Timeliness Of Publication Research Articles

Social networking as a communication tool for public transport companies in voivodship cities

Purpose: The aim of this article is to present the changes in the use and basic advantages of social networks in the communication of public transport companies in voivodship cities. Design/methodology/approach: The study carried out consisted of analysing the content of the official websites belonging to the selected public transport service companies in order to see how the information on the social networks used (location of plug-ins) is shared, and a review of the active profiles on these sites was carried out to diagnose what content is published. The survey was conducted in October 2023. The results were cross-referenced with the corresponding survey carried out in 2017. Findings: The survey showed that of the 24 companies analysed from 18 cities, 20 use at least one of the social networks. The most common is Facebook - 19 companies have a profile, followed by YouTube - 9, Instagram - 7 and Twitter 5. 2 companies have profiles on 4 sites at the same time, 4 on 3 sites, 11 have 3 official profiles on different social networks, another 7 companies have 2 each and also 7 have one each. In the case of 4 entities, no profiles were found on social networks. The content, frequency and timeliness of publications on the profiles vary. Research limitations/implications: Social networks that were less popular at the time of writing (e.g. TikTok - official profiles were identified in 2 cases among the companies surveyed) were not included in the study. The objectives of the communication strategies of the individual entities are not known. This may be part of further research through in-depth interviews with those responsible for promoting the companies. It may also be possible to extend the research to other operators (e.g. inter-municipal, railway, smaller cities, etc.) and among the target audiences of the communication activities in particular services. Practical implications: On the basis of the author's audit of the communication activities of public transport companies on social networks, this article suggests that the use of social media is an appropriate tactic in the communication of companies (including municipal companies), both in the promotional dimension externally and in communication with citizens - service users, due to the participatory, interactive and open nature of social media. Originality/value: The publication presents the results of research carried out on the basis of the author's audit of the activity of the public transport companies from the voivodship's cities in the social media. Keywords: social media, city marketing, public transport, public transport promotion, marketing communication. Category of the paper: Research paper.

Vet the journal before you submit: turnaround times of journals publishing in zoological medicine and related fields.

Many factors influence selection of a target journal for publishing scientific papers, including "fit" within the journal's scope, acceptance rate, readership, open access options, submission and publication costs, journal quality, and timeliness of publication. Timeliness of publication can be a critical factor affecting career development, but many journals are not transparent about turnaround times. Here we evaluated 49 journals publishing papers in zoological medicine and related fields between 2017 and 2022, and aggregated and examined distributions of turnaround time of journals that publicly provided the requisite data, in order to aid authors in selecting target journals that best meet their needs. Of 49 journals evaluated, 39 provided necessary dates for reconstructing turnaround times. Of these, median times to acceptance ranged from 37 to 338 days, and median times to publication ranged from 41 to 403.5 days. The percentage of papers published in greater than 1 year ("slow") ranged from 0 to 57.1%, while the percentage of papers published in under 6 months ("timely") ranged from 0.8 to 99.8%. Acceptance rates and times to first decision were available for only 22% and 20%, respectively, of journals evaluated. Results may prove useful for authors deciding where to submit their works, depending on how they prioritize the many factors involved.

Influence of SARS-CoV-2 surveillance outputs produced by the UK health security agency (UKHSA) outbreak surveillance team on decision-making by local stakeholders

