From the Editor’s corner: A mid‐year update

Abstract

In the first issue of the Journal for 2007 I outlined some of the changes that the editors had planned for the Journal. The major change of course has been the introduction of the online submission system using Manuscript Central. All of the business of the Journal – submissions, reviews, editorial decisions, letters to authors – is now online. There was a surprisingly small number of teething problems, and these were minor and quickly addressed. Overall we believe that this has created a far more efficient process for the Journal. In addition we published statistics including average time from submission to first decision and time from acceptance to publication; we will continue to publish details of internal journal processes. We changed the layout of the Journal, introduced Online Early, and began offering an English editing service to authors to whom plain English was not the primary language. One of the major changes that the editors have mooted is the increased emphasis on continuing education. In the survey that the Journal undertook in July 2005, one of the constant themes articulated by respondents was that they saw the Journal as an important source of continuing education. With this in mind, the editors have initiated discussions with the Paediatrics and Child Health Division of the College about a much more proactive, comprehensive and integrated effort in continuing education. Involved in this discussion will be the chair of the Paediatric Scientific Program committee, the Director and Dean of Education at the RACP and Journal editors. Your responses to the survey will inform these discussions. I do not want to pre-empt what the outcome of these discussions will be, but readers of the Journal can look forward to a significantly expanded continuing education section, focusing especially on issues of interest and relevance to practising paediatricians. With this issue we have introduced a new section called ‘Clinical Perspectives’. The first paper in this new section provides important information about rotavirus vaccines. In the future, readers can expect to see this section expanded significantly to cover topics that will inform the practice of paediatrics. As always, we welcome your feedback and suggestions for how to make the journal interesting and relevant to your needs.