A New Chapter: MEDLINE Acceptance and Introducing JoPTE EduGraphics

I am pleased to share that in December 2023, the Journal of Physical Therapy Education (JoPTE) passed the scientific quality review for MEDLINE and was accepted for inclusion in the National Library of Medicine database that houses more than 30 million references covering biomedicine and life sciences. A successful application to MEDLINE considers a journal's scope and the scientific and editorial quality of the journal's publications.1 Acceptance into MEDLINE speaks to the rigor of the research published in JoPTE, which represents important contributions to the science of physical therapy education. Both PubMed and OVID use the MEDLINE database as their primary source of content, thereby extending the reach of the work published in JoPTE. Thank you to the former Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Susan Wainwright, and the former Associate Editor, Dr. Joyce Maring, for their hard work toward achieving this goal as well as the Editorial Board and our team of dedicated peer reviewers. In a recent commentary, Jarry2 highlighted the breadth of the material available on PubMed and estimated that if these 30 million references were printed, the stack could span 49 Eiffel Towers high. This visual highlights the vast amount of material available to biomedical practitioners, educators, and researchers, and I am excited that the research published in JoPTE will contribute to this body of knowledge. However, as you know, producing and disseminating new knowledge does not automatically alter practice. Consider, for instance, the persistence of the myth of learning styles. Many educators and learners still believe that individuals learn in certain ways, and instruction should be tailored to match the learner as opposed to the content being taught. The myth of learning styles has persisted for decades despite the lack of scientific support for these theories.3 Research must move along a leaky pipeline to traverse the gap between basic science and practice,4 necessitating the study of the variables and conditions that affect changes at practice, organization, and systems levels5 and the burgeoning field of implementation science is an important space to watch. Infographics (information + graphics) afford researchers another opportunity to translate knowledge into practice. By combining aspects of cognitive science, graphic design, and storytelling, infographics can transfer knowledge about a topic faster and more effectively.6 We have seen infographics used in health care to improve patient outcomes,7 and researchers could also benefit from using this combination of text and images to share information in a meaningful and digestible format. Therefore, I am excited to introduce a new submission type for this journal: JoPTE EduGraphics. EduGraphics are not intended to serve as graphical abstracts summarizing one manuscript, nor are they mini reports or research posters. Rather, the goals of JoPTE EduGraphics are to illustrate a concept or synthesize trends, policies, or programs relevant to physical therapy education and reach our academic and clinical education communities more effectively. Authors wishing to submit an EduGraphic should review the updated Instructions for Authors and use the provided template. JoPTE EduGraphics must fit aesthetically on one portrait-oriented page of the journal. Spicer and Coleman6 outline 6 steps for creating effective infographics, including soliciting feedback from the target audience to confirm that the information being conveyed is clear and concise. We will continue to publish predominantly research articles in JoPTE but hope that this new submission type offers authors another means to translate their research into practice. JoPTE EduGraphics could be worth 10,000 words.8 We look forward to reviewing your submissions as we head into the next exciting chapter for JoPTE.