BackgroundThe UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) COVID-19 Outbreak Surveillance Team (OST) was established in June 2020 to provide Local Authorities (LAs) in England with surveillance intelligence to aid their response to the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic. Reports were produced using standardised metrics in an automated format. Here we evaluate how the SARS-CoV-2 surveillance reports influenced decision making, how resources evolved and how they could be refined to meet the requirements of stakeholders in the future.MethodsPublic health professionals (n = 2,400) involved in the COVID-19 response from the 316 English LAs were invited to take part in an online survey. The questionnaire covered five themes: (i) report use; (ii) influence of surveillance outputs on local intervention strategies; (iii) timeliness; (iv) current and future data requirements; and (v) content development.ResultsOf the 366 respondents to the survey, most worked in public health, data science, epidemiology, or business intelligence. Over 70% of respondents used the LA Report and Regional Situational Awareness Report daily or weekly. The information had been used by 88% to inform decision making within their organisations and 68% considered that intervention strategies had been instituted as a result of these decisions. Examples of changes instigated included targeted communications, pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical interventions, and the timing of interventions. Most responders considered that the surveillance content had reacted well to evolving demands. The majority (89%) said that their information requirements would be met if the surveillance reports were incorporated into the COVID-19 Situational Awareness Explorer Portal. Additional information suggested by stakeholders included vaccination and hospitalisation data as well as information on underlying health conditions, infection during pregnancy, school absence and wastewater testing.ConclusionsThe OST surveillance reports were a valuable information resource used by local stakeholders in their response to the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic. Control measures that affect disease epidemiology and monitoring requirements need to be considered in the continuous maintenance of surveillance outputs. We identified areas for further development and, since the evaluation, information on repeat infections and vaccination data have been included in the surveillance reports. Furthermore, timeliness of publications has been improved by updating the data flow pathways.

Pengaruh Kualitas Auditor, Audit Tenure, Umur Perusahaan Dan Reputasi Kap Terhadap Ketepatan Waktu Publikasi Pada Perusahaan Manufaktur Sektor Pangan Yang Terdaftar Di Bursa Efek Indonesia Tahun 2018-2020

This study aims to determine and analyze the effect of auditor quality, audit tenure, company age and KAP reputation on the timeliness of publication in food sector manufacturing companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in 2018 - 2020. The research approach used is a quantitative approach. The sampling method is purposive sampling, a sample of 17 food manufacturing companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange multiplied by 3 years in the study period. The results of the study using multiple linear regression show that auditor quality, audit tenure, company age and KAP reputation have a significant simultaneous effect on the timeliness of publications in food sector manufacturing companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in 2018-2020. Auditor quality has a significant partial effect on the timeliness of publications in food sector manufacturing companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in 2018-2020. Audit tenure has a significant partial effect on the timeliness of publications in food sector manufacturing companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in 2018-2020. Company age does not partially affect the timeliness of publications in food sector manufacturing companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in 2018-2020. KAP reputation does not partially affect the timeliness of publications in food sector manufacturing companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in 2018-2020.
 Keywords: auditor quality, audit tenure, company age, KAP reputation and timeliness of publication.

Editorial

Welcome to the inaugural issue of the African Journal of Science Technology and Social Sciences: a peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary journal in the field of Science, Technology and Social sciences. Launched by Meru University of Science and Technology, AJSTSS provides a cross-disciplinary and international forum for researchers to disseminate innovative research and practices that preserve the integrity, life-cycle performance, and resilience of new or existing knowledge. The many challenges towards achieving improved publications must be addressed with proactive, holistic, and multidisciplinary approaches. This journal is facilitating an in-depth dialogue and synergistic collaboration between both the academia and industry. We aspire to establish AJSTSS as the flagship journal in the various emerging fields with a focus on creating consistent contributions. All abstracts and manuscripts have gone through a rigorous yet relatively rapid peer-review process, which translates to benefits such as timeliness of publication, widespread dissemination, high visibility, and likelihood of high citations and broader impacts. We are presenting cutting-edge innovations and the latest insights and strive to maintain quality. AJSTSS provides the most complete and reliable source of information on current developments in the field and facilitate peer-to-peer exchange and dialogue beyond the conventional discipline boundaries, leading towards proactive and systematic solutions that enhance reliability. The emphasis is on publishing high-quality articles, including original research papers, research notes, and reviews - all of which contribute to advancing the knowledge base of infrastructure preservation and resilience and bridging the gaps between different disciplines and stakeholders relevant to the development and implementation of best solutions. In this first issue we have published abstracts from the Inaugural Meru University of Science and Technology International Conference Proceedings (MUSTIC 2022). Welcome! From the Editor in ChiefProf. Eric Muchiri (Ph.D.)

