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.

Official-submission checklist

• Before giving submission-ready advice, read ../../resources/source-basis.md and ../../resources/official-source-map.md; start from the ICMJE/EQUATOR and AJOG/Elsevier anchors, then cite the current AJOG page you checked.
• Search the live site for "American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology instructions for authors" and follow the current version.
• Re-check article types, abstract and condensation/at-a-Glance format, and word/figure/reference limits.
• Confirm trial registration, the reporting checklist (CONSORT/STROBE/PRISMA/STARD), data/code-availability, and protocol/SAP submission.
• Re-check IRB/ethics and consent with attention to pregnancy-research ethics (maternal consent, fetal/neonatal considerations, vulnerable-population protections), ICMJE authorship and conflict-of-interest disclosure, funding, and AI-use disclosure.
• If the live official instructions conflict with this skill, the official instructions win.

Pre-submission self-check

• The study answers a clinically important obstetric or gynecologic question with a clear practice implication.
• Maternal, fetal/neonatal, or gynecologic outcomes are prespecified, powered, and clearly defined.
• The correct reporting checklist (CONSORT/STROBE/PRISMA/STARD) is completed and attached.
• Trials are prospectively registered with the number in the manuscript; protocol/SAP provided.
• Pregnancy-research ethics (maternal consent, fetal/neonatal and vulnerable-population protections) are documented.
• IRB/consent, ICMJE disclosures, and a data-availability statement are prepared.

Common desk-reject triggers

• Underpowered single-center series or case report with limited generalizability and no clear practice change.
• Observational analyses with inadequate confounding control or overstated causal claims about pregnancy outcomes.
• Incomplete or poorly defined maternal/fetal/neonatal outcome reporting.
• Missing trial registration, protocol, or the required reporting checklist.
• Inadequate pregnancy-research ethics documentation, or narrow subspecialty interest better served elsewhere.

Re-routing decision

• Gynecologic-cancer clinical-oncology endpoint dominant → jama-oncology / annals-of-oncology.
• Gynecologic surgical technique/outcome as the primary contribution → jama-surgery.
• Reproductive endocrinology centered on hormone mechanism → journal-of-clinical-endocrinology-and-metabolism.
• Gestational diabetes centered on diabetes mechanism/outcomes → diabetologia.
• Broad practice-changing obstetric/gynecologic trial → general medicine (jama / NEJM / The Lancet in the natural-science bundle).

Output format

[Fit] High / Medium / Low (one-line reason)
[Target] American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (the gray journal)
[Specialty tags] <maternal-fetal / reproductive / gyn surgery / gyn oncology>
[Study design / reporting guideline] <RCT-CONSORT / cohort-STROBE / review-PRISMA / diagnostic-STARD>
[Method/evidence] <power, maternal/fetal outcome definition, confounding control, registration>
[Top risk] <the single most likely reason for rejection>
[Official items to re-check] <article type / registration / checklist / pregnancy-research ethics / disclosures>
[Re-route suggestion] <if not a fit, a better-matched venue>