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NEJM Evidence Helps Readers Become Sophisticated Consumers of Clinical Evidence

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January 18, 2022

NEJM Group has launched a new monthly journal: NEJM Evidence.

Led by former NEJM Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey M. Drazen, MD, this peer-reviewed journal publishes innovative, original research to inform clinical decision-making and clinical trial design. NEJM Evidence, the latest journal from NEJM Group, highlights practice-changing original research while giving readers the tools to become critical evaluators of the evidence.

Editor-in-chief Jeffrey Drazen, MD, said it differs from the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) in some significant ways. “NEJM publishes clinical trials in which the study design and clinical implications are self-evident,” said Dr. Drazen, who was the top editor at the flagship journal for two decades. “In contrast, NEJM Evidence helps readers understand how trials are assembled, run, and analyzed.”

Capturing the Give and Take of Morning Report

NEJM Evidence will publish high-quality research with clinical significance to everyday practice, review articles, and case studies like other medical journals. But that’s where the similarities with many other publications end. Dr. Drazen said the journal will be a lively read, eschewing the “staidness” of some of its counterparts. For example, its case reports will model themselves after the spirited morning case-based rounding of medical training programs. “We want to emulate morning report, which will also be the name of the section, where people see a case as it unfolds, how the differential diagnosis narrows or widens as new information is gathered. We hope to get these cases from around the world,” said Dr. Drazen.

Welcoming Diverse Voices

Casting a wider net will be a priority for NEJM Evidence, as it seeks out more diversity among its authors, reviewers, and editorial board. “When we evaluate evidence, we’re soliciting help from a broad range of people — with a broad range of experience — to give us the guidance that we need,” said Dr. Drazen. Added Deputy Editor C. Corey Hardin, MD, PhD.: “We think that NEJM Evidence should be a vehicle for incorporating new voices and voices that haven’t had as big a presence in the debate over clinical evidence and its generation.”

Another goal of the journal is to create a community of readers who engage in conversations. “Editors at publications like the New England Journal of Medicine have a lot of discussion about the details and the methods in the article and the validity of the conclusions,” said Dr. Hardin. “We want NEJM Evidence to be a forum where our readers can engage in that kind of lively conversation about the conclusions and also about the process of reaching those conclusions.” Conversations about articles won’t happen in the traditional “Letters to the Editor” format but will evolve in real-time on Twitter with occasional commentary and follow-up from the NEJM Evidence editors.

Offering Innovative Content

The journal will showcase other types of novel and thought-provoking content, including:

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    Tomorrow’s Trial: short pieces highlighting popular clinical practices that lack good evidence — inviting clinicians-readers to propose clinical trials to test those practices.

  • Patient Platform: participants in research studies share insights into the patient experience.
  • Trial by Fire: a podcast featuring five-minute discussions between a person associated with a published trial and a critic of the trial.
  • Stats, STAT!: brief animated videos that explain a statistical concept relevant to an article published in the current issue.

NEJM Evidence focuses on a broad audience of readers, including physicians and other clinicians practicing in all types of settings, trainees, residents and fellows, hospitalists, academic clinicians, clinical trialists, basic scientists, and people in the pharmaceutical industry.

Executive Editor Chana Sacks, MD, MPH, said, “NEJM Evidence tries to turn the traditional hierarchy of presenting research, where the methods section is almost an afterthought, on its head. So often, when reading journals, our eyes glaze over at the methods section, or we skip over it completely. We’re going to make that part fun and exciting,” said Dr. Sacks.

Who’s Who at NEJM Evidence

NEJM Evidence editors have a wide range of interests and experience. Editor-in-Chief Jeff Drazen, MD, a pulmonologist, joined the New England Journal of Medicine as editor-in-chief in 2000. In addition to his position as editor-in-chief of NEJM Evidence, he is also NEJM Group Editor.

Executive Editor Chana Sacks, MD, MPH, is an internist at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), a medicine instructor at Harvard Medical School, and the former editor of NEJM Images in Clinical Medicine. She is also co-director of MGH’s Center for Gun Violence Prevention.

Deputy Editor C. Corey Hardin, MD, PhD., is a pulmonary and critical care specialist at MGH. He is also an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, a joint Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology faculty member, and a physician-investigator in pulmonary medicine at Mass General Research Institute.

Statistical Editor Sharon-Lise Normand, MSc, PhD., is the S. James Adelstein Professor of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School and professor of biostatistics at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

The diverse editorial board includes practicing physicians, academic physicians, public health activists, health economists, and researchers worldwide.

NEJM Evidence brings a dedicated focus to providing context and critical evaluation of a trial’s methods and results. A site license guarantees full access to all NEJM Evidence content. Contact us to obtain a quote for a site license or find out how this new title can support clinical care and research at your institution. Sign up for the This Week email alert, featuring the monthly table of contents and weekly articles updates. Follow us on Twitter to keep current on the latest article posts and discussions.