Management Reports of Dutch Companies: Their Availability and Compliance with Legal Disclosure Requirements

Unlike the vast majority of the EU member states, the Netherlands incorporated an option provided by the EU Accounting Directive that exempt companies from the obligation to file the management report with the trade register when a copy of it can be obtained from the company upon request. About 60% of the companies use this filing exemption option, but the availability of the management reports of these companies appears to be poor, because they are (very) reluctant to fulfill a request, rejecting it or do not respond to it at all. Therefore, it is interesting to examine whether the choice of how the management report is published, is associated with the level of compliance with disclosure obligations. In order to do that, we create a disclosure score based on the legal disclosure requirements. Multivariate analysis shows that disclosure compliance of management reports that are filed with the trade register is significantly higher than of those not filed but made available by the company. We also find a significant positive relationship between disclosure compliance and the length of management reports. Compliance levels appear not to be significantly associated with the timeliness of publication, company size and the size of the external auditor’s firm. Based on our research findings we advocate the removal of the filing exemption option on management reports.

Pengaruh Profitabilitas dan Solvabilitas pada Ketepatwaktuan Publikasi Laporan Keuangan dengan Ukuran Perusahaan Sebagai Variabel Pemoderasi

This study aims to determine the effect of profitability and solvency on the timeliness of the publication of financial statements, and to determine whether or not the size of the company to moderate the effect of profitability and solvency on the timeliness of the publication of financial statements. Samples in this study were 48 mining company financial statements obtained by non-probability sampling technique with purposive sampling method. The analysis technique used in this research is Moderated Regression Analysis. Based on the results of the analysis it is known that the profitability variable has a positive effect on the timeliness of the publication of financial statements. Whereas solvability does not affect the timeliness of the publication of financial statements. The size of the firm is able to weaken the effect of profitability on timeliness, but can not moderate the effect of solvency on the timeliness of the publication of financial statements.
 Keywords: profitability, solvency, firm size, timeliness of financial report publication.

FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE TIMELINESS OF PUBLICATION OFFINANCIAL STATEMENTS ON BANKING IN INDONESIA

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of financial ratios, firm age, firm size, and auditor's opinion on the timeliness of publication of banking financial statements listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX). The population in this study were 87 banking companies during the period 2010-2012. The number of sample companies in this study is 29 companies. Samples were taken based on purposive sampling method. Data were analyzed using logistic regression technique.The results showed that the variable financial ratios have a significant positive effect on the timeliness of the publication of financial statements. The variable of firm size has significant influence, but has negative direction to the timeliness of publication of financial report, while the variable of firm age and auditor’s opinion does not affect the timeliness of publication of financial report.

How Do Countries' Health Information Systems Perform in Assessing Asylum Seekers' Health Situation? Developing a Health Information Assessment Tool on Asylum Seekers (HIATUS) and Piloting It in Two European Countries.

