Calls for Papers

The Journals of the Society of Medical Decision Making

Tutorial and Explainer Articles

The journals Medical Decision Making (MDM) and MDM Policy & Practice (MDM P&P) are seeking tutorial and explainer articles that illustrate best practices in medical decision making research, practice, and policy making.

Medical Decision Making seeks to publish tutorial articles that teach fellow researchers and practitioners methodological best practices and cutting-edge techniques. Tutorial articles should approach their topics at a level higher than a foundational textbook yet remain accessible to a reader who lacks experience in the specific techniques being discussed. Put another way, MDM tutorials should be written to meet the needs of someone who asks, “I want to [build a X type of model / clearly communicate Y type of risk data / evaluate the cost-effectiveness of Z type of intervention / etc.]. What’s the right way to get started?”

In MDM Policy & Practice, we will publish explainer articles that highlight the relevance and applicability of MDM techniques to solving the practical problems of real-world situations. Explainers should be written for a broad audience that might include practicing clinicians, policymakers, journalists, and/or patients as appropriate to the topic. For example, an explainer article might explain how cost-effectiveness analyses can help clarify which novel and expensive therapies are actually worth investing in, or it might discuss what kinds of patient-provider interactions actually align with the concept of shared decision making in the MDM literature.

It is our intent that both tutorial and explainer articles will be regular features in our journals. Authors interested in writing either tutorials or explainers are highly encouraged to contact the MDM Editorial Office (mdm-journal@umich.edu) to receive feedback on their topic ideas prior to submission.

(October 2020)