Fig. 1The first-ever edition of Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics is represented by the first image, the title page. Several images follow, showing the evolution of the cover designs over the years.
Our issues provide clinical updates to readers, ensuring timely and relevant content. As a resident in training, I recall viewing brown hardbound copies of The Clinics in our department library beside hardbound volumes of our standard specialty journals. It served as a resource for me as a resident, fellow, and faculty member for systematic reviews by experts in a strong portfolio of topics relevant to my on-the-job educational needs.
Topics in this series were chosen to be clinically relevant to all practicing obstetricians and gynecologists. This 50-year period has marked the beginning and maturation of our subspecialties: gynecologic oncology, reproductive endocrinology and infertility, maternal-fetal medicine, female pelvic medicine and restorative surgery, complex family planning, pediatric and adolescent gynecology, and minimally invasive gynecologic surgery. We emphasize that each clinical review use systematic and explicit methods to identify, select, and critically appraise relevant primary research. Readily accessible information is available for acquiring new knowledge, enhancing health system team-based care, and incorporating preventative and public health while treating individual patients.
Shortly before I became the first consulting editor in 2004, the issues began to be published electronically, while print editions have continued since its inception. The Clinics eventually became covered in MEDLINE/PubMed (Index Medicus), Excerpta Medica, Current Concepts/Clinical Medicine, Science Citation Index, BIOSIS, CINAHL, and ISI/BIOMED. In 2021, there were over 115,000 page views on these platforms, and the impact factor has increased by 66% since 2018. Article utility remains high; of those articles viewed, 87% were downloaded in 2021. Likewise, the series' impact was seen in social media, with 64,000 citations and 175,000 engagements in 2022.
My approach has always been to choose a contemporary topic in which no current book is being marketed for obstetricians and gynecologists. I select topics that are highlighted at our prominent national specialty meetings or articles from our finest peer-reviewed journals in obstetrics and gynecology. Two editors now customarily undertake each Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics issue, so that a junior faculty member can be mentored by a senior who is skilled in selecting topics of greatest interest and written by experts on the subject. We provide the possibility of each issue to be updated in 4 to 6 years depending on changes in the field and new topics of interest.
As consulting editor, I am pleased to provide career-building opportunities for fellows and junior faculty to gain publishing experience under the immediate direction of a senior author. The proportion of authors who are female faculty has risen considerably. All authors are delighted that their clinical reviews are discoverable on PubMed. Clinicians, students, and educators can access the content for free through subscriptions at their academic institution or hospital using the Science Direct and ClinicalKey platforms.
This acknowledgment of Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics’ 50th year in print would be incomplete without recognizing invaluable assistance from the outstanding Elsevier editorial staff. Those assigned to each issue work diligently and collaboratively with authors and editors on enforcing timelines and editing with proper grammar, formality, clarity, and consistency. In her longstanding leadership role as the senior manager of the entire series and global content, Kerry Holland has gained notoriety at Elsevier for her expertise, balanced approaches, and enthusiasm in overseeing our success.
The accompanying Fig. 1 displays the different cover designs of Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics since 1974. Please peruse current and past issues at www.obgyn.theclinics.com. You will be impressed with the titles, key points and clinics care points, color illustrations, and videos in procedure-directed issues. On behalf of all issue editors and authors, I hope that you enjoy reading these articles as much as we appreciated working to bring them to you. As we begin the next 50 years, we welcome your feedback!
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