WAME eLearning Program

An online learning program for medical journal editors, by medical journal editors, available when and where you need it, free of charge

<Log in or Sign up for the eLearning Program here> (When you sign up, your account will be approved in 24 hours or less and then you can access the eLP. Confirmation and approval emails are sent from [email protected]; please add this email address to your "approved" list.) 

Medical journal editors report that education is one of their greatest needs, but in-person training may not be available, affordable, or address their needs. Therefore, WAME has developed the eLearning Program (eLP). eLearning Program content is written by experienced editors and scholars including WAME members, peer reviewed by the International Advisory Group, and edited by Margaret Winker, MD, eLP Director.  

The eLP is designed to help educate medical journal editors and serve as an ongoing resource:

  • Free of charge
  • Take any and all of the 28 topic sections you want, when you want, in any order 
  • Access via laptop, tablet, or smartphone
  • Every section includes Learning Objectives, Pretest, Content via HTML and PDF, Posttest, and Learner Feedback 
  • Read and Reflect provides specific editorial case scenarios to apply knowledge and respond
  • Addresses all of the Core Competencies for Scientific Editors of Biomedical Journals and more
  • Designed for all medical journal editors, with special focus on editors of under-resourced journals and/or in low- and middle-income countries
  • Access core content as HTML and downloadable PDF even after completing a section 
  • Free resources are referenced whenever possible 
  • Relatively low bandwidth requirements 
  • Some topics also useful for non-editors inolved in scholarly publishing

Document your accomplishments:

  • Certificate of Completion provided on completion of a Module (must score at least 60% on all Posttests) 
  • WAME Certificate of Commendation: WAME Members are eligible for the Certificate of Commendation after they complete all six Modules of the eLP (must score at least 60% on Posttests and send responses to all Read and Reflect exercises to the eLP Director). Contact the eLP Director when you have completed all 6 Modules to learn whether you are eligible. 

What does the eLearning Program include? (For a brief description, authors, and references, click on the Module title)

The eLearning Program has 6 Modules, each comprising 4 to 6 Sections:

The Medical Journal Editor: The Medical Journal Editor: Overview, Editor Relations and Editorial Independence, What to Know Before Accepting an Editor-In-Chief Position, The Imperative for Medical Journal Editors to Stay Current

Journal and Editorial Office Operations: Journal Mission Statements; Editorial Team and Editorial Board; Manuscript Tracking and Electronic Manuscript Processing Systems; Mentoring Editors, Reviewers, Authors; Attracting Manuscript Submissions; Starting A New Journal

Manuscript Processing and Review: Instructions for Authors; Peer Review, Manuscript Decisions, and Author Correspondence; Initial Evaluation of Manuscripts; Evaluating Research Manuscripts

Ethics: Conflicts of Interest, Authorship, Protection of Human Participants and Animals in Research, Scientific Integrity and Misconduct, Correcting the Published Record

Publishing the Journal: Print Journals, Electronic Journals, Communicating with the Public and the Media, Journal Indexing, Translations

Business and Legal Aspects of Scientific Publishing: Journal Business Models; Other Potential Revenue Sources; Copyright, Permissions, and Creative Commons Licenses; Journal Metrics and Evaluating Journal Performance

Each Section includes:

  • Learning Objectives
  • Pretest
  • Core educational content via HTML and PDF (may include PPT, additional resources)
  • Read & Reflect with editorial case scenarios to consider and discuss (for most sections) 
  • Posttest (passing score is 60% or higher)
  • Post-course feedback 

Updates: The eLP will be updated from time to time to keep the content current. Updates will be noted on the content pages and major updates will be noted in Announcements. If you have already completed a section and the PDF is replaced with a new PDF, you will need to download the PDF again for your section to appear as completed. 

Who developed the eLearning Program?

The eLearning Program was developed by Margaret Winker, MD; Christine Laine, MD, MPH; the WAME Executive Board; and the eLP International Advisory Committee (below). Margaret Winker is a WAME Past President and current Trustee, and serves on the WAME Ethics and Policy, Education, and Web Committees. She was a Deputy Editor at JAMA for 20 years and Senior Research Editor at PLOS Medicine for 2 years. Christine Laine is Editor in Chief, Annals of Internal Medicine, since 2009, and an editor at Annals since 1995; she is a WAME Past President and serves on the WAME Ethics & Policy Committee; she is also a Past President, Council of Science Editors. We are grateful to Bob and Suzanne Fletcher for their invaluable vision, enthusiasm, and work on behalf of the eLP. Margaret Winker is the eLearning Program Director.

Each Section is authored by one or more experienced WAME Member editors or non-member experts. The Sections were peer reviewed by the International Advisory Group, comprising WAME members from around the world:

eLearning Program International Advisory Group

  • Rakesh Aggarwal (India), Associate Editor, Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
  • María del Carmen Ruíz Alcocer (Mexico), Senior Medical Editor, Intersistemas Editores
  • Farrokh Habibzadeh (Iran), Founder and Former Editor, The International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
  • Fatema Jawad (Pakistan), Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Pakistan Medical Association  
  • Jose Florencio Lapeña (Philippines), Editor-in-Chief, Philippine Journal of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery  
  • Liu Wei (China), Senior Science Editor, Chinese Journal of Cancer
  • Ana Marušić (Croatia), Editor-in-Chief, ST-OPEN
  • Adamson Muula (Malawi), Editor Emeritus, Malawi Medical Journal  
  • Peush Sahni (India), Editor-in-Chief, National Medical Journal of India

How is the eLearning Program funded?

The eLearning Program was made possible financially by unrestricted donations from Wolters Kluwer, the American Medical Association, Elsevier, and Asociación Mexicana de Editores de Revistas Biomédicas, A.C. (AMERBAC). We encourage individual and organization donations to help support WAME programs and web hosting and development.  

How can I join WAME?

WAME Members are decision-making editors of peer-reviewed medical journals and scholars in medical journal editing. Individuals meeting either criterion may apply for WAME membership. If accepted, membership is free, but we welcome donations.

How can I contact you or provide feedback?

We hope you find the eLP a useful and informative resource. Please contact us with your suggestions and feedback. 

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