The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) is the definitive US dermatology society. Founded in 1938 and headquartered in Rosemont, Illinois, it represents more than 19,000 members - virtually all practicing dermatologists in the United States plus a growing international membership. Unlike large commercial houses, the AAD is a specialty society publisher: it runs a tight family of four journals, all in dermatology, published in partnership with Elsevier and hosted on ScienceDirect.

The flagship is the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (JAAD), the Academy's official scientific publication and one of the highest-impact journals in the specialty (2025 Journal Impact Factor around 12.3). Three fully open-access companion titles round out the family: JAAD International, JAAD Case Reports, and JAAD Reviews. This guide covers how to pick the right title, what each one publishes, open-access routes and APCs, peer review, and how to submit.

4 peer-reviewed journals, all in dermatology:

• Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (JAAD) - original articles, continuing medical education (CME) articles, reviews, research letters, and clinical images across all dermatologic subspecialties. Subscription-based with hybrid open access.
• JAAD International - Gold OA original research and reviews for an international audience of researchers, clinicians, and trainees.
• JAAD Case Reports - Gold OA case reports, case series, and images supporting clinical dermatology practice.
• JAAD Reviews - Gold OA evidence-based reviews, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses.

All four are published by Elsevier on the AAD's behalf, so Elsevier's author services, licensing, and open-access infrastructure apply.

The family offers three routes: Gold OA in the three companion titles, hybrid OA in JAAD, and Green self-archiving under Elsevier's standard sharing policy. Licenses are CC BY or CC BY-NC-ND. APCs below are from Elsevier's 2026 journal pages (USD, excl. taxes) - always confirm on the journal's open-access options page before submitting.

Corresponding authors who are AAD members (Fellows or International Fellows) get a 25% APC discount across the family. The OA companion titles participate in Elsevier's Research4Life waiver program and geographical pricing for open access (GPOA), which tiers APCs by a country's gross national income - authors from many low- and middle-income countries pay reduced fees automatically. Hybrid OA articles in JAAD may also be covered by your institution's Elsevier read-and-publish agreement; check with your library.

AAD journals use single-anonymized peer review: reviewers know the authors' identities, but not vice versa. JAAD's journal-insights panel reports a median of about 5 days from submission to first decision (a figure that includes desk decisions - papers sent to reviewers take longer) and about 6 days from acceptance to online publication. Expect the flagship to be selective; the companion titles offer faster, fit-focused routes for case reports and reviews.

1. Pick the journal using the decision table above - scope fit matters more than anything else in a four-title family.
2. Read the Guide for Authors for your chosen title on ScienceDirect; each journal has its own article types and length limits.
3. Format your manuscript in AMA numbered citation style. SciSpace templates for AAD journals handle the formatting automatically.
4. Submit via Editorial Manager - each title has its own Editorial Manager site, linked from the journal homepage.
5. Choose your OA route at acceptance (for JAAD) or confirm the APC (for the Gold OA companions), applying any AAD member discount.

The AAD's journals operate under COPE guidance, and Elsevier's publishing-ethics framework applies across the family: standard policies on authorship, conflicts of interest, image integrity, and corrections and retractions. Clinical studies must carry appropriate ethics approvals and patient consent, which is especially relevant for the image-heavy case-report titles.