Aims and Scope

Aims of the Journal of Midwifery (JoM)

The Journal of Midwifery (JoM) advances midwifery scholarship and practice by publishing research and innovations that improve care across the maternal–newborn continuum and strengthen midwifery education and services. We seek to enrich the evidence base, improve clinical and educational methodologies, and contribute to better outcomes for mothers, newborns, families, and communities.

Scope of the Journal

Submissions that align best with our content and readership interest fall into these primary domains:

Primary emphases

  1. Midwifery Education & Practice
    Curriculum and competency development; simulation and skills training; KAP (knowledge–attitude–practice) studies; clinical decision-making; quality of care; client satisfaction; service organization; professional development.

  2. Antenatal & Pregnancy Care
    ANC models; anemia and nutritional support; hypertensive disorders and preeclampsia; gestational diabetes; health promotion and risk screening; birth preparedness and complication readiness.

  3. Adolescent & Women’s Health
    Sexual and reproductive health services; menstrual health; IPV and safeguarding; empowerment and equity; menopausal and life-course issues relevant to midwifery.

  4. Postpartum Care & Mental Health
    Postnatal follow-up; maternal mental health (e.g., postpartum depression, anxiety); family support; return to function and community reintegration.

  5. Contraception & Reproductive Health
    Family planning counseling and method uptake/continuation; rights-based care; postpartum contraception; service integration.

Additional (regular) emphases

  • Intrapartum Care & Labor: labor support, pain management, respectful maternity care, indications/outcomes (including cesarean).

  • Newborn & Neonatal Health: immediate care, thermal care, feeding support, preterm/LBW care, infection prevention.

  • Public Health & Community: immunization, nutrition and stunting prevention, tobacco exposure, health promotion.

  • Emerging Topics: COVID-19 and other public-health emergencies; digital health and decision-support; implementation science.

Populations and settings

Pregnant and birthing people, newborns and infants, adolescents, and women across the life course; primary care, hospitals, and community settings, including rural and resource-constrained environments.

Article types and methodological breadth

  • Research Articles (quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods), including trials, cohort/case-control studies, program evaluations, and implementation/quality-improvement research.

  • Reviews (systematic/scoping/critical), Conceptual/Theoretical papers, Technical/Methods papers, and Case Studies/Case Series with educational or practice relevance.

  • Education Innovations focused on midwifery training and workforce development.

Methods should meet field standards (e.g., CONSORT, STROBE, PRISMA, COREQ/COREQ-qual) and adhere to JoM’s Ethical Oversight, Data & Reproducibility, Peer-Review, Authorship & Contributorship, Conflicts of Interest, AI Usage, Intellectual Property, Archiving, and Repository policies.

Classification and discoverability

JoM is classified under ASJC 2919 – Midwifery, ensuring precise indexing and retrieval for researchers, educators, and practitioners in midwifery and allied fields.

Alignment with the SDGs

JoM’s scope supports:

  • SDG 3 (Good Health & Well-being): reducing maternal and neonatal morbidity/mortality; universal access to SRH services.

  • SDG 4 (Quality Education): strengthening midwifery education and competencies.

  • SDG 5 (Gender Equality): promoting SRHR and ending discrimination and violence.

  • SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities): inclusive, equitable services and outcomes.

  • SDG 16 (Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions): e.g., legal identity/birth registration linkages in neonatal and community health work.

Out of scope (typical)

Submissions that are purely biomedical without midwifery relevance; animal experiments without translational midwifery implications; unrelated surgical subspecialties; or general public-health topics lacking a clear midwifery lens.