Publication Guide
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is the definitive society publisher in pediatrics. Founded in 1930 and headquartered in Itasca, Illinois, the academy represents roughly 67,000 pediatricians and runs what it describes as the largest pediatric publishing program in the world - hundreds of consumer and professional book titles alongside a compact portfolio of six scholarly journals hosted at publications.aap.org.
For researchers, the portfolio centers on Pediatrics, the field's flagship since 1948 and the most-cited journal in pediatrics, supported by Hospital Pediatrics for inpatient care research, the fully open-access Pediatrics Open Science (launched 2025), and three education-focused titles: Pediatrics in Review, NeoReviews, and AAP Grand Rounds. This guide covers which title fits your manuscript, open-access options and APCs, peer review, and how to submit.
Which AAP journal fits your paper?
| You're most likely to... | Choose this journal |
|---|---|
| Have original clinical, health-services, or policy research with broad pediatric relevance | Pediatrics - the flagship. Highly selective; publishes research, policy statements, and clinical guidance with the widest reach in the field. |
| Study inpatient or hospital-based pediatric care | Hospital Pediatrics - dedicated to pediatric hospital medicine: quality improvement, inpatient outcomes, care transitions. |
| Want a fully open-access venue with sound-science scope | Pediatrics Open Science - the AAP's Gold OA journal launched in 2025; CC BY or CC BY-NC-ND, anonymized peer review. |
| Be writing educational review content for clinicians | Pediatrics in Review - continuing-education reviews for practicing pediatricians (mostly invited; query the editors first). |
| Focus on neonatal-perinatal medicine education | NeoReviews - review and education articles in neonatology. |
| Summarize and appraise recent literature | AAP Grand Rounds - structured critical appraisals of studies published elsewhere (by invitation). |
What the AAP actually publishes
- Pediatrics - monthly flagship research journal (est. 1948), publishing original research, reviews, case reports, and the AAP's official policy statements, clinical reports, and practice guidelines. Content appears online-first, with select material in Spanish.
- Pediatrics Open Science - the academy's fully open-access research journal, launched in 2025 to give authors a Gold OA route within the AAP family.
- Hospital Pediatrics - peer-reviewed research and scholarship in pediatric hospital medicine.
- Pediatrics in Review and NeoReviews - continuing medical education titles; largely commissioned review content.
- AAP Grand Rounds - monthly critical appraisals of important studies from the wider literature.
- AAP News - the academy's membership news magazine (not a research venue).
Open access and APCs
The AAP runs a mixed model. Numbers below reflect 2026 information; always check the journal's current fees page before submitting.
| Route | What it means | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Gold OA (Pediatrics Open Science) | Fully open-access journal; article published under CC BY or CC BY-NC-ND, authors retain copyright | APC up to ~$2,950 |
| Hybrid OA (other titles) | Optional open-access fee on subscription journals such as Pediatrics | ~3,500 per article |
| Subscription (no fee) | Publish behind the paywall at no mandatory cost | $0 |
| Green self-archiving | Deposit the accepted manuscript in a repository (e.g., PubMed Central for funded work) | $0 |
APC waivers are available for authors without funding - request one at submission rather than after acceptance. Some library consortia hold read-and-publish arrangements that may cover AAP fees; check the ESAC registry or ask your librarian, as coverage is far narrower than at large commercial publishers.
Peer review
AAP research journals use single-anonymized peer review as the default; Pediatrics Open Science uses anonymized review as well. Pediatrics is highly selective, and initial editorial screening rejects a large share of submissions before external review. Education titles (Pediatrics in Review, NeoReviews, AAP Grand Rounds) work mainly from commissioned content, so query the editors before writing a full manuscript. Turnaround varies by title; Pediatrics Open Science reports an average of about 19 weeks from submission to publication.
How to submit
- Pick the journal using the table above - scope fit matters more than impact factor at a focused society publisher.
- Read the author guidelines at publications.aap.org for your target title; each journal has specific article types and length limits.
- Format in AMA style - AAP journals use AMA numbered citations. SciSpace templates for AAP journals handle the formatting automatically.
- Submit through the journal's online system - AAP titles use Editorial Manager; the exact submission link is on each journal's author-guidelines page.
- Declare ethics and disclosures - IRB approval, consent statements, and conflict-of-interest disclosures are checked closely given the clinical subject matter.
Ethics and integrity
The AAP is a member of COPE, OASPA, and STM, and its journals follow COPE guidance on corrections and retractions. Because much of the portfolio involves research on children, expect rigorous scrutiny of IRB approval, parental consent and child assent documentation, and data-privacy safeguards. Policy statements and clinical guidelines in Pediatrics go through the academy's own board review in addition to editorial handling.
