Launching the Georgian Medical Journal: Transparency, Editorial Standards, and the Foundations of a New Open-Access Platform

This editorial documents the development and launch of the Georgian Medical Journal (GMJ), a new open-access, peer-reviewed medical journal established in 2025. It presents the journal’s initial performance in Volume 1, Issue 1, including submission volume, acceptance and rejection rates, authorship diversity, and content scope. The editorial outlines adherence to international editorial and reporting standards (CONSORT, STROBE, PRISMA, CARE, SQUIRE) in alignment with COPE and ICMJE recommendations. A distinctive feature of GMJ is its integrated knowledge translation strategy, with 100% podcast coverage of all published articles across seven global platforms, expanding accessibility beyond traditional academic audiences. Current limitations, including the absence of indexing in major databases and the use of interim DOI assignment via Zenodo, are transparently acknowledged. A structured roadmap for indexing (DOAJ, Crossref, PubMed Central) and editorial expansion is presented. The Georgian Medical Journal is positioned as a transparent, regionally anchored, and internationally oriented platform contributing to equitable global scientific publishing.