologies, if there is a legitimate need.
In the situation when there is a suspicion that an inappropriate research procedure described in the work sent has taken place, the Author(s) is obliged by the editorial office to submit (if not yet submitted) information regarding the approval of the described research procedure by a properly established ethics committee to conduct clinical trials.

Accountability

The Editor of a peer-reviewed journal is responsible for deciding which articles submitted to the journal should be published, and, moreover, is accountable for everything published in the journal. In making these decisions, the Editor may be guided by the policies of the journal’s editorial board, as well as by legal requirements regarding libel, copyright infringement and plagiarism. The Editor may confer with other Editors or Reviewers when making publication decisions. The Editor should maintain the integrity of the academic record, preclude business needs from compromising intellectual and ethical standards, and always be willing to publish corrections, clarifications, retractions and apologies when needed.

Fairness

The Editor should evaluate manuscripts for intellectual content. The Editor will not disclose any information about a manuscript under consideration to anyone other than the Author(s), Reviewers and potential reviewers, and in some instances the editorial board members, as appropriate.

Confidentiality

The Editor and any editorial staff must not disclose any information about submitted manuscript to anyone other than he corresponding Author, Reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the Publisher, as appropriate.

Disclosure, conflict of interest, and other issues

The Editor will be guided by the industry associations, such as the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICJME), World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), Council of Science Editors that set standards, recommendations and provide guidelines for best practices in retracting articles: when considering retracting, issuing expressions of concern about, and issuing corrections pertaining to articles that have been published in the Journal of Mother and Child.

Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in an editor’s own research without the expressed written consent of the Author. Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage.

The Editor is committed to ensuring that advertising, reprint or other commercial revenue has no impact or influence on editorial decisions.

The Editor should seek to ensure a fair and appropriate peer review process. Editors should recuse themselves (i.e. should ask a co-editor, associate editor or other member of the editorial board instead to review and consider) from considering manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or (possibly) institutions connected to the papers. Editors should require all contributors to disclose relevant competing interests and publish corrections if competing interests are revealed after publication. If needed, other appropriate action should be taken, such as the publication of a retraction or expression of concern.

Involvement and cooperation in investigations

Editors should guard the integrity of the published record by issuing corrections and retractions when needed and pursuing suspected or alleged research and publication misconduct. Editors should pursue reviewer and editorial misconduct. The Editor should take reasonably responsive measures when ethical complaints have been presented concerning a submitted manuscript or published paper.

Publisher’s confirmation 　

In cases of alleged or proven scientific misconduct, fraudulent publication or plagiarism the Publisher, in close collaboration with the Editors, will take all appropriate measures to clarify the situation and to amend the article in question. This includes the prompt publication of an erratum or, in the most severe cases, the complete retraction of the affected work.