Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health announce COVID-19 pandemic supplement

The Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health (JMVFH) recently announced they are starting a supplement to the journal, which will focus on the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on military members, Veterans, public safety personnel, and their families.

The Journal is the official scholarly journal produced by the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research (CIMVHR). 

The supplement was created in an effort to provide the journal’s readers with timely information from leading experts. The hope is that by creating this supplement, researchers, health practitioners, community members, and more, will have access to comprehensive and accurate information from a trustworthy source. 

“During unprecedented times, we are making an unprecedented move to offer our readers the opportunity to view manuscripts on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on military members, Veterans, and their families. We are pleased to share these under review articles in a transparent manner and provide Canada’s heroes and their families with another trustworthy source for information,” said Stéphanie Bélanger, CD, Ph.D., Editor-in-Chief, JMVFH.

The organization hopes the supplement will inform decision-making and help mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the military community.

Col. Rajesh Jetly, OMM, CD, MD, FRCPC, a Senior Psychiatrist with the Canadian Armed Forces, has been invited to contribute as an author and a guest editor for the supplement. 

“This pandemic and consequent social upheaval have impacted those we serve – active military, Veterans and their families,” comments Col. Jetly. “It has been incredibly rewarding to see the international scientific community respond to our call and contribute to a meaningful dialogue. The intent was to produce a volume that was timely, useful, and relevant. I believe we have accomplished this but will leave it to the readers to have the final word.”

Interestingly, JMVFH has gone beyond just making current research available. In fact, the Journal has made a rather unusual move by making its articles under review available to the public. 

Traditionally, scholarly journals only share their articles after a rigorous review process.

“During unprecedented times, we are making an unprecedented move to offer our readers the opportunity to view manuscripts on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on military members, Veterans, and their families. We are pleased to share these under review articles in a transparent manner and provide Canada’s heroes and their families with another trustworthy source for information,” said Stéphanie Bélanger, CD, Ph.D., Editor-in-Chief, JMVFH.

“By sharing this information in a transparent manner, we are offering a rare opportunity for readers to view upcoming research and follow it through a rapid and rigorous process from the original manuscript, to peer review, to publication,” Porter said. “Six articles have been made available since the initiative launched at the end of March 2020, with several more scheduled to be published in the coming months.” Erin Porter, communications coordinator CIMVHR.

Erin Porter, the communications coordinator at CIMVHR, comments on the uniqueness of their decision to make the articles available during the review process. 

She states that it provides the public with a window into how academic publishing works. 

“By sharing this information in a transparent manner, we are offering a rare opportunity for readers to view upcoming research and follow it through a rapid and rigorous process from the original manuscript, to peer review, to publication,” Porter said. “Six articles have been made available since the initiative launched at the end of March 2020, with several more scheduled to be published in the coming months.”

 JMVFH is published twice a year through the University of Toronto Press, and it aims to maximize the health and social well-being of military members, Veterans, public safety personnel, and their families. 

The Journal publishes world-class research for a broad international audience that includes health practitioners and policymakers. All their research is from a Canadian perspective and is available in both French and English. Articles can be found here on the JMVFH website here.