---
name: american-journal-of-obstetrics-and-gynecology
description: Use when targeting the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology or deciding whether an obstetrics or gynecology clinical study fits this venue. Encodes the journal's fit across maternal-fetal, reproductive, and gynecologic research, the clinical-evidence and pregnancy-ethics bar, reporting-guideline and registration requirements, AJOG house style, official-submission re-check, and desk-reject heuristics. Venue-fit aid only, not clinical advice.
---

# 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

```text
[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>
```