Chapter 28 – Michigan Journal of Medicine as a Learning Tool: Perspectives From the Editor-in-Chief

The Michigan Journal of Medicine (MJM) is a peer-reviewed, student-run medical journal. It serves as a unique learning opportunity for those involved including the Editor-in-Chief (EiC), Editors, Reviewers, and authors. In its second year, there was one EiC (fourth-year medical student), 12 Editors (fourth-year medical students), and 42 Reviewers (second- and third-year medical students). Manuscripts were reviewed and edited by Editorial Teams made up of the EiC, one Editor, and three to four Reviewers. This infrastructure allowed for senior to junior student mentoring as well as multiple rounds of manuscript review, which generated high quality, thorough feedback for authors. No manuscripts were rejected without providing thorough feedback to authors. Struggles from the second year of this initiative included low submission volume and hierarchy hardships leading to difficulty leading peers and tough decisions related to delegation.