jacc.org

Key factors

• + Peer-review process — Rigorous double-blind peer review by expert cardiologists; articles undergo multiple rounds of revision before acceptance
• + Impact factor & citations — Consistently high impact factor (>15); heavily cited in cardiovascular research and clinical practice
• + Institutional backing — Official publication of the American College of Cardiology, a major medical professional organization with 54,000+ members
• + Conflict of interest disclosure — Mandatory disclosure of author funding, pharmaceutical/device relationships, and financial interests
• + Corrections & retraction policy — Published corrections and retractions for errors; maintains public record of research integrity issues
• + Editorial independence — Editor-in-Chief and editorial board are independent clinician-scientists, not Elsevier employees
• + Data sharing standards — Increasingly requires or encourages data sharing, code availability, and protocol registration for major studies

Editorial standards

JACC follows international standards for medical journal publishing (ICMJE guidelines). All manuscripts undergo peer review by 2–3 expert reviewers and editorial assessment. Authors must declare funding sources, competing interests, and contributions. The journal requires reporting standards compliance (CONSORT for trials, STROBE for observational studies, etc.). Proofs are reviewed by authors before publication. Errata and retracted articles are clearly labeled. The journal publishes editorials and reviews alongside primary research, with clear delineation between peer-reviewed content and editorial opinion.

Fact-checking

JACC maintains rigorous post-publication vigilance. Retractions and corrections are rare but publicly documented when errors are identified, demonstrating commitment to accuracy over reputation. The journal has a well-established track record of responding to concerns about study methodology or data integrity through editorial investigation.