Search for a New Editor

Abstract

Theresa C. McLoud, MD, Chairman, RSNA Board of Directors In 1998, the 75th year of its publication, the RSNA Journal Radiology welcomed a new editor, Anthony V. Proto, MD. Only the sixth in a line of distinguished editors, Dr Proto promised to devote his energies “to maintain the preeminent status of Radiology among imaging publications worldwide.” Eight years and 96 issues of the journal later, it is abundantly clear that Dr Proto has more than made good on his pledge: The reputation of Radiology as the premier diagnostic imaging journal has grown under his editorship. Now, having brought Radiology to a new level for authors and readers, Dr Proto has announced that he will retire from the editorship in December 2007. With Dr Proto at the helm, both the quality and the peer review process of Radiology have improved. While the increased quality of the articles is certainly the result of the authors’ work, credit is also due to Dr Proto’s efforts to strengthen the scientific rigor of research published in Radiology through statistical review and criteria for authorship. The impact factor, an internationally recognized metric for journal quality, of Radiology is at an all-time high of 5.08—the highest among diagnostic imaging journals. Recognizing the journal’s quality, the majority of authors have indicated that Radiology is their first choice for submitting their best work. Indeed, submissions of original research articles have increased in the past 8 years. While the publication of the most advanced original scientific research in radiology has flourished under Dr Proto’s editorship, the publication of practical, clinical review material has also been enhanced in the past 8 years. In this vein, he has continued the series of popular State of the Art articles begun under his predecessor, Dr Stanley Siegelman. He has added to this Special Reviews, What the Clinician Wants to Know, Viewpoint, and Signs in Imaging, and further engaged readers with Diagnosis Please, a “quiz” feature popular with individual readers and groups of residents. From the outset, Dr Proto was determined to improve the peer review process for manuscripts submitted to Radiology. Endeavoring to make the process as free of bias as possible, in 1998 he inaugurated the use of a computer system for matching article content with reviewer expertise. He devoted considerable efforts to decreasing the time for peer review, reducing the “time to decision” to a new low of 35 days. To make it easier for all authors, but especially for our colleagues overseas, to submit and track the progress of their manuscripts, Dr Proto began using an Internet-based system for manuscript submission and peer review in 2002. And, to further shorten the time to publication, he took advantage of online publishing to introduce the process of Continuous Publishing—online publication of the final version of articles as much as 7 weeks ahead of the print version. To benefit the reviewers on whom so much of the peer review process depends, Dr Proto secured for Radiology reviewers the ability to earn category 1 continuing medical education credit for reviewing. Dr Proto believes the time is now right for a new editor, building on the work of those who have gone before, to take the premier journal of the international radiology community to new heights and, in so doing, to advance the science of our specialty. The following summarizes the position description for the editor of Radiology: The editor is responsible for encouraging submissions of scientific manuscripts to the Journal, for setting high standards for scientific integrity, for developing guidelines and mechanisms for Published online 10.1148/radiol.2381052554