The impact of 2011!

Abstract

The most significant achievement for the journal this yearwas to be awarded an impact factor. While 0.698 appearsquite modest by comparison with general medical publi-cations, it must be recognized that ‘‘boutique’’ areas suchas forensic pathology and science are considerably disad-vantaged when comparisons occur with areas having muchhigher rates of publication such as medical genetics andoncology. The most appropriate way to assess the level ofthe journal, therefore, would be to compare it to others inthe field where we find that not all internationally distrib-uted forensic journals actually have impact factors, andthose that do range from 0.29 to 2.9. Forensic ScienceMedicine and Pathology on its first listing has thereforebeen ranked ahead of journals that have been in the field formany years which is an excellent beginning, and should bea signal to authors who are considering submitting papersthat the journal has a solid scientific reputation. The journalis also listed on PubMed, Scopus and Web of Sciencedatabases.The purpose of this editorial is to both review the typesof papers that have been published over the preceding yearand to provide readers with an overview of selected sub-missions for 2011. The journal received a number of veryhigh quality Review and Continuing Medical Educationpapers that dealt with a range of topics including geneticpredisposition to sudden infant death syndrome [1], theradiological evaluation of suspected child abuse [2], theanalysis of blood stain patterns [3], and on the applicationand limitations of forensic entomology [4]. Original paperscovered areas such as enzyme measurements to assessmuscle damage from electronic control devices [5], the roleof the forensic autopsy in evaluating complications ofcoronary artery bypass grafting [6], the possible role ofspectrophotometry in assessing the age of bruises [7], andan analysis of bone injuries produced by low velocityballistic impact [8]. The possibility of a link betweentraumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage and segmental medi-olytic areteriopathy associated with point mutations in thetype 3 procollagen gene (COL3A1) was raised in anintriguing series of four cases from Canada [9]. A casereport on myocardial bridging included a literature reviewon this somewhat controversial entity [10]. The latterpapers underscore the importance of simple observationalcase studies in our discipline [11].Imaging papers had a diverse focus with computedtomography being used as a method of assessing maturitythrough imaging of the medial clavicular epiphysis [12],contrasting with the demonstration of postmortem skeletalfindings in cases of intraoral gunshot [13]. The role ofpostmortem angiography was also reviewed [14]. Post-mortem and disaster victim identification were includedthis year with an analysis of the use of permanent maxillarymolar cusp areas in sex determination [15] and in a com-parison of various methods for age determination in childvictims of the South East Asian tsunami [16]. Geneticpolymorphisms on the Y chromosome in a central Croatianpopulation were also reported [17].Pediatric forensic pathology had a number of contribu-tions,beginningwithananalysisofsuddenunexpecteddeathinSouthAfricafromPrinslooetal.[18]andincludingastudyon the possible role of staphylococcal toxins in unexpectedinfant death [19]. Sudden unexpected death in children withepilepsy was reviewed [20] and an unusual finger print pat-tern was reported in children with acute lymphoblastic