Canadian Medical Association Journal ends its news coverage and closes CMAJ Open

CMAJ, the journal of the Canadian Medical Association (CMA), is closing its news section and its online open access sister journal, CMAJ Open, in response to budget cuts imposed by the CMA’s board of directors.

“These, and other decisions, were necessary because the CMA recently informed CMAJ Group’s publisher that our group’s 2023 budget would be cut dramatically as part of a refocusing of organisational priorities,” CMAJ editor Kirsten Patrick wrote in an editorial on 1 May.1

The paper journal is likely to be smaller in future, wrote Patrick, urging readers to seek out content online. “Other effects of the recent business decision may be felt in months to come,” she added.

CMAJ had performed strongly during the pandemic and its “impact factor more than doubled in 2022,” wrote Patrick. “One might expect that the owner of such high performing and objectively valuable products would seek to increase rather …