The American Journal of Human Genetics | ASHG

The American Journal of Human Genetics

The American Journal of Human Genetics (AJHG) is owned and controlled by The American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) and is edited, in conjunction with the publisher, by a staff appointed by the Society. Established in 1949, AJHG is currently published monthly by Cell Press. Membership in ASHG is not a prerequisite for publication in AJHG, but all page charges and color figure charges are waived for manuscripts for which the corresponding author is a member at the time that the manuscript is sent to press. The entire contents of AJHG are published online, at http://www.ajhg.org. The full text is available to subscribers, as is online-only material, including video clips and archival databases. Six months after publication, the electronic edition of AJHG is freely accessible to the general public.

Aims and Scope

AJHG provides a record of research and review relating to heredity in humans and to the application of genetic principles in medicine and public policy, as well as in related areas of molecular and cell biology. Topics explored by AJHG include behavioral genetics, biochemical genetics, clinical genetics, cytogenetics, dysmorphology, gene therapy, genetic counseling, genetic epidemiology, genomics, immunogenetics, molecular genetics, neurogenetics, and population genetics.

AJHG welcomes submissions of articles and reports on timely subjects concerning all aspects of human genetics, including studies of model organisms that are of direct relevance to human genetics. Manuscripts should be written in a manner accessible to investigators representing diverse backgrounds in human genetics. Descriptions of new statistical methods of general interest to the genetics community are welcome. New methods should be compared to existing methods using real data and/or simulations with parameters (e.g. haplotype frequencies, effect sizes) that are based on a real data example (e.g. marker or haplotype data from the HapMap project). All novel computer programs must be made publicly available by the time that the manuscript is published and a URL for the website must be included in the Web Resources section of the manuscript. Letters commenting on material previously published in AJHG are also welcome.

AJHG does not publish reports of either single mutations or mutational surveys of previously identified loci unless they have unusual significance and substantial insight. Descriptions of new linkage assignments will be considered only if they are of special interest. Reports of negative data will not normally be considered.

Editorial Process

All submissions are initially evaluated in depth by the scientific editors. Papers that do not conform to the general criteria for publication will be returned to the authors without detailed review, typically within three to five days. Otherwise, manuscripts will be sent to at least two reviewers who have agreed in advance to assess the paper rapidly. The editors will make every effort to reach decisions on these papers within four weeks of the submission date. If revisions are a condition of publication, generally four weeks are allowed for revisions and only one revised version of the paper is considered. Evaluations of conceptual advance and significance are made based on literature available on the day of the final decision, not the day of submission. Accepted papers will be published within two months of acceptance. Any major changes after acceptance are subject to review and may delay publication.

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The American Journal of Human Genetics | ASHG