Background: Accurate data on the health status, health behaviour and access to health care of asylum seekers is essential, but such data is lacking in many European countries. We hence aimed to: (a) develop and pilot-test an instrument that can be used to compare and benchmark the country health information systems (HIS) with respect to the ability to assess the health status and health care situation of asylum seekers and (b) present the results of that pilot for The Netherlands (NL) and Germany (DE). Materials and Methods: Reviewing and adapting existing tools, we developed a Health Information Assessment Tool on Asylum Seekers (HIATUS) with 50 items to assess HIS performance across three dimensions: (1) availability and detail of data across potential data sources; (2) HIS resources and monitoring capacity; (3) general coverage and timeliness of publications on selected indicators. We piloted HIATUS by applying the tool to the HIS in DE and NL. Two raters per country independently assessed the performance of country HIS and the inter-rater reliability was analysed by Pearson’s rho and the intra-class correlation (ICC). We then applied a consensus-based group rating to obtain the final ratings which were transformed into a weighted summary score (range: 0–97). We assessed HIS performance by calculating total and domain-specific HIATUS scores by country as well as absolute and relative gaps in scores within and between countries. Results: In the independent rating, Pearson’s rho was 0.14 (NL) and 0.30 (DE), the ICC yielded an estimated reliability of 0.29 (NL) and 0.83 (DE) respectively. In the final consensus-based rating, the total HIATUS score was 47 in NL and 15 in DE, translating into a relative gap in HIS capacity of 52% (NL) and 85% (DE) respectively. Shortfalls in HIS capacity in both countries relate to the areas of HIS coordination, planning and policies, and to limited coverage of specific indicators such as self-reported health, mental health, socio-economic status and health behaviour. The relative gap in the HIATUS component “data sources and availability” was much higher in Germany (92%) than in NL (28%). Conclusions: The standardised tool (HIATUS) proved useful for assessment of country HIS performance in two countries by consensus-based rating. HIATUS revealed substantial limitations in HIS capacity to assess the health situation of asylum seekers in both countries. The tool allowed for between-country comparisons, revealing that capacities were lower in DE relative to NL. Monitoring and benchmarking gaps in HIS capacity in further European countries can help to strengthen HIS in the future.

Suggestion to include "Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation" in Scopus.

Scopus is the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature, including scientific journals, books, and conference proceedings. Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation has been suggested for inclusion in Scopus. Currently, recent three issues–volume 11, issue 6, volume 12, issue 1, and volume 12, issue 2–of the journal are under review in Scopus. Scopus reviews five broad categories: journal policy with eight evaluation criteria, presentation of content with nine evaluation criteria, citedness with two evaluation criteria, timeliness, distribution with four evaluation criteria, and home page with three evaluation criteria. These categories are scored based on the information provided, scoring basis, and source of score; further, during review, the scores are weighted in terms of the weight of category in percentage and weighted percentile score per category. Each criterion is scored in Scopus’ scoring system. Based on the sum of these scores, Scopus evaluates a journal as one of the following: accepted journal, case of doubt, and rejection. The specific evaluation criteria under the category of journal policy include availability of an abstract in English language, language quality of the abstract, presence of cited references in articles, convincing editorial concept/policy, level of peer review, availability of editorial board, diversity in the provenance of editors, and diversity in the provenance of author. Under presentation of content, the specific evaluation criteria include originality/relevance, methodology, argumentation, conformity with the journal’s statement of aims, conformity with publication ethics, clarity of title, objective, abstract, mean length of articles, quality of language/proof reading, and illustrations/tables. For the category of citedness, both the citedness of journal and citedness of editors are evaluated. The specific evaluation criteria under distribution include major publisher, whether the journal is published by a society and covered in major bibliographic databases, and the number of subscribing libraries (WorldCat). For home page, the content available online, availability of the home page in English language, and quality of the home page are evaluated. The review results will be available presently. We hope that Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation will become the first exercise rehabilitation journal to be indexed in Scopus. Among the aforementioned evaluation criteria, convincing editorial concept/policy, diversity in the provenance of authors, conformity with the journal’s statement of aims, timeliness of publication, and citedness of journal are important in the review of Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation.

