Editors' Report

Abstract

We thank the authors who submitted manuscripts to JAGS in 1995 and thank JAGS' peer reviewers for their part in sustaining both the quality and the timeliness of articles published. We wish to provide you with specific information about JAGS'review process and outcomes for manuscripts submitted. During the first 11 months of 1995, compared with the same period in 1994, there was an increase of approximately 5% in the number of manuscripts submitted to JAGS for review. Nonetheless, our turnaround times for rejection or publication were unchanged from 1994. Forty-five percent of manuscripts submitted in 1995 had only internal editorial review, which nevertheless involved at least two editors. Eighty percent of these manuscripts were rejected, usually within 2 weeks of receipt, and 15%—chiefly solicited editorials—were accepted. These are the same rates observed in 1994 and continue our policy of responding quickly to authors of those manuscripts that had no chance of timely publication, reserving external review for manuscripts more likely to be publishable in the near term. The acceptance rate for all submitted manuscripts is currently 30%, and for those manuscripts that are sent for external review, the acceptance rate is currently at 51%. Our 1995 processing times for manuscripts subject to external review were similar to those observed in 1994: an average of 3 weeks from original receipt of a manuscript to the time it was sent out to at least two reviewers, and another 7 weeks elapsed before the return of all initial reviews. Almost half of all externally reviewed manuscripts were rejected for publication, with approximately 3 months the average time to rejection of externally reviewed manuscripts. Externally reviewed manuscripts accepted for publication had usually undergone at least one revision and resubmission, so most published manuscripts were accepted between 4 and 6 months after their original receipt. Accepted manuscripts were published an average of 4 months after final acceptance. As with all such compilations, these averages include a few accepted manuscripts published more than 10 months after their original receipt, usually because of delays in the revision and resubmission process. In 1995, as in 1994, JAGS' readers witnessed evolving processes of change within and among the Journal's various sections: Clinical Investigation, Clinical Experience, Brief Reports, Progress in Geriatrics, Geriatrics Bioscience, Ethics and Humanities, Public Policy, Special Articles, Editorials, Abstracts, Book Reviews, and Letters to the Editor. Some sections were much changed, others changed very little, but in all we have sought to be responsive to new developments and interests in geriatric care, within the constraints of manuscripts submitted for review. We take this opportunity to solicit your evaluations and advice about these established JAGS sections, as well as your recommendations for development of future sections.