Few clinicians read medical journals from cover to cover. We are all busy. But perhaps more important, readers value different types of information and different ways in which it is presented. We are likely to use search engines to identify original research articles immediately relevant to our clinical or research needs. To obtain up-to-date, balanced pictures of important clinical questions, we gratefully turn to high-quality reviews that do the legwork for which we lack time. By reading medical literature, we learn about different approaches and opinions on questions that crop up in daily practice. And, sometimes, we read not to learn about an issue directly relevant to practice, but to share common experiences, insights, and revelations that make up our lives as obstetrician-gynecologists.

In this editorial, we introduce you to new AJOG features. Together with the valuable original research and reviews that we are proud to publish, these new features will provide more options for you, our readers and authors, to learn from each other, through the written word, podcasts, and videos. You’ll find some of these new features in this September issue and others in future issues. We invite you to leaf through this issue and future issues of the Journal to see what your colleagues are thinking, teaching, researching, and contemplating. With the exception of Mixed Media, podcasts, and videos, all features are published in their entirety both in the print and online editions of AJOG .

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  Point-Counterpoint: a pair of brief essays providing differing views about a controversial issue. This month, based on a popular debate at the 2014 Society of Gynecologic Surgeons meeting, our first Point-Counterpoint addresses whether gynecologic surgeons should perform cosmetic labiaplasty.

  
  
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  Call to Action: a topical piece highlighting a problem pertaining to a clinical, research, social, ethical, or economic issue pertinent to obstetrician-gynecologists. In addition to describing a problem, the authors will also suggest a corrective action. Our first Call to Action in this issue suggests how we can build a critical mass of academic health center faculty ready and able to lead and implement education in quality improvement, patient safety, and reduction of health care costs.

  
  
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  Special Report: reports from consensus committees, working groups, task forces, or meeting summaries. This month, Special Report summarizes a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention–convened meeting about developing a systematic approach to safer medication use during pregnancy. In addition, from the American Gynecological & Obstetrical Society come two Special Reports of great interest, addressing geographic variation of reproductive health indicators and outcomes in the United States, and the effects of stress and depression on inflammatory immune parameters in pregnancy.

  
  
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  Mixed Media: poems, photographs, graphic art, animation, video, interviews, or other forms of creative expression that portray topics of interest to obstetrician-gynecologists. These can be about historical or contemporary issues and are published in our online edition only. Take a look at October’s issue for a thought-provoking poem sharing the experience of participating in a cesarean delivery from the point of view of a medical student on rotation.

  
  
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  Viewpoint: a brief, well-founded, balanced, and scholarly piece that addresses scientific, ethical, academic, or practice topics related to women’s health. For clinical issues for which a body of literature is available, we will continue to publish our excellent Clinical Opinion series.

  
  
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  Research letter: a short scientific publication that summarizes results of original data of interest to the medical community. All requirements regarding responsible conduct of research must be met.

  
  
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  Sketches: a piece that relates to medical careers, working lives, professional development, or that describes moments of insight, transformation, or inspiration encountered in professional life.

Should you prefer to listen or watch, rather than read, AJOG also has new online features:

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  AJOG Round up: in this monthly 5- to 10-minute podcast, one of the editors-in-chief provides snapshot summaries of many of the research articles published.

  
  
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  In the Spotlight: in this monthly video feature, one of AJOG ’s editors focuses on one article, providing complementary perspective and insight. In this issue, William A. Grobman, MD, MBA reviews “Maternal and neonatal outcomes in electively induced low-risk term pregnancies.”

  
  
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  Required video clips for Surgeon’s Corner.

In addition to these new features, AJOG will continue to publish Systematic Reviews, Expert Reviews, Clinical Opinions, Images, Surgeon’s Corner, and Letters to the Editor. We now require video, as well as figures or photographs, for Surgeon’s Corner and you’ll find excellent recent videos online demonstrating how to use the Bakri balloon to stanch postpartum hemorrhage and how to perform ultrasound-guided instrumental removal of a retained placenta after vaginal delivery. And, as always, we place all original research articles online shortly after acceptance. The average time between acceptance and online publication is 8 days. You can sign up for weekly email notifications that list all articles placed online within the past week at ajog.org .

Variety is the spice of life. We hope that adding variety to AJOG while retaining our mission to publish the highest-quality research adds spice to your life!