DCT 2026 Publisher Nominations

Call for Nominations

Doody Enterprises, Inc. enthusiastically welcomes publisher nominations for Doody’s Core Titles (DCT) 2026. Doody’s is excited to launch this initiative for the first time in an effort to advance DCT’s breadth and comprehensiveness in alignment with our mission and vision. Book publishers represent a critical part of our health information ecosystem and, alongside health sciences librarians and experts, offer unique insights into the information that’s needed at all levels of health learning and practice.

About Doody's Core Titles

Doody’s Core Titles is the most authoritative and influential book list in the health sciences. It is used in libraries around the world to curate and maintain the most up to date collection of health sciences books. Published annually since 2004, DCT distills thousands of existing and new in-print book titles to a selection of roughly 2,400 of the most distinguished and important for education and practice in 126 health sciences specialties. Adjudicated book lists have a decorated and respected history in medical libraries, bringing awareness and criticality to publishers’ resources for over 60 years.

How It Works

The DCT publication process involves two primary steps: title selection and title scoring.

Selecting is the process by which Content Specialists and Librarian Selectors list titles they professionally acknowledge as core to the specialty in which they are selecting. Whereas selections have traditionally been the exclusive privilege of Content Specialists and Librarian Selectors, Doody’s is excited to welcome publishers to nominate (i.e., “select”) titles they feel are core contributions to the health sciences. These titles will be considered selected and will advance to the scoring phase.

In the scoring phase, Librarian Selectors will score titles based on the following five collection development criteria:

Authoritativeness
Scope and coverage
Quality of content
Usefulness and purpose
Value

Each book is scored by multiple Librarian Selectors assigned to the specialty. The aggregate scores of the Librarian Selectors for each title determine whether or not the book is deemed core and, thus, part of the final Doody’s Core Titles list. Nominated titles will also be voted on for inclusion as an Essential Purchase Title, a further designation bestowed to roughly a quarter of the titles on the list.

Doody’s Core Titles 2026 will be published on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. All publishers will be notified of their Doody’s Core Titles on Tuesday, April 21, 2026.

Disclaimer: A nomination does not guarantee that a title will be designated as a Doody's Core Title. All scoring and designation decisions that result from the above process are final.

Book Selection Considerations

Publishers are encouraged to nominate titles they believe represent “core” knowledge in a given field or specialty. They should have the potential to score high in the criteria listed above. DCT covers 126 different specialties across all of medicine, nursing, allied health, basic sciences, and several other health-related disciplines.

Publishers may nominate any title as long as it is currently in print and available from the publisher in either print or digital formats. Books usually published for and purchased by individuals (e.g., busy clinicians, students, or patients) such as study guides, test prep books, pocket guides, or consumer health/patient education materials do not qualify as core titles. Open Access titles are acceptable.

Most core titles cover broad, general topics in their field rather than niche or trendy ones. Since titles are evaluated based on currency, nominating more recently published titles is advised. Indeed, core titles often are the most recently published, authoritative book on their topic. Older titles may be nominated but should be the latest book in the field on their particular topic or represent a canonical work.

First edition books must be published and available by March 1, 2026 to be nominated. Second or later editions of previously published books need to be published and available by June 30, 2026 to be nominated.

Publishers are encouraged to examine Doody’s reviews of their titles (if available) and any Doody’s Core Titles from 2025 when considering titles to nominate. The Doody’s team is happy to help ensure titles meet the basic qualifications for nomination.

Submission Process

Publishers need to complete the submission form linked below to complete the nomination process.

The form asks for detailed book metadata – print ISBN, title, lead author/editor, copyright year, page count, cover type, edition, URL to book's page on publisher website – and the designated specialty for each nominated title. Additionally, publishers will be able to provide a brief explanation as to why they feel the book is considered core to the specialty in which it’s being nominated.

The form limits the number of titles a single publisher may nominate to ten (10). If a publisher is considering nominating more than 10 titles, they should contact Tim Butzen at tim[at]doody.com. Titles may be nominated in more than one specialty; however, each specialty constitutes a separate nomination. As very few titles are deemed core in more than one specialty, Doody’s recommends limiting each title to only one specialty. The Doody’s team is happy to help advise on the best specialty if there is ambiguity or uncertainty.

All a publisher’s nominations must be submitted via one form submission by November 21, 2025. Once received, a Doody’s team member will review the nominations to ensure they meet the basic criteria and will confirm receipt.

Publishers are not asked to send book copies for the purposes of nominating titles. However, publishers are encouraged to send any nominated books for inclusion in Doody's Review Service. More details on that here.

Nomination Costs & Payments

The cost to nominate a title is determined according to type of publisher:

Self-published: $75 per title | $60 per title if nominating four or more titles
Not-for-profit, association, and society publishers: $125 per title | $110 per title if nominating four or more titles
University presses: $125 per title | $110 per title if nominating four or more titles
Specialty or small-sized commercial publishers: $175 per title | $155 per title if nominating four or more titles
Medium-sized commercial publishers: $195 per title | $175 per title if nominating four or more titles
Large-sized and other commercial publishers: $215 per title | $195 per title if nominating four or more titles

Invoices will be sent upon receipt and approval of completed nomination forms but by no later than December 1, 2025 according to the details collected during the submission process. Payments will be net-30 and can be made via check, ACH, credit card, or wire transfer (additional fees apply).

