Abstract
Time brings change. In 2024, the Journal of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine (JPRM) transitioned to our new publisher, Sage Publishing, and we are excited to see how this new partnership can grow the journal.
Since its inception, JPRM has prioritized the publication of special issues, recognizing their significant impact in addressing critical topics within pediatric rehabilitation medicine. We are particularly proud of our annual cerebral palsy and spina bifida issues, which have been foundational over the past few years.
As we move further into this digital age of publishing, we recognize that the landscape of special issues is evolving. Sage Publishing offers a new publication platform with additional features and options designed to make content more accessible and user-friendly for our readers.
Similar to other publications and examples across different diagnostic subjects (Box 1), we are excited to transition toward special collections. Prior special issues were devoted to one topic area. In 2025, each issue of the journal will contain multiple clinical tracks (special collections), which may include brachial plexus, brain injury, cerebral palsy, exercise, moral injury, spina bifida, and more. As mentioned, while every section may not be included in every issue, we envision regularly publishing content in each track throughout the year. Each topic area will be collated on our new publishing platform with Sage. Special collections will continue to be overseen by their respective guest editors, with room to explore more topics in the future.
Practically, there are several advantages to this approach. It relieves the pressure for authors to achieve submission and revisions by certain deadlines in order to be considered for a particular special issue. It also allows our guest editors more flexibility in soliciting content for their sections. In addition, it will speed up the final issue publication for many articles that may have otherwise waited for inclusion in their relevant special issue.
The first issue of the year has traditionally been devoted to cerebral palsy. This year, our first issue will include content related to cerebral palsy, global health, exercise, and spina bifida. As cerebral palsy guest editors, we remain committed to prioritizing articles that expand knowledge on cerebral palsy, related conditions, and treatment strategies throughout the lifespan. We are particularly focused on addressing underrepresented areas in cerebral palsy research and care. The Cerebral Palsy Foundation is collaborating on medical care guidelines throughout the lifespan, which we are excited to see published soon. It is our continued desire for the 2025 cerebral palsy collection to provide material for important conversations around this important subject.
The journal is designed to mirror the field of pediatric rehabilitation medicine. We believe this new structure will enable the journal to showcase the breadth of the discipline in every issue, providing a richer and more comprehensive resource for our readers. We look forward to hearing your feedback on this new format.
Examples
Journals that publish special “tracks” in each issue:
Children: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/children/sections
Disability and Rehabilitation: https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/idre20/current
Pediatric Blood & Cancer: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/15455017/current
Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Journal: https://academic.oup.com/ptj/issue
Example of how papers can be collated in “collections” on our publisher Sage's publication platform:
The American Journal of Cosmetic Surgery: https://journals.sagepub.com/home/acsa
Sage Open Pediatrics: https://journals.sagepub.com/collection-index/gph