Pediatric Critical Care Medicine 2025, Volume 26: A New Era As We Become Fully Digital

The 26th volume of the Journal is the start of a new episode for Pediatric Critical Care Medicine (PCCM). From this year onward, all journal content will be available solely online, either via the Journal website or via your own Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) members “MySCCM” weblink. What should you notice in the journal from now? ARTICLES The journal pages will have a similar look to previous years, but there should be more color illustrations because authors no longer must cover the charges for Figures in color. We will continue to adhere to the standards described in our Instructions for Authors (1) and expect the rigor of presentation to remain the same for Clinical Research Reports (2), Database Research (3), Editorials and Commentaries (4), and Narratives, Letters, and Correspondence (5). Regarding writing, along with the other two SCCM journals–Critical Care Medicine and Critical Care Explorations–PCCM will adhere to the collective guidance on fair use of augmented intelligence and artificial intelligence in the preparation of manuscripts (6), and this practice should extend to the use of citations and references (7). SECTIONS Some journal sections are changing so expect the organization of content to be more user friendly for the digital environment. On the journal webpage, as mentioned in December 2024, PCCM will no longer have an “Editor’s Choice” section (8). Rather, Feature Articles (some with an editorial) will be the initial material that I recommend reading. Furthermore, enhancements with webpage connections and links between items should be easier to navigate from PCCM’s platform. Other Brief Reports (i.e., 1,500-words, two illustrations, 25 references (1)) and full Clinical Research Reports (i.e., 3,000-words, five illustrations, 40 references (2)) will now be available in a single section called Clinical Investigations, and some of these items will also have editorials. I no longer make the distinction between content that is brief or full–all content gets my recommendation for reading, but we still expect the discipline of writing concisely and being focused on context, observations, and meaning. Other original articles and reviews will include Research Reviews and the PCCM Trials reports. “Guideline Reports” or “Special Articles” (9,10) will be under the banner of a rebadged section called PCCM Conference Reports and Expert Panels. The first of these items appears in this issue of PCCM and covers the development and research collaborations achieved by the Australia and New Zealand Intensive Care Society Paediatric Study Group (11). In the Editorial Material sections, we have taken notice of what readers want to read in other critical care journals. Therefore, PCCM has added more material to the usual Editorials and Commentaries (4). For example, the PCCM Notes, Methods, and Statistics items (like the one on measurement error in 2024 (12)) will be expanded in 2025. Expect to see more “op eds” covering PCCM Ethics, Pro-Con Debate, and Clinical Science/Physiology Commentary. Finally, the PCCM Connections and International Connections educational material that were regular subsections within the now defunct “Editor’s Choice” will be reinvigorated in an item appearing as Editorial Notes on “What’s New in…” (subject to be decided in each article, e.g., pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome). The first of six annual items will appear in the February 2025 issue. There is a lot to be excited about as we move forward in 2025, and we thank all authors, reviewers, and readers for your continued support of PCCM.