Biomed Imaging Interv J 2006; 2(4):e51
doi: 10.2349/biij.2.4.e51
© 2006 Biomedical Imaging and
Intervention Journal
Editorial
Exploring new vistas in biomedical journal publishing
BJJ Abdullah, MBBS, FRCR,
KH Ng, PhD, MIPEM, DABMP
Department of Biomedical Imaging, Faculty of
Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
To write what is worth publishing, to find honest people
to publish it, and get sensible people to read it, are the three great
difficulties in being an author (Charles Caleb Colton, English sportsman and writer,
1780-1832).
Scholarly journals have been the basic tool for scientific
communication for over three centuries, since the Flemish itinerant craftsman
William Caxton and his assistant Wynkyn de Worde set up his heavy wood and metal
German designed printing press in the shadow of St Paul’s Cathedral in 1476. Scientific
societies publish and distribute these journals to their members as a part of
their subscription. With the huge investments in basic scientific research
which occurred after the Second World War, the scientific societies had great
difficulty in keeping pace with the phenomenal growth in the number of
publications that sprouted. Journals catering to new disciplines arose when
researchers in these specialized areas found it difficult to get their works
published in the journals which kept to traditional views of the boundaries of
disciplines [1]. Publishers, in general, ceased to be their own booksellers in
the 18th century and their own printers in the 19th
century. In the 20th century, they coped with a remarkable technological
shift in printing and book manufacturing technology from hot metal to cold
setting.
In the 21st century, the focus in publishing is
on information management and not technology. Publishers create content, and
they manage, add value to, stretch, recycle, translate, and transmit it. In
addition, they have been successful from a very early stage in distancing themselves
from delivery technology and leaving the task of managing ever-obsolescing
technology, the mechanics of distribution and delivery, to others.
Despite these achievements, publishers and journals face
challenges on account of the following:
Globalisation
Research is increasingly becoming more international and
more collaborative. This has been driven by the scientific advantages of
sharing knowledge and know-how beyond a single institution; lower costs of air
travel and communication; increased use of information technology; national policies
encouraging international collaboration ; need for higher international
standing,; and graduate student study abroad programmes. This trend is
reflected in both an increase in the average number of authors and institutions
on an article, and in the proportion of foreign addresses. [2]. The average
number of coauthors per article published in EU increased from 3.33 to 4.81
between 1988 and 2003, while articles with at least one co-author from a non-EU
country accounted for 36% of all articles in 2003, up from 17% in 19888 [3].
Intellectual property rights
From the perspective of the publishing industry, the basis of all content management is a clear system of ownership and reward for use. Despite the Web, the industry feels that information never has been, never could be, and never should be free. They also contend that the value of information depends both on its intrinsic nature and its timeliness.
It has to be both authoritative (accurate,
true) and accessible. What publishers do essentially is guarantee the former
and ensure the latter.
Technological change
Publishers have always dealt with this quite effectively and
many new technologies favour publishers. ‘Watermarking’ technologies for
identifying text-ownership, for example, the Digital Object Identifier enable
flexible, trackable dissemination of published works in many forms and media.
They will certainly widen access and use. Print-on-demand digital printing that
allows print runs as low as five being economical means that no book need ever
go out-of-print again. Use of this technology will make it possible for any
book to be individually custom-printed and bound for a customer at a bookshop
terminal while they wait.
The Internet and the World Wide Web
They enable almost instant access to millions of pages of
information, entertainment, and education. This has added to the challenges of
scientific publishing [4]. The major attractions of the electronic publishing
of scholarly monographs are easier access and visual processing or an enhanced
intellectual content. The electronic linking to additional resources or the
provision of moving images, for example, a rotating anatomical image, clearly
are beyond the capabilities of the printed book and are definitely added value [5].
However, some argue that [6] publishing is not just about
being able to access information. The reader’s engagement with the printed page
is a much more subtle and active relationship. Some would go so far to equate
it to an aesthetic, almost mystical experience, in which the author and the reader
commune. The reader brings almost as much to the experience as the author, which
is unique to the medium. Therefore, the expressions like "lost in a book".
In addition, issues of authenticity and confidence which are
particularly important to users, is another downside cited for electronic
publishing. Without a physical artefact, how sure are the readers that what
they are viewing is the original document as intended by its author, owner or
publisher without a physical artefact? Graham has identified the possibility of
three types of document change [7]:
Accidental – loss of the final version and changes made during copying; Well-intentioned – updates, restructuring; Fraudulent – changes of one’s own work to cover one’s tracks or change
of evidence for a variety of reasons, or damage to the work of another.
