Response to Guest Editorial (“Veterinary Pathology Under the Microscope: Planning for the Future”)

Abstract

Several interesting and important issues were raised in a recent editorial published in Veterinary Pathology regarding possible future directions and emphases of the ACVP/ECVP/JCVP’s official publication. One of the principal reasons for publishing Veterinary Pathology, as outlined in that editorial, is its indispensible role in disseminating scientific information that is relevant to the field of veterinary pathology and to practicing veterinary pathologists, veterinary pathologists in training, and nonpathologists alike. I applaud the establishment of a Strategic Planning Task Force that will produce a plan designed to ensure the continued success of the journal in what promises to be a challenging future in the world of scientific publications. The wide range of interests and needs of ACVP/ECVP/ JCVP members makes this a daunting task and one that will have a large impact on the future of our specialty. Perhaps the primary consideration is that as the official publication of the ACVP/ECVP/JCVP, Veterinary Pathology affects the image and prestige of our profession/specialty. Fairly or not, the inordinately weak impact factor of the journal probably does not influence perceptions of our specialty in a positive way. At the very least, on the basis of personal experiences with coauthors, I can attest that a weak impact factor does not encourage submission of some potentially important papers to Veterinary Pathology. In this regard, the large improvement in the journal’s impact factor in the past year reflects well on the concerted efforts of the journal editors to improve the quality of papers accepted for publication. As the editors continue this effort and if ACVP/ECVP/JCVP members will increase their support of the journal by submitting more of their best work for publication, it is very likely that a ‘‘virtuous cycle’’ can be established in which researchers are incentivized to submit their probable ‘‘high impact’’ papers to a journal having a higher impact factor. One of the challenges facing the Strategic Planning Task Force will be to figure out how to publish a journal with global importance that still provides real value to its supporting members. I believe that it is possible to reconcile the seemingly conflicting requirements to provide useful information for ACVP/ECVP/JCVP members having a wide range of professional interests and job requirements while simultaneously raising the profile of veterinary pathology and veterinary pathologists in the global biomedical research community. I believe that this is an achievable goal, but some changes will be necessary. The strategic plan must continue to recognize and address the especially critical role that the journal plays in the training and continuing education of veterinary pathologists. Veterinary Pathology is one of the few existing venues in which detailed descriptive reports that focus on the pathology and/or pathogenesis of disease in animals can be published. Although veterinary pathologists often make valuable contributions to studies published in many different top-tier journals, the pathology itself is often shortchanged in those reports. The strict space constraints in many journals too often result in severely condensed pathology descriptions, generally accompanied by postage stamp–sized images that function more as colorful decorations felt necessary for a ‘‘real science’’ paper. In contrast, because Veterinary Pathology is published by organizations and editors that understand and appreciate the value of pathology, papers can include detailed morphologic descriptions of lesions, as well as high-quality images large enough to actually convey useful information. Following are some specific suggestions to consider in mapping a strategy to increase the impact factor of Veterinary Pathology, without negating the distinct services it provides to our profession.