LITERATURE AND MEDICINE

Scope & Guideline

Advancing Interdisciplinary Dialogue on Health Narratives

Introduction

Welcome to the LITERATURE AND MEDICINE information hub, where our guidelines provide a wealth of knowledge about the journal’s focus and academic contributions. This page includes an extensive look at the aims and scope of LITERATURE AND MEDICINE, highlighting trending and emerging areas of study. We also examine declining topics to offer insight into academic interest shifts. Our curated list of highly cited topics and recent publications is part of our effort to guide scholars, using these guidelines to stay ahead in their research endeavors.
LanguageEnglish
ISSN0278-9671
PublisherJOHNS HOPKINS UNIV PRESS
Support Open AccessNo
CountryUnited States
TypeJournal
Convergefrom 1986 to 2009, from 2011 to 2024
AbbreviationLIT MED / Lit. Med.
Frequency2 issues/year
Time To First Decision-
Time To Acceptance-
Acceptance Rate-
Home Page-
AddressJOURNALS PUBLISHING DIVISION, 2715 NORTH CHARLES ST, BALTIMORE, MD 21218-4363

Aims and Scopes

The journal 'Literature and Medicine' serves as an interdisciplinary platform that explores the intersections between literary studies and medical humanities. Its main aims focus on how narratives shape our understanding of health, illness, and the human condition.
  1. Interdisciplinary Exploration of Health Narratives:
    The journal emphasizes the synergy between literature and medicine, investigating how narrative forms convey experiences of illness, wellness, and the complexities of the human body.
  2. Cultural and Biocultural Perspectives on Pain and Illness:
    Research often examines pain as a biocultural experience, analyzing how cultural narratives influence the understanding and expression of suffering.
  3. Focus on Historical and Contemporary Contexts:
    The journal publishes works that address both historical and contemporary issues in health and illness, providing a comprehensive view of how literature reflects and shapes medical discourse.
  4. Critical Approaches to Medical Humanities:
    It encourages critical methodologies that interrogate the ethical, social, and political dimensions of health narratives, integrating literary criticism with medical insights.
  5. Emphasis on Personal and Collective Narratives:
    The publication highlights personal accounts and collective experiences of health and illness, fostering a deeper understanding of the lived experience of patients and caregivers.
The journal has witnessed the emergence of several themes that reflect current societal concerns and evolving academic discourse. These trending scopes indicate a shift towards more contemporary and relevant issues within the intersection of literature and medicine.
  1. Narratives of Pain and Suffering:
    Recent publications have increasingly focused on the narratives surrounding pain, particularly how they manifest in literature and personal stories, highlighting the complexity and plurality of pain experiences.
  2. Impact of COVID-19 and Pandemic Narratives:
    The journal has shown a growing interest in how the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced literary narratives, exploring themes of isolation, recovery, and the societal implications of health crises.
  3. Explorations of Identity and Illness:
    There is a rising trend in examining how identity factors such as race, gender, and sexuality intersect with illness, reflecting broader societal discussions about equity and representation in health narratives.
  4. Ethnographic Approaches to Health:
    Emerging papers are increasingly utilizing ethnographic methodologies to deepen the understanding of health experiences, providing rich, contextual insights into how culture shapes perceptions of illness.
  5. The Role of Autofiction and Personal Narratives:
    The use of autofiction as a literary form to express personal experiences of illness and recovery has gained traction, indicating a shift towards personal storytelling as a valid and powerful means of discourse.

Declining or Waning

While the journal continues to thrive in several key areas, certain themes have shown signs of waning interest or reduced frequency in recent publications. This section outlines those declining scopes.
  1. Traditional Medical Narratives:
    There has been a noticeable decline in the exploration of conventional medical narratives that focus solely on clinical or scientific aspects of medicine, as the journal shifts towards more nuanced and culturally rich discussions.
  2. Historical Medical Practices:
    Themes centered on historical medical practices, particularly those that do not connect to contemporary issues or cultural critiques, have become less prominent, reflecting a move towards relevance in today's societal context.
  3. Generalized Studies of Disease:
    Broad studies that discuss disease without a specific literary or cultural lens have decreased, as the journal increasingly favors focused, interdisciplinary analyses that tie illness to personal and societal narratives.

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