Strengthen Your Journal Article

The Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) publishes peer-reviewed journal articles from a wide range of disciplines (Wigington, 2015). Regardless of the disciplinary perspective, there are basic ways to strengthen journal articles. The initial idea for a journal article can arise in a number of ways. Typically, authors are seeking to publish the results of an experimental study, modeling study, or a literature review. A critical first step in converting a journal article idea into a tangible manuscript is to define the objectives and scope of the paper. At this early stage, it is also essential to identify who will be authors of the paper and the role each author will play in the preparation of the manuscript. At a minimum, all authors are expected to make intellectual contributions to the content of the article and to read and approve the final version of the journal article before it is submitted to a journal. Another important step is to identify the journal that is the best outlet for your paper. Journal article manuscripts are commonly returned to the authors without review if the paper does not match the scope of the journal. Wigington (2015) describes the nature of multidisciplinary articles published in JAWRA. Other factors to consider when selecting a journal include the journal's readership, stature, efficiency of the peer-review process, timeliness of publication, and cost. An excellent practice is to begin planning journal articles concurrently with the development of research studies. Although the ultimate audience for a journal article is the readership of a given journal, the initial audience is comprised of a journal's editors and peer reviewers. A major focus of peer reviewers’ evaluation is the quality of the journal article. In general, they are looking to see if the work presented is new and novel and if the research approach, analyses, results, and conclusions are valid. They assess if the text, tables, and figures present the work described in a clear and concise fashion. In addition, reviewers evaluate whether or not literature is appropriately cited and discussed. Well-written, well-organized journal articles make the review process a pleasure for editors and reviewers. Below I offer several practical steps that will strengthen journal articles and improve the likelihood of successful peer review. Cargill and O'Conner (2013) provide a more thorough discussion of how to prepare high quality journal articles and how to navigate the peer review process.

The science studies abstracts journal of the RAS institute of scientific information for social sciences as a source of scientific information

This paper reviews the key thematic foci of the Science Studies abstracts journal published by the INION RAS, the structure of abstract information, and the timeliness of publications. Suggestions on how to further improve abstracting in the short-term are made.

Do Croatian open access journals support ethical research? Content analysis of instructions to authors.

IntroductionThe aim of our study was to investigate the extent to which Instructions to authors of the Croatian open access (OA) journals are addressing ethical issues. Do biomedical journals differ from the journals from other disciplines in that respect? Our hypothesis was that biomedical journals maintain much higher publication ethics standards.Materials and methodsThis study looked at 197 Croatian OA journals Instructions to authors to address the following groups of ethical issues: general terms; guidelines and recommendations; research approval and registration; funding and conflict of interest; peer review; redundant publications, misconduct and retraction; copyright; timeliness; authorship; and data accessibility. We further compared a subset of 159 non-biomedical journals with a subset of 38 biomedical journals. Content analysis was used to discern the ethical issues representation in the instructions to authors.ResultsThe groups of biomedical and non-biomedical journals were similar in terms of originality (χ2 = 2.183, P = 0.140), peer review process (χ2 = 0.296, P = 0.586), patent/grant statement (χ2 = 2.184, P = 0.141), and timeliness of publication (χ2 = 0.369, P = 0.544). We identified significant differences among categories including ethical issues typical for the field of biomedicine, like patients (χ2 = 47.111, P < 0.001), and use of experimental animals (χ2 = 42.543, P < 0.001). Biomedical journals also rely on international editorial guidelines formulated by relevant professional organizations heavily, compared with non-biomedical journals (χ2 = 42.666, P < 0.001).ConclusionLow representation or absence of some key ethical issues in author guidelines calls for more attention to the structure and the content of Instructions to authors in Croatian OA journals.

Jumping up to the Next Step toward the World's Leading Journal in Primary Care Medicine.

