Excellence in publishing: the Wuehrmann prize

Abstract

The American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology (AAOMR) established “The Wuehrmann Prize” for the best radiology journal article of the year in 1995. The Award is named after Dr. Arthur H. Wuehrmann, a Distinguished Life Member of the Academy. Since then, eight published articles have been selected. The purpose of the award is to recognize excellence in publishing, which happens to be the motto of our publisher, Mosby Inc. The winning papers have been: White SC, Sapp JP, Seto BG, Mankovich NJ. Absence of radiometric differentiation between periapical cysts and granulomas. OOOOE 1994;78:650-4. Callender KI, Brooks SL. Usefullness of tomography in the evaluation of patients with temporomandibular joint disorders: a retrospective study. OOOOE 1996;81(6):710-9. Brooks SL, Brand JW, Gibbs SJ, Hollander L, Lurie AG, Omnell KA, Westessen PL, White SC. Imaging of the temporomandular joint: a position paper of the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology. OOOOE 1997;83(5):609-18. Christgau M, Hiller KA, Schmalz G, Kolbeck C, Wenzel A. Accuracy of quantitative digital subtraction radiography for determining changes in calcium mass in mandibular bone: an in vitro study. Journal of Periodontology Research. 1998;33(3):138-49. Bohay RN, Stephens RG, Kogan SL. A study of the impact of screening or selective radiography in the treatment and postdelivery outcome in edentulous patients. OOOOE 1998;86(3):353-9. White SC, Pullinger AG. Impact of TMJ radiographs on clinician decision making. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod. 1995;79:375-81. Liang H, Tyndall DA, Ludlow JB, Liang LA, Nunn NE. Accuracy of mandibular cross-sectional imaging with tuned-aperture computed tomography (TACT), iteratively reconstructed TACT, and multidirectional, linear, and transverse panoramic radiography. OOOOE 2001;91(5):594-602. Rushton VE, Lorner K, Worthington HU. Routine panoramic radiography of new adult patients in general dental practice: relevance of diagnostic yield to treatment and identification of radiographic selection criteria. OOOOE 2002;93(4):488-95. The Wuehrmann Prize is given to a paper published in OOOOE between July of the previous year and June of the year the prize is to be given. Papers eligible for the prize are those that present basic/clinical/epidemiological/survey research of relevance to OMFR that adheres to the principles of the scientific method. Position papers, case reports, and review articles are not considered for the Prize. Papers are judged based upon: (a) relevance to OMFR, (b) originality of research objectives and/or ideas presented, (c) innovativeness of study design (novelness of approaches/concepts), (d) appropriateness of epidemiological/statistical methods, and (e) clearness of presentation. The Awards Committee selects a Wuehrmann Prize Subcommittee, consisting of the Journal Section Editor as chair and 4 members of the Editorial Board, with a rotating membership. The Editor identifies approximately 7-10 notable articles meeting the criteria and provides the subcommittee with a list of these candidates within 2 weeks after publication of the June issue of OOOOE. Prior to this, subcommittee members may submit to the Editor titles of papers for consideration. The number of articles selected by the Editor for submission to the subcommittee is up to the discretion of the Editor. Each subcommittee member reads the candidate papers and ranks the top 5, sending the results to the Editor within one month. The Editor tallies the votes and notifies the Executive Secretary so the appropriate plaque can be made in time for the annual meeting. If there is not a clear winner after the first ballot, the subcommittee reaches consensus via e-mail and/or telephone discussion. Scanning the titles of the Prize winners reveals an interesting diversity of topics. New applications of technology, radiographic selection criteria, dental and jaw pathology, and an AAOMR position paper are included. Recognition of excellence in publishing should be a stimulating factor in the continuous improvement of the quality of articles in the Journal, and it is hoped that this Prize will result in that goal.