Abstract
As the community of gerontology researchers, practitioners, and educators rises to the challenges of another year of living through and with the COVID-19 pandemic, Journal of Applied Gerontology (JAG) strives to represent and promote their collective applied scholarship. The articles published in JAG in 2022 reflect the broad diversity of our international authors and the quantitative and qualitative methods they apply to research questions and inquiry at various stages of development. I’m pleased to highlight some of JAG’s accomplishments and new initiatives in 2022 as well as express my gratitude to the numerous contributors to the journal’s continued success.
New and Ongoing Initiatives
Elimination of Historical Backlog
JAG readers likely noticed that the early 2022 issues included twice the usual number of articles, organized into topical areas including workforce, finances, informal caregiving, COVID-19, advance care planning, interventions, community services, and many more! With our new unlimited page allowance from SAGE Publishing, we have published all backlogged articles from the online queue. Now, all articles accepted in each month appear online in the following month and are published in their final issue, both print and online, 4 months later. For example, all articles that were accepted in July are included in this December issue. While maintaining the journal’s high-quality standards, we can accept all articles that make a strong contribution without concern over a growing backlog. Now, authors have their final citation just a few months after article acceptance.
New Call-Out Box: “What this paper adds” and “Applications of study findings”
Starting with articles in the August 2022 issue, we added a new call-out box with bullet points to clearly demonstrate each article’s unique contribution to the literature and how the findings can be applied to gerontological practice, policy, or research. This feature highlights the impact of the article up front for readers and ensures that authors have carefully considered and articulated the key messages of their work. It also helps reviewers and editors consider new articles’ strengths and fit for JAG.
COVID-19 Special Collection
In the spring of 2020, JAG issued a call for manuscripts reporting research on COVID-19. The JAG COVID-19 Special Collection now includes over 45 published articles addressing the health, social, and economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on older adults, family caregivers and the medical providers and other practitioners who work with them. The collection holds top billing on the JAG home page (https://journals-sagepub-com-s.web.bisu.edu.cn/home/JAG) and continues to grow, with new papers added each month. COVID-19 manuscripts represent the international scope of the pandemic, with articles from Brazil, Canada, Finland, Israel, Mexico, the Netherlands, Spain, the U.K., and various regions of the United States. Expanding beyond COVID-19-focused research, many JAG authors have thoughtfully discussed how their research findings relate to the pandemic now and looking into the future.
Special Issues and Mini-Topics
Every issue published in 2022 included several focused applied gerontological research mini-topics, as well as articles describing policy evaluations, mixed methods studies, systematic and scoping reviews, and brief reports. Be sure to visit the website to explore topics and methods of interest! https://journals-sagepub-com-s.web.bisu.edu.cn/loi/JAG. In 2022, we solicited manuscripts for two Special Issues which will both appear in the first half of 2023. The first Special Issue focuses on The Home Care Workforce Caring for Older Adults, with Guest Editors Chanee Fabius and Jennifer Reckrey. Next will follow New Horizons in Ageism Research: Innovation in Study Design, Methodology, and Applications to Research, Policy, and Practice, with Guest Editors Liat Ayalon and Angela Kydd, and Assistant Guest Editors Stefan Hopf, Ittay Mannheim, and Lola Casal-Sanchez. We anticipate publishing about 20 articles in each issue.
Editorial Team Expansion
The strong and steady growth in articles submitted to JAG led us to expand our editorial board in 2022 to over 60 members and to establish a new cadre of 21 designated statistical advisors; see the complete list of both groups here: https://journals-sagepub-com-s.web.bisu.edu.cn/editorial-board/JAG. This team represents five continents and wide-ranging expertise in applied gerontological topics and methods. Typically, editorial board members have experience both publishing in and reviewing for JAG and are asked to review up to four original manuscripts per year. This dedicated group of expert reviewers enables us to provide authors with consistent rigorous reviews on a dependable schedule. Please email us at
Empirical Updates
Impact Factor
JAG’s 2021 impact factor stands at 2.645, with a 5-year impact factor of 2.956, continuing its steady increase over recent years. This consistent improvement has come despite yearly increases in the number of articles published, demonstrating JAG’s respected standing in the field of gerontology. Impact factor represents the ratio of citations to articles published in the prior 2 years given the total number of articles published. Remarkably, the number of these citations more than doubled from 496 in 2020 to 1,013 in 2021! Starting at 243 in 2017, this growth in recent JAG article citations is truly commendable.
Journal Metrics
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Online Usage and Disseminating Articles
Through July 31, 2022, JAG readers downloaded 179,385 full text articles, representing a 20% increase over 149,565 from the same time period in 2021 and a 75% increase over 101,839 in 2020. The SAGE Publications team employs multiple strategies to bring readers to JAG’s Web site and tracks and reports Altmetric (alternative metrics) scores, tracking all online references to each article. Take a look at the “Trending on Altmetric” tab on the JAG home page which displays the top five articles with the highest Altmetric scores from the last 3 months, indicating influence and impact. All authors receive information about how to publicize their articles through social media and how to connect with health reporters from various news outlets. SAGE also promotes JAG articles through social media, press releases, and blog posts. Be sure to listen to our podcast series (scroll down on JAG’s home page: https://journals-sagepub-com-s.web.bisu.edu.cn/home/JAG) where gerontology students interview authors of recently published articles. The students ask excellent questions drawing out fascinating backstories from each author.
Gratitude for Reviewers
We celebrate the many people who returned detailed and insightful article reviews in 2022! Although seemingly constant COVID outbreaks worldwide caused significant disruptions to reviewers’ families and work schedules, they consistently delivered high-quality feedback while authors demonstrated great patience and understanding of any delays. JAG’s high-quality manuscripts and continuous growth, demonstrated by the metrics above, flow directly from peer reviewers’ volunteered time and guidance. We especially appreciate Editorial Board members and Statistical Advisor reviewers who provide multiple quick and rigorous reviews every year, enabling us to maintain a short article turnaround time. Also, using JAG’s “reviewer-in-training” option is a great way to mentor graduate students and junior colleagues! All 2022 peer reviewers, reviewers-in-training, and JAG’s select group of Outstanding Reviewers will be listed in January 2023 at: https://journals-sagepub-com.web.bisu.edu.cn/page/JAG/reviewers.
Search and Share the Excellent Scholarship in JAG
With this December issue, we have published 275 new articles in 2022 on topics with clinical, public health, policy, and research applications in gerontology. Wherever you submit your work, remember to search JAG for new articles to cite and to learn from! Use social media and other online modes to engage in conversations about JAG articles that interest you. If you have authored a JAG article, try out the SAGE Infographic or Video Abstract features and share your feedback with us! And share any other ideas you have with us via JAG’s email address:
JAG’s success depends wholly on the tremendous support from the Editorial Board, Statistical Advisors, Southern Gerontological Society, SAGE’s highly responsive editorial and production teams, Associate and Book Editors, Guest Editors, Managing Editor Christine Bailey, authors, and reviewers. We step into 2023 with excitement about JAG’s opportunities for growth and expanding stature among gerontology journals as the premiere home for applied gerontological research!
Footnotes
Funding
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by the Southern Gerontological Society and Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center (P30-AG067988).