Dear Readers of the Korean Journal of Family Medicine (KJFM), I am the new editor-in-chief of the KJFM, Seung-Kwon Myung, M.D., Ph.D. at the Department of Family Medicine, National Cancer Center, Korea. It's my great honor and pleasure to become the editor-in-chief of this journal newly, but on the other hand, I feel a great deal of burden and responsibility to develop the quality of the KJFM. In this editorial, I would like to briefly tell our readers my key plans to make the KJFM jump up to the next step toward the world' leading journal in primary care medicine. First, the KJFM will try to publish more papers than the past and more frequently. Definitely, one of the important aims of the journal might be to make many readers read and cite its papers as frequently as possible. Being an 'online-only' publication allows the journal to publish more papers than a print journal and save the cost of publishing. As of January 2014, the KJFM turned to online only publication. Also, in order to publish more papers, we will improve the current peer-review process including shortening the review period and consider employing PLOS ONE's 'publish first, judge later' publication concept.1) This idea does not use the perceived importance of a paper as a criterion for acceptance or rejection. Instead, they publish any paper that is methodologically sound or any research that was conducted rigorously, and leave it to the scientific community to ascertain importance, post publication, through debated and comment.2) Due to PLOS ONE's unique publication methodology and business strategy, since its publication of 138 articles in the first year, 2006, PLOS ONE published 31,500 papers in 2013, and its 2013 impact factor was 3.534.3) Although there are some critiques on PLOS ONE's publication strategy, its strengths could be adopted for the development of our journal. Second, we will invite outstanding foreign university professors of the department of family medicine or other researchers in the field of primary care medicine as international editors in the KJFM. This helps our journal to be known to many primary care physicians around the world. More importantly, one of the criteria for being selected in the Science Citation Index (SCI) is the international diversity of the editorial board members. Last, we will make every effort to let the KJFM be indexed in the SCI in the near future. The Thomson Reuters journal selection process mainly considers the journal's basic publishing standards (e.g., timeliness of publication, international editorial conventions, full text English, and peer review), its editorial content, the international diversity of its authorship, and the citation data associated with it.4) To meet these criteria, we will thoroughly review the KJFM publishing process and ameliorate it. I hope the KJFM readers and members of the Korean Academy of Family Medicine take an active interest in our journal's development and give advice.

Gynecologic oncology group strategies to improve timeliness of publication

The Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) is a multi-institution cooperative group funded by the National Cancer Institute to conduct clinical trials encompassing clinical and basic scientific research in gynecologic malignancies. These results are disseminated via publication in peer-reviewed journals. This process requires collaboration of numerous investigators located in diverse cancer research centers. Coordination of manuscript development is positioned within the Statistical and Data Center (SDC), thus allowing the SDC personnel to manage the process and refine strategies to promote earlier dissemination of results. A major initiative to improve timeliness utilizing the assignment, monitoring, and enforcement of deadlines for each phase of manuscript development is the focus of this investigation. Document improvement in timeliness via comparison of deadline compliance and time to journal submission due to expanded administrative and technologic initiatives implemented in 2006. Major steps in the publication process include generation of first draft by the First Author and submission to SDC, Co-author review, editorial review by Publications Subcommittee, response to journal critique, and revision. Associated with each step are responsibilities of First Author to write or revise, collaborating Biostatistician to perform analysis and interpretation, and assigned SDC Clinical Trials Editorial Associate to format/revise according to journal requirements. Upon the initiation of each step, a deadline for completion is assigned. In order to improve efficiency, a publications database was developed to track potential steps in manuscript development that enables the SDC Director of Administration and the Publications Subcommittee Chair to assign, monitor, and enforce deadlines. They, in turn, report progress to Group Leadership through the Operations Committee. The success of the strategies utilized to improve the GOG publication process was assessed by comparing the timeliness of each potential step in the development of primary Phase II manuscripts during 2003-2006 versus 2007-2010. Improvement was noted in 10 of 11 identified steps resulting in a cumulative average improvement of 240 days from notification of data maturity to First Author through first submission to a journal. Moreover, the average time to journal acceptance has improved by an average of 346 days. The investigation is based on only Phase II trials to ensure comparability of manuscript complexity. Nonetheless, the procedures employed are applicable to the development of any clinical trials manuscript. The assignment, monitoring, and enforcement of deadlines for all stages of manuscript development have resulted in increased efficiency and timeliness. The positioning and support of manuscript development within the SDC provide a valuable resource to authors in meeting assigned deadlines, accomplishing peer review, and complying with journal requirements.

