About JCDA and JCDA.ca
JCDA (Journal of the Canadian Dental Association) is the flagship peer-reviewed publication of the Canadian Dental Association (CDA). CDA has focused its efforts on knowledge and advocacy initiatives and the new JCDA.ca is an essential part of CDA’s knowledge strategy.
JCDA employs a complementary print and electronic publishing strategy to provide essential knowledge to Canadian dentists and their colleagues worldwide.
JCDA the print magazine contains a lively mix of clinical articles, information about issues facing the dental profession, summaries of research papers and news about matters pertinent to dentists. It is mailed to all dentists and dental students in Canada as well as subscribers outside the country.
The new JCDA.ca, an open access publication, houses scientific and clinical articles that contribute to the literature, as well as user-friendly presentations of clinical material and news pertinent to the profession.
JCDA.ca has moved to a continuous publication model. This means that clinical articles and other material will appear online before (or in place of) being published in print. JCDA.ca will be updated on a regular basis with original research material and clinically related news items.
What can be found on JCDA.ca?
JCDA.ca includes 3 main sections: Research, Clinical Dentistry and News & Issues.
The Research section has a more scholarly emphasis. It features clinical research articles and clinically oriented literature reviews, along with professional issues and other epidemiology reports that inform oral health care policy in Canada. Material published in this section will have been reviewed by at least 2 external reviewers and be judged as an “addition to the dental literature.”
The Clinical Dentistry section includes clinically related questions and answers presented in a user-friendly format. This section features case reports similar to the print JCDA’s Point of Care, Diagnostic Challenge and Clinical Reports sections. These case reports are educative in nature and will provide important reminders to Canadian dentists about clinical topics. The section will also highlight and showcase topics being worked on by CDA’s Committee on Clinical and Scientific Affairs. The electronic newsletter JCDA Express is archived here. The section also contains links to other peer-reviewed publications as well as electronically available resources of a clinical nature.
The News & Issues section includes news and updates about developments at CDA or the provincial and territorial dental associations. It also includes clinically related dental news items accompanied by expert commentary. This section also houses original Debate and Opinion pieces on some of the major issues (e.g., clinical, demographic, educational, ethical, legal and regulatory) facing the dental profession.
In addition to these 3 main sections, JCDA.ca includes a section where dental Products & Services will be featured. This section provides a space for the dental industry to display products and services in various multimedia formats.
The Classifieds section of JCDA.ca is the online version of the classified ads section of the print JCDA.
Goals of JCDA.ca
JCDA.ca will keep dentists up to date on clinical and scientific developments that are pertinent to dental practice in Canada. It will provide easily searchable information useful at the point of patient care. JCDA.ca will publish material in an attractive and user-friendly manner, and will include interactive features to allow dentists to receive timely updates about topics important to clinical practice.
As JCDA.ca develops, it will eventually include an electronic library, as well as forums and wikis where user-generated content will contribute to shared learning.
JCDA.ca will aim to create community around credible clinical content. It will serve as a digital platform for clinical conversations to take place among practising dentists, moderated by the JCDA community of expertise.
The success of JCDA.ca will depend on dentists exchanging knowledge in an inviting learning environment. The ensuing community dialogue will lead to the advancement of the profession and better oral health care for Canadians.
Impact factor and citation details
JCDA is indexed in Medline, Journal Citation Reports and Science Citation Index. In 2010 JCDA earned an impact factor of 1.320 in Journal Citation Reports, evidence that the publication is recognized as an important and credible dentistry journal whose clinical articles are valuable to research.
All material published in print JCDA or JCDA.ca will now include an elocator for identification, retrieval and citation purposes. The citation method will be year, volume, elocator (rather than page number). This citation (e.g., J Can Dent Assoc. 2010;76:a43) will appear in Medline, PubMed and other bibliographical indexes.
