Acta Pædiatrica ISSN 0803-5253
EDITORIAL DOI:10.1111/apa.13029
Focusing on paediatric excellence not tyrannical impact factors Most scientists today, particularly the younger generation, aim to publish their results in high-impact journals. Although this is understandable, some commentators, including the 2013 Nobel Laureate Randy Schekman, have issued warnings about the tyranny of the impact factor (1,2). They are concerned that the pressure to publish flashy research in glitzy journals encourages hype and faddiness. It is also worth pointing out that many papers describing the original discoveries that led to a number of Nobel Prizes were originally rejected by the big journals. One thing that is particularly difficult to understand is why paediatricians submit their articles to adult medical journals just because they have higher impact factors. Our impact factor is around two, which is not very high, partly due to the fact that we do not use all the tricks that many other journals use to increase our impact factor. For example, we publish articles that will be included in academic theses, which is particularly important in the Nordic countries. We can also accept articles that are rejected by other journals, despite positive reviews, and it is worth submitting those reviews if you want us to consider a previously rejected article. Acta Paediatrica is a general paediatric journal that publishes articles in all areas of paediatrics. Papers covering several subspecialities of paediatrics are of special interest, such as the neuropsychological outcomes of extreme preterm birth, congenital heart anomalies or other diseases. We are particularly keen to publish papers on the effects of lifestyle on child health, including the extensive use of media, physical activity and eating. Furthermore, we welcome papers on vaccinations and global health. By tradition, we continue to publish papers on non-invasive neonatology techniques like continuous positive airway pressure and on issues such as breastfeeding, sudden infant death syndrome, allergies, diabetes, obesity and urinary tract infections. We refer some papers to more specialist journals, including those that cover ventilator settings, catheter use and surgical methods, but welcome other papers on subjects such as ethical issues and the history of child health. We encourage the use of Open Access, which is obligatory in many countries for research supported by governmental funds.
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A young investigator must publish his or her paper in a journal, so why not choose Acta Paediatrica? If you are the first author of the paper and under 40 years of age, you could even win our annual award of €2000. We have recently recruited new members to Acta Paediatrica’s editorial board and committee, and more papers are initially assessed by the associate editors and new, young adjunct editors to speed up the decisionmaking process. This means that if your paper is not suitable for the journal, it will be rapidly rejected and you can resubmit it elsewhere with the minimum of delay. At the same time, articles sent out for review will have a higher chance of being accepted, although they may need some work on the content, including the quality of the language.
Hugo Lagercrantz ([email protected]) Editor-in-Chief, Acta Paediatrica Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
References 1. Alberts B. Impact factor distortions. Science 2013; 340: 787. 2. Schekman R, Patterson M. Reforming research assessment. Elife 2013; 2: e00855.
ª2015 Foundation Acta Pædiatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd 2015 104, p. 644
EDITORIAL DOI:10.1111/apa.13029
Focusing on paediatric excellence not tyrannical impact factors Most scientists today, particularly the younger generation, aim to publish their results in high-impact journals. Although this is understandable, some commentators, including the 2013 Nobel Laureate Randy Schekman, have issued warnings about the tyranny of the impact factor (1,2). They are concerned that the pressure to publish flashy research in glitzy journals encourages hype and faddiness. It is also worth pointing out that many papers describing the original discoveries that led to a number of Nobel Prizes were originally rejected by the big journals. One thing that is particularly difficult to understand is why paediatricians submit their articles to adult medical journals just because they have higher impact factors. Our impact factor is around two, which is not very high, partly due to the fact that we do not use all the tricks that many other journals use to increase our impact factor. For example, we publish articles that will be included in academic theses, which is particularly important in the Nordic countries. We can also accept articles that are rejected by other journals, despite positive reviews, and it is worth submitting those reviews if you want us to consider a previously rejected article. Acta Paediatrica is a general paediatric journal that publishes articles in all areas of paediatrics. Papers covering several subspecialities of paediatrics are of special interest, such as the neuropsychological outcomes of extreme preterm birth, congenital heart anomalies or other diseases. We are particularly keen to publish papers on the effects of lifestyle on child health, including the extensive use of media, physical activity and eating. Furthermore, we welcome papers on vaccinations and global health. By tradition, we continue to publish papers on non-invasive neonatology techniques like continuous positive airway pressure and on issues such as breastfeeding, sudden infant death syndrome, allergies, diabetes, obesity and urinary tract infections. We refer some papers to more specialist journals, including those that cover ventilator settings, catheter use and surgical methods, but welcome other papers on subjects such as ethical issues and the history of child health. We encourage the use of Open Access, which is obligatory in many countries for research supported by governmental funds.
644
A young investigator must publish his or her paper in a journal, so why not choose Acta Paediatrica? If you are the first author of the paper and under 40 years of age, you could even win our annual award of €2000. We have recently recruited new members to Acta Paediatrica’s editorial board and committee, and more papers are initially assessed by the associate editors and new, young adjunct editors to speed up the decisionmaking process. This means that if your paper is not suitable for the journal, it will be rapidly rejected and you can resubmit it elsewhere with the minimum of delay. At the same time, articles sent out for review will have a higher chance of being accepted, although they may need some work on the content, including the quality of the language.
Hugo Lagercrantz ([email protected]) Editor-in-Chief, Acta Paediatrica Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
References 1. Alberts B. Impact factor distortions. Science 2013; 340: 787. 2. Schekman R, Patterson M. Reforming research assessment. Elife 2013; 2: e00855.
ª2015 Foundation Acta Pædiatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd 2015 104, p. 644
