SPECIAL EDITORIAL
The New Era of Scientific Information Systems Change; or Just a Natural Evolution in the Works BFear or stupidity has always been the basis of most human actions[ VA. Einstein BBut friendship is precious, not only in the shade, but in the sunshine of life. And thanks to a benevolent arrangement, the greater part of life is sunshine.[ VThomas Jefferson Bthe important thing is to not stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing[ VA. Einstein
T
he closing last issue of the Journal of Craniofacial Surgery of this year represents many things that are monumental in the life history of the new journal. The first is that this is the end of over three decades of the journal in the making, and the preparation of the organizational structure that is many work years before the journal saw the lights of the printing machine. The second is the silver anniversary of the printed copies of the journal that is the end of the twenty five years in the real dissemination of the educational material, so we will not be called a new journal; we are now well established. The third is the changes in the publication strategy with the new revolutionary system coming all around us like a large wave, so that its survival over time will depend on its ability to make it over the coming ten years in its format, or will there be an evolutionary system that will emerge which is more compliant with the new century that is more education- and information-based and less commercial? We can take each one of those items by itself and see how we can progress over a period of time of what is coming in the way we started, and the way we are now, and how we can keep moving forward. The system we have now will be more of a traditional system that we all grew in the dissemination of information we know. That system is well noted all over the globe as the only one known for improving education and bringing the new material that is present in every corner of the world. Having said all that, as well as those three items, I want to say before I expand that with this issue of the journal we can now move from being labeled a new journal to an established one – no more ‘‘new journal.’’ The Journal of Craniofacial Surgery is the premier journal in craniofacial and pediatric plastic surgery, and is a traditional journal so far. What the new coming years will bring to us all will be interesting, all we have to do is wait and see. The interesting and more encouraging part about your journal is that as I have traveled around the world this year, there was not a place I visited that the local surgeons did not stop me to thank me about the high quality both of the journal and the material presented in the journal pages preserving the art of the practice of plastic surgery. Some expressed their satisfaction on how we progressed slowly and stayed above board. I will also like to add how so many What Is This Box? A QR Code is a matrix barcode readable by QR scanners, mobile phones with cameras, and smartphones. The QR Code links to the online version of the article.
The Journal of Craniofacial Surgery
complementary remarks we received for the January issue and that was far due for our most distinguished surgeon in plastic surgery. There will not be enough pages in an issue to print the letters, but I shared some of them with some members of the board. To remember one comment from an overseas surgeon who said he started the January issue in the evening issue and woke up in the morning to reread it over again, the material that put him in a trance of how lucky he was to be a plastic surgeon. Now for our 25th year in the making, what lies in the future will also be very interesting. I had to go to the place where the concept was born 32 years ago and see maybe there was more inspirational and intuition for the future. Of course, that was a group of young and very enthusiastic surgeons who wanted to see that the new field gets growing and that it stays within the traditional discipline of plastic surgery, allowing the matrix with the other disciplines. Add to all that the inspiration from my mentors and remarks about the first issue forced us to do nothing but move forward. Well, now we are there, and all we can say is ‘‘what is next?’’ I can tell you that what is next is more exciting and informative. We will first increase the frequency. That will be the most important part, and please for those who keep asking ‘‘when?’’ it will be soon and in the near future, as well as sooner than we anticipated. The second, we will be more online, than printed copies. The printed journal or the printed word will be extinct in few more years. All will be digital as we will be depending on passing the knowledge all over the world. There will be nothing new in one part of the world and unknown to the others. Innovations and contributions are now global and so is health care. We will continue to take the lead in technology even that reverse innovation is moving to the forefront. New vocabulary and new terminology is upon us to stay, and we will soon have a special glossary for the new information technology. Now what is left after all that is the new publication revolution that many do not understand, and we will expand on that item in case you have missed the last description we had in past issues of the journal, and that is open access in the publication world. Open access in the publication world is here to stay. For those who are thinking the opposite, that will not happen. But why some asked, if we go through the history we know that but why is not possible. So, please allow me to explain. In the publication world, there are research articles of basic work and bench research, clinical research with patient involvement and involvement, clinical work with patient’s presentation, clinical trials and spectacular patient’s results, as well as show-off publications with rare clinical conditions. These are all educational and keep us aware of the wide variety of clinical situations and the clinical
& Volume 24, Number 6, November 2013
Copyright © 2013 Mutaz B. Habal, MD. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
1869
Special Editorial
The Journal of Craniofacial Surgery
