Editorial.

Abstract

The year 2022 has been busy for the Editorial Office, with just under 600 submissions. This number has remained steady over the past 3 years, representing a 50% increase compared with the 2017–2019 period. We believe that a consistent increase in the number of submissions reflects better visibility of the International Journal of Rehabilitation Research (IJRR) and higher quality of published articles. The Impact Factor for 2021 has increased by nearly a half-point to 1.832, placing IJRR in the middle tercile among all rehabilitation journals. Since these metrics are but one of many ways of appraising the journal, we remain focused on providing readers with content that is not only novel but, more importantly, relevant and easy to translate to rehabilitation practice. With the increase in the number of submissions, the Editor-in-Chief needed additional help for which the Senior Editor, Dobrivoje Stokic, has been promoted to Co-Editor. To fill the void, Antonio Caronni, a member of the Editorial Board, has accepted the position of Associate Editor. We look forward to working closely with Antonio who brings a wealth of research and clinical experience to the Editorial Office. Going forward, we anticipate the need for even greater assistance from Associate Editors in all phases of the review process. While the Editors have carefully considered all submissions, unfortunately, many had to be returned only after a preliminary review. This decision is a combination of space limitations since only four printed issues are published annually, the study topic being inconsistent with the journal scope, and lower than expected quality of the work. In the latter case, we have made every attempt to provide authors with brief comments that explain the main reasons for the negative decision. Although this required extra effort, we feel that open and proactive communication is important to keep the focus on the submitted article and offer some guidance to the authors. The articles that went out for a peer review have been assessed diligently by our devoted reviewers whose recommendations and volunteered time we value greatly. Given the broad scope of the journal and the need for different perspectives, we are always looking for new reviewers. Therefore, we take this opportunity to invite those interested in becoming reviewers to contact the Editorial Office. Although we do not have firm criteria when considering candidates, we expect that a prospective reviewer has published at least a few articles as the first author. Sending a curriculum vitae to the Editorial Office is the first recommended step. If deemed necessary, we will also point out several resources that can be consulted to appreciate our expectations from the reviewers. We understand that becoming a skilled reviewer takes time and will be available to help every step of the way. We also want to express our deepest gratitude to all members of the Editorial Board who will rotate from their positions in the year 2023. Through many years of dedicated service, they have set the journal on the path of success that otherwise would not be possible. When considering candidates for the vacated positions, we will be looking for a greater representation from different parts of the world, consistent with the journal’s mission. We will also seek professionals with diverse yet proven expertise in rehabilitation research and practice. In 2022, we have had close interactions with the leadership of the European Forum for Research in Rehabilitation, which adopted IJRR as its official journal many years ago. This led to two new initiatives. First, we started the Editor’s Choice, a new section in the online version of the journal to recognize the best original article published in each issue. The featured article is prominently displayed on the journal homepage (https://journals.lww.com/intjrehabilres/pages/default.aspx), and the full text is freely available thanks to our publisher Wolters Kluwer represented by Phillip Daly. Second, the European Forum for Research in Rehabilitation began an online seminar series that is free to the members (to become a member, please visit https://www.efrr.org/). The invited speakers among others are also the authors of the Editor’s Choice. In this inaugural year, the Editor’s Choice articles were from Slovenia, Italy, Brazil, and the USA: • March: Rehabilitation of COVID-19 patients with respiratory failure and critical illness disease in Slovenia: an observational study [1] • June: Is robot-assisted gait training intensity a determinant of functional recovery early after stroke? A pragmatic observational study of clinical care [2] • September: Constraint-induced movement therapy for lower extremity use in activities of daily living in people with chronic hemiparesis: multiple case study [3] • December: Cognitive impairment predicts engagement in inpatient stroke rehabilitation [4] On the practical side, we want to remind authors that it is mandatory to complete and submit with the manuscript an appropriate reporting checklist, as stated in the information for authors. Although we have not been strictly enforcing this rule, we plan to do so soon. The reasons are simple. On the one hand, the guidelines and checklist help make sure that all necessary study elements are included in the text. On the other hand, they guide reviewers when assessing whether all study elements were adequately addressed and reported in the appropriate places. This should not be considered a burden or formality but a self-review. And the best way to do it is to ask coauthors to follow the checklist and verify that the manuscript is structured appropriately and the content is exhaustive. No matter how experienced or productive the authors seem to be, we have witnessed many submissions with insufficient attention to detail. Combined with other concerns, this often leaves the impression that the revision is unlikely to be successful and leads to rejection. Thus, we strongly encourage the authors to cross-reference the content against the recommended checklist in the final stages of manuscript preparation. In closing, we wish everyone a happy and prosperous 2023 and we look forward to receiving your submissions. On behalf of the Editorial Office, Črt Marinček and Dobrivoje S. Stokic Acknowledgements Conflicts of interest There are no conflicts of interest.