About Die Orthopädie

Die Orthopädie

Die Orthopädie is a German-language monthly specialist journal for orthopaedics and its neighbouring fields, published in Berlin by Springer Medizin today. Until May 2022 it appeared under the title Der Orthopäde, before being renamed that year as part of the publisher's broad gender-inclusivity initiative that replaced titles based on male professional designations with titles based on the medical disciplines, following the concept of "Der Facharzt" becoming "Die Fachdisziplin". The journal is an internationally recognized publication organ dedicated to all aspects of orthopaedics, serving both the scientific exchange and the continuing education of orthopaedists. It is indexed in the Science Citation Index Expanded, Medline, EMBASE, and Scopus, and all of its articles are reviewed, with original papers undergoing a formal peer review process.

Overview

Die Orthopädie is a monthly journal covering the full spectrum of orthopaedics and its neighbouring areas: conservative and operative orthopaedics, joint surgery, spinal disorders, sports orthopaedics, trauma-related orthopaedics, paediatric orthopaedics, and rehabilitation. Its concept centres on comprehensive review articles on a current lead topic, which form the core of each issue and convey secured knowledge on diagnostics and therapy with high relevance for daily work, giving the reader concrete recommendations for action. This lead-theme structure makes each issue a focused monograph on a current question of orthopaedic practice.

Freely submitted original papers allow the presentation of important clinical studies and serve scientific exchange, while the CME certified-continuing-education rubric offers secured results of scientific research and makes physicians' experience usable for daily practice. This combination of original research and structured continuing education defines the journal's dual identity. After reading the CME articles, readers can test their acquired knowledge and earn CME points online, with the rubric aligned to the specialty's training regulations, making the journal a recognized vehicle for the specialty's continuing education.

The journal's aims and scope are presented in both German and English on the publisher's platforms. All articles are reviewed, with original papers undergoing peer review, and manuscripts reporting studies on human subjects must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki. The journal's indexing in the major biomedical databases, including the Science Citation Index Expanded, Medline, EMBASE, and Scopus, underlines its standing as a scholarly publication with international visibility and makes its content discoverable to researchers worldwide.

The journal is aimed at both office-based orthopaedists and hospital-based orthopaedic clinicians, covering state-of-the-art review articles on conservative and operative orthopaedics for the full range of the specialty's practice settings. It is listed among Springer Medizin's most-read journals, reflecting its reach within the German orthopaedic community.

History

The journal was founded as Der Orthopäde within the Springer Medizin portfolio, serving the continuing-education and scientific-exchange needs of German orthopaedists. It was renamed Die Orthopädie in May 2022 as part of Springer Medizin's sweeping equality initiative, in which titles based on male professional designations were replaced with titles based on the medical disciplines themselves. The renaming was announced on the journal's Springer Nature Link page, noting the title change from "Der Orthopäde" to "Die Orthopädie" in May 2022 and pointing readers to the publisher's title-update information.

The rename followed the same wave that turned Der Anaesthesist into Die Anaesthesiologie, Der Chirurg into Die Chirurgie, Der Internist into Die Innere Medizin, Der Gynäkologe into Die Gynäkologie, Der Hautarzt into Die Dermatologie, Der Onkologe into Die Onkologie, Der Diabetologe into Die Diabetologie, Der Ophthalmologe into Die Ophthalmologie, Der Unfallchirurg into Die Unfallchirurgie, and Der Urologe into Die Urologie. The continuity of the journal was preserved, with its indexing, volume numbering, and editorial concept carried forward under the new title, so that citations and library holdings remain unbroken.

The journal has documented the specialty's development through decades of change, from the rise of joint replacement surgery and arthroscopy to modern spinal surgery, minimally invasive techniques, and the growing role of conservative and rehabilitative orthopaedics in an aging population. Its long publication history under the title Der Orthopäde makes it one of the established German-language forums for orthopaedic science and practice.

Coverage and Content

The journal covers all aspects of orthopaedics and its neighbouring fields: degenerative joint diseases, joint replacement, arthroscopy, spinal disorders and spinal surgery, sports injuries and sports orthopaedics, trauma-related orthopaedics, hand and foot surgery, paediatric orthopaedics, tumour orthopaedics, and rehabilitation. Each issue is built around a lead theme, with comprehensive reviews providing evidence-based information on diagnostics and therapy relevant to daily practice.

Original papers present important clinical studies and contribute to scientific exchange, while the CME rubric delivers certified continuing education with online knowledge testing and CME points. The journal's coverage reflects the breadth of modern orthopaedics, from conservative treatment methods to complex operative procedures, and addresses the questions of daily practice in both office-based and hospital settings, where the readership seeks practical guidance grounded in current evidence.

The journal serves both the scientific exchange and the continuing education of orthopaedists, combining the functions of a scholarly journal with those of a professional training medium. Its peer-reviewed original papers give it a research dimension, while its review and CME content serves the practicing clinician. The journal appears monthly, a rhythm that allows each lead theme the space of a full issue while keeping the journal close to clinical developments.

Organization and Ownership

Die Orthopädie is published by Springer Medizin Verlag GmbH, the medical publishing division of Springer Nature, headquartered in Berlin. The journal's subscription includes online access with further benefits and access to the complete archive of the journal, and it can also be read as an e-paper, with videos and additional image galleries available online as supplementary material, giving subscribers a multimedia experience alongside the monthly print issues.

Subscription and customer service are handled through the publisher's service centre, which manages subscriptions, address changes, and website access, and the editorial office can be contacted directly through the journal's page on the publisher's website, which also invites reader feedback and comments. Detailed information about the current editor-in-chief is not publicly confirmed from the sources consulted. The publisher's media and subscription pages for the journal list the editorial office's contact details and invite direct feedback from readers, authors, and subscribers.

Digital Presence

Die Orthopädie is fully integrated into Springer Medizin's digital ecosystem. The journal's page on the publisher's website presents its aims and scope in German and English, the current and recent monthly issues, and the standard rubrics of lead-theme reviews, original papers, and CME courses. The site also provides subscription information, including student subscription options for orthopaedists in training. Articles are published with DOIs and are available through Springer Nature Link, where they can be cited and downloaded. The journal's online home on the platform also carries the title-change notice from May 2022, documenting the transition from Der Orthopäde for the benefit of librarians, authors, and citing researchers.

The subscription includes online access to the journal's content and its complete archive, and the e-paper edition allows digital reading of the monthly issues. The publisher's subscription pages also offer student subscription options, making the journal accessible to orthopaedists in training. Whether the journal maintains dedicated social media channels is not publicly confirmed from the sources consulted, and its online presence remains centred on the publisher's platforms, which serve the journal's authors, readers, and institutional subscribers.