Equity Statement

In alignment with its mission and vision, Doody Enterprises, Inc., is committed to representing a wide variety of publisher voices in its call for nominations for DCT. We strongly encourage publishers to contact us if the costs, timeline, or other parameters preclude them from participating. We'd love to work with you on an action plan to ensure you’re able to nominate titles.

Benefits & Incentives

Of course, the primary benefit of nominating a title is the chance for it to be deemed “core” and become part of Doody’s Core Titles 2026. Nominated titles “break through the noise” and are guaranteed to be scored by Librarian Selectors. Publishers with titles on DCT are strongly encouraged to leverage the DCT brand in a variety of ways outlined here.

In an effort to maximize the value of publishers’ nominations, we are offering a host of additional benefits and incentives:

Each nominated title will be indexed in our Doody’s Review Service database and made discoverable by librarians around the world.

Each publisher will receive a report of how their nominated titles scored, no matter whether they made the final list or not.

Each publisher will receive one (1) complimentary Doody’s Review Service Publisher Spotlight in 2026, a $195 value.

Each publisher will receive a 10% off coupon for any available 2026 Doody’s advertising. (Max value $300)

Titles that are nominated but do not make the list will be featured in a special article published in the June 2026 issue of Doody’s Collection Development Monthly.

For over 20 years, Doody’s Core Titles has celebrated the work of publishers by naming their titles as core to the fields and professions they represent. Doody’s encourages publishers to view this call for nominations not only as a way to participate in this time-honored tradition but also as a way of ensuring the long-term sustainability of a resource that has uplifted their voices for so long.

Key Dates to Remember

October 6, 2025 – Nominations open

October 15, 2025 – Doody's webinar for interested publishers (recording)

November 21, 2025 – Nominations close

December 1, 2025 – Latest date for invoices to be sent

April 21, 2026 – DCT 2026 titles shared with publishers

May 5, 2026 – DCT 2026 publishes

FAQs

Why is DCT inviting publishers to nominate titles?

Doody Enterprises recognizes the important space publishers occupy in our ecosystem as information providers and as catalysts for health sciences education and practice. We are excited to include publisher voices to complement those of health professionals and librarians in a way that enhances DCT’s breadth while maintaining its objectivity.

How will DCT remain the objective, trustworthy resource it has long been known as if publishers can nominate titles for the list?

While publishers will have a voice in nominating titles, they will have no part in scoring titles or determining the final composition of the list. This task will rest, as it always has, solely with our Librarian Selectors who will apply our detailed scoring criteria consistently across all titles that advance to the scoring phase.

Is DCT a book award?

No, DCT is not a book award.

How does DCT differ from book awards?

Annual book awards usually focus on books published within a certain timeframe and award one or just a few books for meeting highly specific criteria. Being deemed a Doody’s Core Title is an annual distinction bestowed on books currently in print – but not necessarily published within the last year – that have long-term value for health sciences libraries and maintain critical staying power compared to similar books in their field. A title may be considered a Doody’s Core Title one year but not earn the distinction in subsequent years. In other words, a Doody’s Core Title must continually earn its place among the best of the best.

Why do you not need publishers to send copies for review?

Selecting Doody’s Core Titles is a temporal exercise as much as it is an evaluative one. We ask Content Specialists and Librarian Selectors to consider the books in a given specialty published throughout time to identify those most important for current library collections. This involves thousands of in print titles rather than just a swath of newly released books. Further, Librarian Selectors bring their seasoned expertise to the scoring process, employing collection development skills unique to the profession that do not always require ready access to full text versions of books. Publishers are welcome and encouraged to send us print copies of their books for inclusion in Doody’s Review Service. More details on that can be found here.

What information must accompany a book’s nomination?

Publishers will be asked to supply the following information: ISBN (print preferred, if available), title, lead author/editor, copyright year, page count, cover type, edition, and URL to book page on publisher’s website. Additionally, publishers will be asked to select the DCT specialty in which they’d like to nominate the title and to provide up to 100 words indicating why the book is core to the professions represented by that specialty.

Will the publisher nomination process replace the annual DCT selection process?

No. Publisher nominations aim to supplement the selections of Content Specialists and Librarian Selectors but will not replace nor influence those selections. Publishers should focus on highlighting titles that they want to ensure are considered by Librarian Selectors during the scoring phase.

What happens if a Content Specialist or Librarian Selector selects a title I nominate?

The book moves on to the scoring phase. The nomination simply guarantees that the title will move onto the scoring phase if a Content Specialist or Librarian Selector does not select it.

Can I nominate a title that was previously a Doody’s Core Title? Should I nominate a title that was selected for DCT 2025?

Publishers are welcome to nominate titles previously selected as Doody’s Core Titles as well as nominate titles from Doody’s Core Titles 2025 to ensure they move to the scoring phase again. However, publishers should know that Content Specialists and Librarian Selectors have access to DCT 2025 when conducting their selections. Therefore, it may be more prudent to nominate titles that are not part of the 2025 list.

Can an author or editor pay to nominate their own book?

If the book is self- or independently published, then yes. For authors or editors who’ve published traditionally, it is best to work through your editing and marketing departments to advocate for your title to be nominated. Please contact us if you need help connecting with the appropriate resource.

Will publisher-nominated titles be distinguished from other Doody's Core Titles if they score high enough to make the list?

No. While we will be clear that publishers had the opportunity to nominate titles for DCT 2026, just the title’s composite score will be part of the published version of DCT, not the origin of its selection.