Is New England Journal of Medicine a Good Journal? The Honest Truth
Submitting to NEJM?
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Quick answer: NEJM is the most prestigious medical journal in the world (IF 78.5, 2024 JCR). Less than 5% acceptance rate. It publishes landmark clinical studies and public health research that changes medical practice. It's not "good" or "bad"—it's a different league. Your paper belongs there only if it has immediate, broad clinical implications based on new data, not new analysis of existing data.
Related: How to choose a journal • NEJM journal guide • How to avoid desk rejection
Reality check
If you're asking "should I submit to NEJM," the answer is almost certainly no—not because there's anything wrong with the journal, but because your work likely doesn't meet the profile they're looking for. NEJM doesn't publish incremental research, novel analyses of existing data, or even elegant studies from smaller centers. It publishes landmark findings from major research institutions that immediately inform clinical care for millions of people.
What NEJM actually is
The New England Journal of Medicine was founded in 1812 and is the oldest continuously published medical journal in the U.S. It's also the most cited medical journal in the world, with an impact factor of 78.5 (2024 JCR)—roughly double that of JAMA or The Lancet.
NEJM doesn't view itself as a repository for medical research. It views itself as the primary place physicians turn when they need to understand what's new in medicine this week. That distinction matters for everything about how the journal operates.
The audience is practicing physicians, medical educators, health policy makers, and medical students. Not primarily researchers. This drives editorial decisions in ways outsiders often don't realize.
The selectivity numbers
Impact factor: 78.5 (2024 JCR). The next highest general medical journals: JAMA (57.3), The Lancet (98.4—actually higher). But Lancet publishes much less frequently and takes a different editorial approach. Among journals that publish weekly or near-weekly, NEJM is the prestige leader.
Acceptance rate: Estimates range from 1-5%, with most sources settling around 2-3% for original research. The journal receives 5,000+ submissions per year and publishes roughly 150 original research articles annually. Do the math: roughly 3% acceptance.
Article types: NEJM publishes original research articles, case reports, reviews, editorials, and correspondence. Original research is hardest to place. Case reports have slightly higher acceptance, though still highly selective.
Time to decision: Typical timeline is 60-90 days from submission to first decision. Desk rejections come much faster, often 1-2 weeks if the editors decide within the first screening. If an article is invited for revision, total time extends easily to 4-6 months.
Who actually publishes there
Look at any month of NEJM articles and you'll notice patterns. The vast majority of first-author original research comes from researchers at institutions like Harvard, Stanford, Johns Hopkins, UCLA, UCSF, Mayo Clinic, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and similar tier-1 research centers.
That's not because NEJM has written that into policy. It's because researchers at those institutions have access to large patient populations, longitudinal data collection infrastructure, collaborations across multiple sites, track records of previous high-impact publication, and mentorship from senior faculty who have published in NEJM before.
What gets accepted
Papers accepted at NEJM share these characteristics: clear clinical decision-making impact, adequate sample size (typically 500+), rigorous methodology, novel findings, credible authors, and fully finished work.
Bottom line
NEJM is genuinely the most prestigious general medical journal in the world. IF 78.5, <5% acceptance, published since 1812. Your work belongs there only if it answers a clinically urgent question with adequate rigor that will change how physicians practice medicine.
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