Journal Combat

‘‘Publish or perish’’ is the time-honored ‘‘principle’’ that is drummed into all young academicians at the start of their careers and haunts their lives as they race to accumulate lines under the section ‘‘publications’’ on a curriculum vitae. Originally, the publication of scholarly activity was meant to inform others of findings and thereby further the knowledge of scientists generally. Unfortunately, that goal, which began in 1665 with the first scientific journal (Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London), has been corrupted over the past half century. Many factors have contributed to this perversion, but major among them are (1) the exponential growth of journals and the journal industry, (2) the adoption of journal metrics as the measure of quality rather than the written content of the article, and (3) the intrusion of the Internet into all aspects of academic life. Until the second half of the 20th century, most of the important journals in what is now categorized as ‘‘science, technology, and medicine’’ (STM is the abbreviation used by the publishing industry) were the organs of major societies or associations and sometimes were even published by those organizations. To be an editor of such a publication was an honor (and generally unpaid or with only a minimal stipend to cover expenses) and manuscript submissions were reviewed by peers who gladly donated their time and expertise to assure the integrity of the publication. However, with the acceleration of technological innovation and scientific and medical discovery that marked the second half of the 20th century, journals through their advertising and subscription revenues became major sources of funding for many organizations. Smaller or developing organizations viewed journals as a means for sustaining financial viability, while at the same time, journals unaffiliated with any society or association proliferated exponentially. To maintain the original purpose of journals (to disseminate useful information for other scientists, engineers, or physicians) indexing was necessary for the growing volume of journal articles published annually. This resulted in 2 classes of journals: those that were indexed by major indexing services and those that were not indexed (more like ‘‘vanity’’ publishing, often with a ‘‘pay for publication’’ stratagem). For biomedical journals, indexing in the National Library of Medicine Index Medicus (or the digital version Medline, which is now PubMed) became the distinguishing characteristic of the important peer-reviewed journal. To be indexed by the National Library of Medicine, a publication undergoes evaluation by a panel of expert reviewers, who assess the quality of articles and the peer review process used by the journal, scientific stature of the editor and editorial board members, and timeliness of publication. With the increased revenues and competition accompanying journal proliferation, journal management became so complex that most journals were taken over by the large consolidated publishing companies, which could use consortium deals to assure circulation numbers and to capture the full capabilities of the Internet to disseminate materials. Libraries (and individual subscribers) have been overwhelmed with the sheer volume of material to be perused for useful content. With library budgets unable to sustain the costs of increasing numbers of journals and increasing journal subscription prices, librarians have looked for ways to limit the number of journal subscriptions. In 1955, Eugene Garfield, a library scientist and structural linguist from the University of Pennsylvania, had developed a metric that he termed impact factor to select journals for inclusion in his initial publication (Genetics Citation Index, which was the forerunner of his later Science Citation Index). This impact factor number calculated ‘‘based on 2 elements: the numerator, which is the number of citations in the current year to any items published in a journal in the previous 2 years, and the denominator, which is the number of substantive articles (source items) published in the same 2 years’’ seemed to be a reasonable measure for librarians navigating through budget crises to use in prioritizing their journal subscription lists. This led publishing companies to put greater emphasis on boosting journal impact factors in order to ensure continuing subscriptions. The resultant changes in editorial practices at many journals and the maneuvering by publishers to adjust article designations (to alter the numbers in the ratio used to calculate the impact factor) produced considerable

Biochemia Medica indexed in Medline

Biochemia Medica has been approved for inclusion in PubMed/Medline bibliographic database, from the first issue published in 2011 year. We believe that this outstanding achievement comes as acknowledgment for many past efforts and some recent developments of the journal Editorial Board, such as recent launch of a new web page, online manuscript submission system and the implementation of the revised policy on the Statement of Conflict of Interest. We will continue our committed work to maintain the timeliness of publication, publication ethics and research integrity, and further improve the quality of content as well as the quality of the editorial work and production of the Journal. We sincerely hope that inclusion of our Journal in PubMed will enable us to increase its international visibility and the number of high-quality submissions.