Despite the gloom and the doom of electronic publishing and
the Internet, publishing in general has shown that it is a dynamic, growing
industry. It is estimated that worldwide annual revenues generated from
English-language Scientific, Technical & Medical journal are estimated at
around USD 5 billion in 2004 [2]. The industry employed over 90,000 people of
which about 40% or 36,000 are employed in the EU. In addition, an estimated
20-30,000 full time employees are indirectly supported by the STM industry
globally (suppliers, freelancers, external editors, etc. [2]
As researchers and biomedical professionals, we all agree on
the importance of research in our society. However, we are also aware that the values
accruing from the research process are dependent on others being able to use
this information and even further its benefits. Therefore, publishing has an
important role in being a medium for the dissemination of knowledge. However,
as with any medium of communication, there is an urgent need for raising the level
of awareness and skills of editors, reviewers, and authors in the developing
countries.
To re-examine publishing in the biomedical arena, a Workshop
on Publishing for Biomedical Journal Editors and Reviewers: Publishing in a
global competitive world (3rd International University of Malaya Research
Imaging Symposium) was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The workshop was
organised by the University of Malaya Research Imaging Centre (UMRIC) and
Biomedical Imaging and Intervention Journal (biij). The major stakeholders in
the biomedical publishing world, authors, editors, reviewers, copyeditors, designers,
publishers, and librarians participated in this very important workshop. It set
benchmarks in biomedical publishing. There were more than 100 delegates from 14
countries.
The objectives of this workshop were:
To improve the skills of editors and reviewers To review the current status of biomedical journal publishing To assess the problems and constraints facing biomedical journals To develop guidelines for quality of biomedical journal publishing To promote a code of ethics for biomedical journal publishing To analyse trends in journal publishing To promote collaboration and networking among editors of biomedical journals
The meeting provided a forum for discussion and exchange of
ideas and new developments. The need for biomedical journals to be current and
relevant in the wake of rapid technological advancements and the question of
how instantaneously should crucial clinical information be communicated to
physicians and, ultimately, to their patients were raised at the workshop. How
much publishing time should we, as medical editors, allocate for a medical research
article before it is published? How long should the process of cataloguing,
review, page layout, and design hold back crucial clinical results? Do we have
definite answers to these crucial questions? Unfortunately, we do not. We also cannot
be certain that we can provide the answers to these questions. There are just
too many conflicting variables to take into account. However, we can be certain
of the philosophy behind this complicated and lengthy process. That is, to
ensure the publication of a world-class biomedical journal, keeping our
professional integrity intact.
This common quest for professional integrity led to this
opportune gathering of the major stakeholders in the biomedical publishing
world. We have tasked some of the best talents in the field of biomedical
publishing to discuss and create a comprehensive program that covers the entire
process of publishing biomedical journals in today’s world.
The topics ranged from responsibilities of authors, editors
and reviewers; the role of editors and reviewers; editorial independence and governance;
the peer review process; publication ethics; manuscripts for the evidence-based
medicine era; developments in international journal publishing; the art of copy
editing; the publishing cycle to Open Access Online Publishing. All the
presentations are available as AVI or MP4 files at http://www.biij.org/biomedical-imaging-intervention-journal-resources.asp
The co-sponsors of the meeting included British Medical
Journal, Canadian Medical Association Journal, The College of Pathologists, Academy
of Medicine of Malaysia, College of Radiology, Academy of Medicine of Malaysia,
Elsevier, Hong Kong Medical Journal, Medical Journal of Australia, Medical
Journal of Malaysia, Singapore Medical Journal, Taylor and Francis, and Thomson
Scientific.
We are indeed witnessing a very exciting phase in biomedical
journal publishing.
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Graham P. Preserving the intellectual record and the electronic environment. Martin RS, ed. Scholarly communication in an electronic environment: issues for research libraries. Chicago, IL: American Library Association, 1993:71-101.
Received 26 August 2006; received in revised form 7 November 2006; accepted 8 November 2006
Correspondence: Department of Biomedical Imaging,
Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya,
50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel.: +603-79492069; Fax.:
+603-79581973; E-mail: basrij@um.edu.my
(Basri J.J. Abdullah).
Please cite as: Abdullah BJJ, Ng KH,
Exploring new vistas in biomedical journal publishing, Biomed Imaging Interv J 2006; 2(4):e51
<URL: http://www.biij.org/2006/4/e51/>
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