American Journal Of Obstetrics And Gynecology

American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (american-journal-of-obstetrics-and-gynecology)

Journal positioning

The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (AJOG, "the gray journal") is a flagship women's-health journal publishing clinical and translational research across the full breadth of obstetrics and gynecology — maternal-fetal medicine and pregnancy, reproductive endocrinology and infertility, gynecologic surgery, and gynecologic oncology. Its defining expectation is a clinically important advance for the care of pregnant patients or for gynecologic health, grounded in rigorous design and appropriate maternal/fetal or gynecologic outcome reporting — not an underpowered single-center series, a descriptive case report, or a study with overstated causal claims. Because much of the work involves pregnancy, AJOG places particular weight on pregnancy-research ethics and clear reporting of maternal and fetal/neonatal outcomes. This skill is a fit / venue-selection / re-framing aid; it is not clinical or regulatory advice and does not replace the journal's current instructions for authors. Before submitting, re-check the live AJOG author instructions.

When to trigger

• The author names AJOG or "the gray journal" for an obstetrics or gynecology clinical study and wants a fit/framing check.
• An OB/GYN study must be re-framed around a maternal/fetal or gynecologic outcome question with appropriate design.
• The author is choosing between AJOG, a subspecialty OB/GYN journal, and general medicine.
• The author needs the journal's reporting-guideline, registration, and pregnancy-research ethics expectations.

Scope & topic fit

• Maternal-fetal medicine and obstetrics: pregnancy complications, preterm birth, preeclampsia, fetal growth, and labor/delivery management.
• Reproductive endocrinology and infertility: ovulation, assisted reproduction, and reproductive-outcome studies.
• Gynecologic surgery: benign and minimally invasive surgery with operative and patient-centered outcomes.
• Gynecologic oncology: cervical, endometrial, ovarian, and related cancers with clinical endpoints.
• Maternal and women's-health screening, diagnostics, and prevention with meaningful outcomes.
• Placental, fetal, and reproductive translational science with clear clinical relevance.

Method & evidence bar

• Studies must be adequately powered with prespecified, patient-centered maternal, fetal/neonatal, or gynecologic outcomes; surrogate endpoints need justification.
• The applicable reporting guideline and checklist are expected: CONSORT for trials, STROBE for observational work, PRISMA for systematic reviews, STARD for diagnostic accuracy.
• Trials require prospective registration and the registration number; protocol/SAP are expected.
• Maternal and fetal/neonatal outcomes must be defined and reported clearly, including gestational age and relevant safety outcomes for mother and offspring.
• Observational claims must address confounding (including by indication), bias, and missing data; causal language must match the design.
• Effect estimates need confidence intervals and absolute as well as relative measures; clinical significance must be argued.

Structure & house style

• AJOG/Elsevier format with a structured abstract and an AJOG-at-a-Glance / condensation and "why this matters" statement; re-check current article types (Original Research, etc.) and limits on the live guide.
• The introduction frames the OB/GYN clinical question; the discussion states the practice implication for maternal/fetal or gynecologic care plainly.
• A CONSORT/STROBE/PRISMA/STARD flow diagram is expected for the relevant design.
• Tables/figures follow the journal's statistical-reporting standards; a supplement carries the protocol/SAP, full statistical methods, and additional analyses.