TWENTY YEARS AS AN EDITOR – WHAT DID I LEARN?D P Mikhailidis BSc MSc MD FACB FCP

FFPM FRCP FRCPathAcademic Head

Dept. of Clinical Biochemistry (Vascular Disease Prevention Clinics)Royal Free campus, University College

London

MY CREDENTIALS

Editor-in-Chief• Curr Vasc Pharmacol (IF = 3.582)• Expert Opin Investig Drugs (IF = 4.058) • Expert Opin Therapeut Targets (IF = 4.038)• Curr Med Res Opin (IF = 2.596)• Expert Opin Pharmacotherapy (IF = 2.077)• Angiology (IF = 1.122)• Vasc Dis Prevention• The Open Cardiovasc Med J

MY CREDENTIALSPrincipal Editor• Platelets (IF = 2.3)

Editorial Board Member• Curr Pharmaceutical Design (IF = 4.4)• In vivo (IF = 1.0)• Clin Appl Thromb Hemostas (IF = 1.4)• J Cardiovasc Pharmacol Therapeut (IF = 1.7)

MY CREDENTIALSREFEREEINGOver 1,000 papers for 89 different journals

AUTHOR761 entries on MEDLINE in June 2010

CITATIONS9,794 on ISI site in June 2010

PROCEDURE

Select a journalFormat text in journal styleSubmitReceive responseRespond to referee comments or resubmitCheck proofs

STRUCTURE OF PAPER• Title page (+ short title)

• Abstract (+ key words)

• Introduction• Methods (subheadings)

• Results (same subheadings)

• Discussion• References (style, style, style!!!)

• Acknowledgements• Declaration of Interest (now essential)

STRUCTURE OF REVIEW• Title page• Abstract • Introduction• Methods• Results• Discussion• References• Acknowledgements• Declaration of Interest• Size ???• Invited or submitted review???

STRUCTURE OF REVIEW

• Theme (novelty etc)

• Team (who does what?)

• Target (which journal?)

STRUCTURE OF LETTER• Very short text• Few references• Few messages• To contradict a finding• To re-interpret a finding• To support a finding• To present some early (unpublished?) findings• Mostly related to material published in the

same journal

STRUCTURE OF EDITORIAL

• PRESTIGIOUS, especially in high ranking journals

• “Few” references• “Few” messages• Mostly related to material published in

the same journal• Usually invited

SOME GENERAL ADVICE

ABBREVIATIONS:• Hour, hours, hrs, h • After first introduced in Abstract and in

Main Text (list of abbreviations?)• Be consistent! (e.g. using several

abbreviations to mean the same thing)• Be sensible! (e.g. VD)• Units mg/L or mg/l? Add mmol/l?

SOME GENERAL ADVICEABSTRACT:• AMAZINGLY! Key findings are not

included• Details are included in the Abstract but

not in the text!• Key words? • Should include p values, species or

number of patients, duration of treatment …..

SOME GENERAL ADVICE

REFERENCES:• Consistent • In journal style in both reference list and

in the text

SOME GENERAL ADVICE

SPELLING:• Spellcheck• English/American (e.g. aemia/emia)

SOME GENERAL ADVICESTATISTICS:• Gaussian or not?• No SEM use SD• Median and range• Be sensible (e.g. cholesterol 123.45

mg/dl)• Separate section in METHODS• 95% CI?

SOME GENERAL ADVICE

This man’s height is?This man’s weight is?

SOME GENERAL ADVICE

This man’ height is 176.83 cmThis man’ weight is 100.27 Kg

SOME GENERAL ADVICERushing serves no purpose!

Discuss findings among the team and then write them

Short sentences (up to 20 - 30 words. Not a whole paragraph!)

Decimal points not commas

Read whole text (avoid repeating yourself)

SOME GENERAL ADVICE

Nobody is always right! The team opinionis your best bet. Also, several areas of expertise now in one paper.

Work on the success of the mission → getyour material published.

SOME GENERAL ADVICE

You may only have minutes attention from an Editor before he decides not to further consider your submission.

Factors: • Does the Editor know you or your centre? • What is the reputation of your centre (ranking

list)?• Presentation quality

SOME GENERAL ADVICE

You must be able to defend everysentence.

XX was markedly increased in patients with YY disease compared with control subjects.

SOME GENERAL ADVICE

You must be able to defend everysentence.

XX was markedly increased in patients With YY disease compared with control subjects. But the p value is not significant!!

SOME GENERAL ADVICE

The obtained results showed ….

What is wrong with that wording?

SOME GENERAL ADVICE

The obtained results showed ….

What is wrong with that wording?

If they are results then they must havebeen obtained! Change to:

Our results showed ….

SOME GENERAL ADVICE

These results were statistically significant (p = 0.001).What is wrong with that wording?

SOME GENERAL ADVICE

These results were statistically significant (p = 0.001).What is wrong with that wording?

If they are significant then they must havebeen obtained by a statistical test! Change to:

These results were significant (p = 0.001).

SOME GENERAL ADVICE

ALL tables and figures must be able to “stand alone”.

PROCEDURE

Selecting a journal:• How many issues per year?• Rejection rate?• What are you sending (paper, review,

editorial, letter) – what are the journal’s rules?

PROCEDURESelecting a journal:• Have you refereed for this journal?• Have you previously published in this

journal?• “Open” or “conventional” journal? • Page, submission or colour illustration

charges? • Speed of response and publication?

PROCEDURESelecting a journal:What is the impact factor (IF)? Search ISI

website by title or by topic.An IF of 5 places the journal in the top 4%

of all listed journals. An IF of 4 places the journal in the top 9%

of all listed journals.Most journals are not even listed!

PROCEDUREWhere is your journal listed?

PubMed/MEDLINEPubMed CentralISISCOPUSExcerpta MedicaEMBASEBiosisGoogle Scholar

The next RAE will look at citations

PROCEDURE

Open journals:

• Full text available to anyone free of charge• Publication fee (e.g. $600 – 800)• Listed on MEDLINE?• Open journals are favoured by many (e.g.

MEDLINE)• “New” fashion?

MARKERS OF ‘RESEARCH’SUCCESS

1] MEDLINE entries

2] CITATIONS (ISI)

3] H (Hirsch) factor

4] EDITORSHIPS (I will need himin the future?)

MARKERS OF ‘RESEARCH’SUCCESS

1] MEDLINE 2] CITATIONS (ISI) 3] H (Hirsch)factor 4] EDITORSHIPS

These markers are available on the internet. Therefore, you cannot hide any more.

List of most cited people in several fields(e.g. clinical medicine).

MARKERS OF ‘RESEARCH’SUCCESS

• Sometimes these factors affect outcome

• Even if your text is not accepted it is worth pointing out to the Editor that the referee quality was poor. Also, point out who is making these comments!

• Some of these comments are passed to the referee by the Editor. Next time he/she will be more careful! The Editor may never use this referee again!

Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.

Titus 2:8