Editor's Note

Abstract

It is my pleasure once again to be able to present an exciting issue of Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology (UOG) to mark the start of a new year. Leading the issue is an insightful and balanced Editorial1 by the Founding Editor, Stuart Campbell. In this article, Professor Campbell convincingly challenges the conventional doctrine, which is supported by various international Colleges, that avoids ultrasound screening and surgical intervention for fetal macrosomia. Other highlights of the issue include a meta-analysis by Khalil et al.2, which demonstrates the unexpected burden of neurodevelopmental delay in children born with major congenital cardiac defects, and another by Martins et al.3, analyzing only randomized controlled trials, which reports that ultrasound monitoring alone for controlled ovarian stimulation is as effective as using ultrasound with serial hormone assessment. This time last year we set ourselves the challenging task of improving the academic quality of the Journal and, as a reflection of this goal, I am delighted to announce that we have managed to increase the Impact Factor (IF) of UOG to 3.557 – the highest in the history of the Journal. This would not have been possible without the hard work, dedication and determination of our reviewers, editors and editorial staff. UOG is now ranked eighth out of 78 reproductive health journals, with an IF that is practically indistinguishable from those of the British and American Journals of Obstetrics and Gyn(a)ecology, which have a much wider spectrum of subjects to cover. Last year we also announced a focus on promoting the submission and publication of articles relating to non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) and array comparative genomic hybridization (CGH). This initiative appears to be gathering momentum, as anticipated from a technology that is expected to result in a paradigm shift in the care provided in early pregnancy. Articles on NIPT and array CGH accounted for about 10% of those published in 2013 and were amongst the most downloaded and cited4-8. In view of this success, UOG will continue to make every effort to attract and publish work on these topics for the benefit of our readers. Their inclusion has not been at the expense of other clinically relevant topics, with articles on soft-marker screening for Down syndrome, prevention of adverse perinatal outcome using low-dose aspirin and a summary of the International Ovarian Tumor Analysis (IOTA) studies also being downloaded over 3000 times each since publication9-11. It therefore seems that not only is UOG achieving academic success with an increasing IF, but also that it is having a valuable clinical impact; this is evidenced by the magnitude of downloads of articles with practice-changing messages as well as those of clinical guidelines12, 13. With this in mind, it is reassuring to note that the seminal series of articles published in 2011 on the topic of accurate diagnosis of miscarriage continues to have a significant influence on both national guidelines and consensus statements14, 15. The Journal issues have continued to include our new article types: Referee Commentaries, to add context and counterpoint to selected papers, and ‘How To’ articles on fundamental imaging techniques. Feedback received on Referee Commentaries has been positive, so it is my intention to continue their publication for the foreseeable future. The ‘How To’ format has also had its successes16, but, as for all recent initiatives, I would value your comments to help determine whether this type of Journal output should be maintained. Looking to the future, we aim to keep the Journal focused on current topics of research and debate, to continue to provide a fast and effective editorial service and to remain responsive to authors and accessible to readers. I am confident that, with the support of my fellow editors and the office staff, UOG will continue to improve and progress and to provide a home for ground-breaking publications in our field. I would like to thank you, as readers and authors, for your continued loyalty to the Journal.