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Journal of Critical Care: September 2009
Journal of Critical Care (2009) 24, 317
Introduction
Journal of Critical Care: September 2009 Electronic publication This edition of Journal of Critical Care (JCC, or Journal) introduces a new approach to improving access and increasing timeliness from manuscript submission to review, acceptance, and publication. Subscribers will recognize that they have been able to view articles before Journal (paper) publication electronically, and authors understand that the articles in “electronic press” are fully citable and have been recognized in PubMed. In some cases, this method has been preferred for articles with a significant number of tables and/or complicated graphs associated with the full text, but this has been a restricted number. The Journal understands the academic requirement for a full citation, and to accommodate the increasing number of excellent articles and to create a forum for our associated scientific societies, the Journal will begin full electronic publication of selected articles in this issue. Electronic articles will be identified in a special section in the table of contents in which the title page, abstract, and full author identifiers will be published; this will be apparent in September's issue in which we are featuring the Abstracts from the Dubai Meeting of the Pan Arab Intensive Care Society (please note Dr Shukri's introduction), the Abstracts for the Society for Complexity in Acute Illness (SCAI) 8th International Conference on Complexity in Acute Illness (ICCAI), and a number of articles of significant interest to critical care practitioners. The questions “why electronic?” and “what are its advantages?” must be addressed. The Journal is the official publication representative of the World Federation of Societies of Intensive and Critical Care Medicine and the Society for Complexity in Acute Illness and as such is committed to creating themed issues that address the core missions of these organizations. The most highly cited articles for the past 5 years support this approach and relate to standards, outcomes, and the development of safe practices. The Journal notes and supports an increasingly international submission base and wishes to promote scientific global interest and approaches to the care of the critically ill. The September issue provides a good example of selection bias; it is arguable that the articles selected for the electronic section could be further delayed because of their “stand alone” nature and/or the fact 0883-9441/$ – see front matter © 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.jcrc.2009.06.045
that a previous issue of the Journal addressed the theme to which an important manuscript relates. It would be inappropriate to delay publication of these manuscripts, but the Journal's production schedule extends into the future and attempts to accommodate and print articles within 6 months of acceptance. Hence, the move to the electronic medium, which should enable increased access and portability, insure a highquality citation, and attract an increasing number of authors who recognize the unique characteristics of the JCC. The Journal encourages other submissions, and in September, an interesting editorial opines that critical care medicine is neither art nor science. One of the major requirements of a publication is to be relevant to its constituents, and I encourage replies and additional commentary to the articles published. Indeed, in many cases, JCC is breaking with publication tradition by highlighting unique aspects of clinical practice that although regionally unique, nonetheless may teach important lessons to developed and arguably more sophisticated areas. Opinion pieces are valuable in this context, and in the next few months, we shall be presenting a number of important review articles that address unique situations and environments. The Journal is expanding its content to include prize winning abstracts from the traditional Anesthesiology Resident Conferences, and the Western Anesthesia Resident Conference abstracts will be featured in the March 2010 issue. Further contributions in this area are anticipated in future issues. Ideas for future innovation and publication schedules are encouraged, and the Journal looks forward to serving the sophisticated, system-based, clinically oriented, outcome-driven, and multidisciplinary critical care community in an effective, innovative, and supportive manner. Your critical (and supportive) comments and suggestions are welcome and encouraged. Philip D. Lumb MB, BS, FCCM Department of Anesthesiology Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA E-mail address: [email protected]
Introduction
Journal of Critical Care: September 2009 Electronic publication This edition of Journal of Critical Care (JCC, or Journal) introduces a new approach to improving access and increasing timeliness from manuscript submission to review, acceptance, and publication. Subscribers will recognize that they have been able to view articles before Journal (paper) publication electronically, and authors understand that the articles in “electronic press” are fully citable and have been recognized in PubMed. In some cases, this method has been preferred for articles with a significant number of tables and/or complicated graphs associated with the full text, but this has been a restricted number. The Journal understands the academic requirement for a full citation, and to accommodate the increasing number of excellent articles and to create a forum for our associated scientific societies, the Journal will begin full electronic publication of selected articles in this issue. Electronic articles will be identified in a special section in the table of contents in which the title page, abstract, and full author identifiers will be published; this will be apparent in September's issue in which we are featuring the Abstracts from the Dubai Meeting of the Pan Arab Intensive Care Society (please note Dr Shukri's introduction), the Abstracts for the Society for Complexity in Acute Illness (SCAI) 8th International Conference on Complexity in Acute Illness (ICCAI), and a number of articles of significant interest to critical care practitioners. The questions “why electronic?” and “what are its advantages?” must be addressed. The Journal is the official publication representative of the World Federation of Societies of Intensive and Critical Care Medicine and the Society for Complexity in Acute Illness and as such is committed to creating themed issues that address the core missions of these organizations. The most highly cited articles for the past 5 years support this approach and relate to standards, outcomes, and the development of safe practices. The Journal notes and supports an increasingly international submission base and wishes to promote scientific global interest and approaches to the care of the critically ill. The September issue provides a good example of selection bias; it is arguable that the articles selected for the electronic section could be further delayed because of their “stand alone” nature and/or the fact 0883-9441/$ – see front matter © 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.jcrc.2009.06.045
that a previous issue of the Journal addressed the theme to which an important manuscript relates. It would be inappropriate to delay publication of these manuscripts, but the Journal's production schedule extends into the future and attempts to accommodate and print articles within 6 months of acceptance. Hence, the move to the electronic medium, which should enable increased access and portability, insure a highquality citation, and attract an increasing number of authors who recognize the unique characteristics of the JCC. The Journal encourages other submissions, and in September, an interesting editorial opines that critical care medicine is neither art nor science. One of the major requirements of a publication is to be relevant to its constituents, and I encourage replies and additional commentary to the articles published. Indeed, in many cases, JCC is breaking with publication tradition by highlighting unique aspects of clinical practice that although regionally unique, nonetheless may teach important lessons to developed and arguably more sophisticated areas. Opinion pieces are valuable in this context, and in the next few months, we shall be presenting a number of important review articles that address unique situations and environments. The Journal is expanding its content to include prize winning abstracts from the traditional Anesthesiology Resident Conferences, and the Western Anesthesia Resident Conference abstracts will be featured in the March 2010 issue. Further contributions in this area are anticipated in future issues. Ideas for future innovation and publication schedules are encouraged, and the Journal looks forward to serving the sophisticated, system-based, clinically oriented, outcome-driven, and multidisciplinary critical care community in an effective, innovative, and supportive manner. Your critical (and supportive) comments and suggestions are welcome and encouraged. Philip D. Lumb MB, BS, FCCM Department of Anesthesiology Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA E-mail address: [email protected]