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EDITORIAL |
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Contributing Editor Asian Cardiovascular & Thoracic Annals |
What to Expect from Editors
Authors should expect prompt acknowledgment of the arrival of their paper at the Manuscript Office. If an acknowledgment is not received, the journal should be contacted to check whether the paper has gone astray. The manuscript is reviewed by selected editors and referees who advise on the content and structure, the author is informed whether the paper can be published, and the comments of the reviewers and editors are forwarded when changes are required. This process should take no more than 3 months but if authors are concerned about the delay, they are very welcome to inquire about the progress of their paper. Authors should definitely contact the journal if information on the status of the paper has not been received within 6 months of submission.
It has been stated that "the fundamental task of a manuscript reviewer (and editor) is to detect and describe flaws".1 However, it should be kept in mind that the comments of reviewers and editors are intended to improve the paper. Often pressed for time, the editors may not always phrase their criticisms in the kindest terms but they do not intend to sound harsh. To avoid bias, the names of authors and their institution are masked in copies of the manuscript sent to referees, so criticisms should not be taken personally. All authors will have papers rejected occasionally and this is often due not to poor writing but rather to choosing the wrong journal or the wrong time. However, there is no doubt that experience in writing and knowledge of what is expected by editors can improve the chances of a paper being accepted.
What is Expected by Editors
There are several guidebooks on writing medical papers as well as some good advice on the internet; check out Science.Komm (www.sciencekomm.at) for links. An excellent brief guide is available from Harvard Medical School.2 Editors expect authors to consult the journal's guidelines. The Asian Annals includes Information for Authors in every issue. As this is updated from time to time, the most recent issue of the journal should be consulted. This information is also available on the journal's Website (www.asianannals.com.sg). The instructions for submission are based mainly on the requirements drawn up by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, which are available in print as well as on the internet (www.acponline.org).3 Compliance with the journal's guidelines will definitely speed up the publication process and help to produce a well-structured paper. It will also make the editors very happy.
Papers must be clear, concise, correct, and complete before publication. While the structure of a paper is important in making it clear for the reader, the essential points must be described sufficiently to be understood initially by the reviewers and editors. Although poor English is not a criterion for rejection by this journal, delays are inevitable if the meaning is unclear. Repetition and digression should be avoided at the outset because a reduction in length will be required before the paper can be accepted. The accuracy of data is the authors' responsibility although the editors check calculations where possible. Details such as units, dosages, manufacturers' addresses, and reference citations should be correct and complete to avoid delays in answering queries. Good advice is to set the paper aside for a week and then try to read it as a reviewer might. Such an imposed delay can help the author to assess the paper more objectively.
How to Avoid Delays
If one or more of the reviewers is unable to assess the paper within the specified time, additional reviewers must be enlisted. This is a major source of delay in processing manuscripts, but unavoidable. In spite of all the problems associated with the peer review system, it is still the best method of quality control for scientific papers published in conventional paper journals.1,4 As well as the need for extensive revision, inadequate revision is another cause of delay; this is usually avoidable. If authors disagree with a recommendation for revision, it is better to explain the reason than to ignore the comment. In the event of a delay in returning the manuscript, keeping the journal informed of the progress of revision is necessary to avoid withdrawal of the paper by editors who might assume that the authors are "lost to follow-up". An electronic copy of the revised manuscript will definitely help to speed up the final preparation stage and avoid errors incurred in re-keying or scanning the text into an electronic format for publication.
The most common problem encountered in papers submitted to the Asian Annals is an unsuitable abstract. The abstract (and perhaps also the title) should always be written last. It is the most important part of the paper because it is the most read section.5 The abstract should give the key points of what was done, how it was done, the results and what they mean. This must be achieved within a limit of 200 words (with no abbreviations) for full papers, so it is even more important to be clear, concise, correct, and complete in this section. The abstract should not be regarded as an introduction to the main body of the paper, it is intended to stand alone. Dis-crepancies between facts and figures in the abstract and the rest of the text give a poor impression of the authors' work and cause delays due to queries. However, the editors are always happy to provide help with this difficult section.
The next most common problem is unexplained abbrevia-tions. It is essential in an international journal that all abbreviations are fully explained, particularly as many of the frequently used abbreviations in cardiovascular and thoracic medicine have more than one meaning. It should not be left to the editors (or readers) to work out whether the authors' "AV" means atrioventricular, arteriovenous, aortic valve, or maybe a different term used locally. Other frequently encountered problems include incomplete authors' names and failure to identify (by underlining) the part of the name that should be used for indexing or references. Because of the diversity of script and styles of Asian names, it is often unclear how a name should be shortened for an index of authors or citation in subsequent papers and databases.6 There have even been several instances of an author's name spelt differently to that in a previous paper. There is sometimes confusion over the name of the institute that appears below the authors' names; this should be where the work was carried out, not the affiliation of the authors.
Because editors are not experts in every area of cardiothoracic medicine, it is very important that authors check the proofs carefully line by line and correct any errors, particularly in units, specialized terms, and notation, as these are most likely to be missed by the editors. Checking the proofs should not be viewed as an opportunity to rewrite large sections, only real mistakes should be marked as it takes quite a while to insert corrections at this stage and major changes may result in the paper being held back for a later issue.
The aim of the Asian Annals is to provide a forum in which cardiologists and cardiovascular and thoracic surgeons from all 49 countries in Asia as well as the Pacific rim can share their experiences and knowledge.7 Contributions from other parts of the world, which are of interest to Asian readers are also welcomed. The political, economic, environmental, historical, cultural, and racial differences across this vast continent are reflected in the variety of healthcare problems encountered. The editors are committed to the need to "publish wisely" and with due regard to the heterogeneity of this region.8 The high quality of the manuscripts submitted, the cooperation of the authors, and the care and consideration of the many guest reviewers who give their time so generously, are greatly appreciated by the editors.
References
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