Publication Patterns of Cancer Cost-Effectiveness Studies Presented at the American Society of Hematology: Timeliness of Publication, Quality and Possible Bias.

AbstractAbstract 3816 Background:The timely publication of cancer cost-effectiveness analyses (CEA) is essential to inform decisions regarding new drug adoption by relevant policy makers and stakeholders. This study examined the publication pattern and quality of CEA presented in the annual meetings of the American Society of Hematology (ASH). Methods:ASH abstracts from 1997 to 2007 were reviewed. Abstracts with a malignant focus and that reported primary outcomes of incremental cost per life-year-gained or quality-adjusted-life-year (QALY) were included. Data including ICER (adjusted to USD) and author affiliation to the pharmaceutical industry was extracted. Quality indicators associated with well-performed CEAs were derived from the literature (Weinstein MC et al., JAMA 1996;276:1253-1258) and used to determine abstract quality. A search for subsequent publication of the abstract findings was conducted using Medline. The primary outcome of time-to-publication was determined using Kaplan-Meier statistics. Predictor variables were tested using the log-rank statistic. Results:29 abstracts met inclusion criteria. Only 13 were published (overall rate of 44.8%). The actuarial 1 and 3 year publication rates were 24.1% and 41.4% respectively (see figure). All but 1 abstract presented at ASH had an ICER less than $100 000/QALY (median $33 000/QALY) with 55.2% disclosing author affiliation to the pharmaceutical industry. Specific to abstracts published after 2001, when ASH instituted a policy of disclosure reporting, the proportion of abstracts reporting pharmaceutical affiliation was 72.7%. No variable or quality indicator predicted for time-to-publication though there was a trend for abstracts reporting dominant ICERs to yield more timely publications (p = 0.075). In terms of quality indicators, the reporting of a societal perspective, lifetime horizon, or a sensitivity analysis was noted in only 37.9%, 24.1% and 62.1% of abstracts, respectively. [Display omitted] Conclusions:The publication rate of CEA abstracts from ASH was low and not timely for open discussion among stakeholders. Although there was no direct evidence of bias in abstracts selected for presentation, most reported highly favorable ICERs and consistent author affiliation with the pharmaceutical industry. Overall, the quality of abstracts appeared suboptimal. Disclosures:No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Advances to G3

Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems (G3), a joint publication of AGU and the Geochemical Society, publishes research papers that speak to a broad community interested in Earth processes that are best studied with interdisciplinary approaches. G3 publishes conventional papers but is especially interested in novel publication forms that take advantage of electronic formats, such as animations and readily reusable digitized data sets. G3's large number of submissions and subscriptions attests to how an interdisciplinary approach and electronic format benefit authors and readers.In the past few months, G3 has undergone substantial improvements. These include several changes in the timeliness of publication, revised protocols for the publication of data sets, the appointment of new associate editors, an updated Web site, and improved access to articles. As the editors of G3, we are confident that these improvements will better serve AGU members.

El profesional de la información en el Social science citation index

In the last few years the ISI databases have become not only an essential instrument for information retrieval but, due to the bibliometric indicators they offer, they are also a basic tool for institutional, journal and researcher assessment in the majority of the world. These databases index the most productive and influential journals. For these reasons it is important to know the criteria employed by ISI in its journal selection process. The goal of this paper is to bring attention to these criteria, offer a methodological guide to help scientific journal editorial managers conform their publications to these criteria to improve their chances of being indexed by ISI. The ISI criteria can be structured on four main layers: basic journal standards (timeliness of publication, fully descriptive article, titles and abstracts, complete bibliographic information for all cited references, full address information for every author, and use of peer review); journal thematic coverage; international diversity (sponsorship, editorial team, authorship, references cited, journal audience, library and database presence); and citation analysis (international citation, journal impact, editorial board member impact and publishing author impact). Every one of these aspects is analyzed and the procedures for their testing and improvement if necessary are explained.