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An update on The Canadian Veterinary Journal (The CVJ)
June 19, 2025
At the end of every March, The CVJ Co-Editorsin- Chief and staff reflect on activities over the past year. Furthermore, we humbly acknowledge and express our sincere gratitude to all those who have continued to support us during 2024, including Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) staff: Manager, Journals: Kelly Gray-Sabourin; Editorial Coordinator: Vaishali Madaye; Assistant Managing Editor: Heather Kinkaid; and Features Editor: Stella Wheatley.
In addition, we also thank: Craig Stephen, the Editorial Committee Chair, for his innovative leadership and insights; Carolyn Kerr and Murray Jelinski, our Associate Editors, for serving on the Editorial Committee and overseeing papers; and our Assistant Editors, Luis Gaitero, Ron Johnson, Shawn McKenna, Dan Hurnik, and Javier Sanchez who guide papers through the review process. We are very grateful for the robust support of CVMA Council, CVMA Council Liaison Karin Orsel, and the CVMA Chief Executive Officer, Joel Neuheimer.
We thank our regular contributors and Features Columns authors/coordinators: Monique Mayer (Clinical Oncology); Jangi Bajwa and the Canadian Academy of Veterinary Dermatology (Dermatology); Lynne Sandmeyer, Marina L. Leis (Diagnostic Ophthalmology); Herman Barkema (One Health); Bettina Bobsien, Clare Palmer, Peter Sandøe, Dan Weary (Veterinary Medical Ethics); Amy Noonan and Darren Osborne (Veterinary Practice Management); Rob Tremblay (Food Animal Matters); Craig Stephen (McEachran Institute Dialogues); and Debbie Stoewen (Wellness). These persons write and/or solicit contributions to columns which are highly valued by readers. We also thank the translators Serge Messier and Sophie Perreault for their excellent service. We thank our partners (Zuku Review) for providing and editing Quiz Corner questions on a monthly basis. We acknowledge our Assistant/Associate Editors who guide and support Student Papers.
The CVJ received 168 articles from 18 countries in 2024. This continues the trend since 2020 of decreases in total submissions. In 2024, the majority of submissions were from Canada (38.1%) or the USA (21.4%). The acceptance rate was 40.9% in 2021 and it increased to 61.0 and 62.0% in 2022 and 2023, respectively. As of late March, acceptance rate reached 64.9%, which will assuredly increase as 11 articles have decisions pending. Total number of pages published per issue has increased, due to modest increases in original research, Case Reports, Commentaries, and Book Reviews. Although submissions have declined, submission quality has improved and increased the acceptance rate, with the number of articles published remaining relatively stable. Furthermore, there were modest improvements in submission to acceptance times and in the intervals from submission or acceptance to publication, with focussed efforts to further improve these metrics. Whereas the 2023 Impact Factor for The CVJ was slightly decreased from the previous year (0.9 versus 1.075, respectively), it remained substantially higher than values from 2018 and 2019 (0.532 and 0.627).
The first digital-only version of The CVJ was introduced in July 2024 and the transition has been very smooth. Financial constraints from printing and distributing hard copies are no longer a factor and have enabled a 13% increase in scientific articles published in 2024, shortening the interval from acceptance to publication. Primary access for CVMA members is via the CVMA website, with public access on PubMed Central after a 3-month embargo.
Many enhancements make it easier for CVMA members to retrieve and read The CVJ on various devices. There is a contemporary cover design (featuring many photos submitted by members), updated fonts, and additional spacing to facilitate on-line reading. Navigation banners are included; figures, tables, and references are linked; and external references are hyperlinked. Feedback from members regarding poor figure and image resolution prompted increased resolution of images.
Despite fewer submissions, in our view, the journal continues to operate well. We strive to support our contributing authors and members, to respond quickly to inquiries, and to sustain a professional and respected publication that informs our colleagues and brings honor and positive recognition to our profession, the CVMA and Canada. As always, your questions or comments are appreciated, you can email us at journals-revues@cvma-acmv.org.
Respectfully submitted,
John Kastelic, Tim Ogilvie, Kelly Gray-Sabourin