idiosyncrasies of our work. Sometimes a new operation to a new situation may become possible. This is a major issue that for open access we see so much variability. The emergence of less than 10000 journals over a short period of time was noted by creating a special glossary that explains that voluminous number very well. We even now have a new directory for also some of these fly-bynight new systems. The initial request by the large granting boards across the two sides of the Atlantic Basin was legitimate to have open access for their research they have supported by grants. The monies were taxpayer’s monies so that the publication process should be open to all. So what has happened is that in the grants there was a special budget factored in for the publication to be open access so it is available online to all that are interested in the research. Well, that concept is genuine and noble, but as everything in life, it can be useful to some and abused by others and that is what happens today. So for the authors of the new operation, new techniques and new marketing, you can pay for the publication to be printed or viewed online as well. As we call that the gold model of publication in which the last year many of us got the classical solicitation and information about the new journal, their names are near or almost near an established journal. I personally fell in the trap at one point to find that there will be a lot of monies needed to publish an invited editorial. Alas, I had it withdrawn at the last minute. Well, that is not all; at a recent conference many were asking ‘‘What is this open access? You are an editor?’’ I said ‘‘Yes, I am.’’ They stated ’’Well, we submitted our paper to a known journal, and after we were accepted we were told it was open access only, so we said fine. Wow, a bill came and was not expected, we cannot afford that green. It was few patients presentation and funds have to come from us. We do not have the funds, especially now with the economy downward dive.’’ Just last week an author heard so much about open access so he asked to have his paper in the journal which was already reviewed and accepted to be open access, but when he got the bill he choked, and did what else but called the editor-in-chief, after this was explained he declined. Now, for you all, open access is the author’s responsibility to pay for the publication cost, then the article will be viewed by all around the globe. Now having said all that about the golden model of open access, we will tell you about your journal, the Journal of Craniofacial Surgery. First, we will not now, later, or in the near future be golden open access or we will have that model in the journal as a golden open access online. But (with a big ‘‘B’’), we will have a hybrid model that is two or more selected articles which are reviewed and accepted and will be open access if the author chooses to, asks to, or the granting agency requests it. It will be by no means a formal advertising for the product unless disclosed. The author must reveal the source of the funding such as personal, governmental, grant for education or industrial. Also there will be no conflict of interest, in the publication of the material. Then the reader will read ‘‘OA’’ on the right hand of the page to note that is open access and can be viewed by everyone as well as the source of the fund. That hybrid model is already instituted and available to all accepted and reviewed original papers and clinical papers. I hope now that I was
1870
& Volume 24, Number 6, November 2013
explicit enough to remove all the dark clouds and confusion about the open access model. I cannot finish my short note without pointing to the work that was done by the reputed editors of a science journal recently, in regards to evaluating the open access publication. The study had many flaws in it but it is noted because it produced shock waves all over the publication arena, and at the editor council recently, more shock. The sting which I will call started with fake research, fake data, fake authors and fake institution. The same was submitted to over 300 journals, over half accepted it and at a proposed cost of a lot of green in excess of $3000. Shocking data even that I did not see was noted a high school kid could have picked it as not genuine. The flaws were that the proposal of the sting did not have a control submission to traditional journals too and note how may would have rejected the work. On the same token they did not wait long enough to see how many more would have accepted, before the whistle was blown. But either way it was an eye-opener for us on many review boards with basic or clinical research and data that are the major body of the submitted paper. However, I am noting this: it was already noted and discussed in many boards and over a variety of well-reputed, high-quality research publications. This is no way to demean the new model but just to make everyone aware of the study and it minor flaws. On a final note, I hope with this short note I explained to the authors and readers the new model of open access (OA), to make everyone aware of the existence of such models that may take a year before everybody is aware of that, especially upon submission of original work and basic research material. I will make this note, as always, available on our website and on the iPad for you all. I will end by saying please do not hesitate to communicate with me at any time, I will try to answer my email on a short period of time and I will also try to give you the correct response with which you can work. In the meanwhile open access is here to stay and it will not go away, but it will get better, and five years from now we may not have so many new journals but some may go away. On the same token, we may have double. Who knows? Only time can tell, but we are increasing the frequency of the journal, that I am sure about. Happy anniversary for you all, it is your journal, so go and enjoy your silver edition in January. Thank you all for your contributions, loyalty, and support as well as recommendations to the Journal of Craniofacial Surgery.
Mutaz B. Habal, MD, FRCS, FACS Editor in chief Tampa Florida, USA [email protected]
* 2013 Mutaz B. Habal, MD
Copyright © 2013 Mutaz B. Habal, MD. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
The New Era of Scientific Information Systems Change; or Just a Natural Evolution in the Works BFear or stupidity has always been the basis of most human actions[ VA. Einstein BBut friendship is precious, not only in the shade, but in the sunshine of life. And thanks to a benevolent arrangement, the greater part of life is sunshine.[ VThomas Jefferson Bthe important thing is to not stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing[ VA. Einstein
T
he closing last issue of the Journal of Craniofacial Surgery of this year represents many things that are monumental in the life history of the new journal. The first is that this is the end of over three decades of the journal in the making, and the preparation of the organizational structure that is many work years before the journal saw the lights of the printing machine. The second is the silver anniversary of the printed copies of the journal that is the end of the twenty five years in the real dissemination of the educational material, so we will not be called a new journal; we are now well established. The third is the changes in the publication strategy with the new revolutionary system coming all around us like a large wave, so that its survival over time will depend on its ability to make it over the coming ten years in its format, or will there be an evolutionary system that will emerge which is more compliant with the new century that is more education- and information-based and less commercial? We can take each one of those items by itself and see how we can progress over a period of time of what is coming in the way we started, and the way we are now, and how we can keep moving forward. The system we have now will be more of a traditional system that we all grew in the dissemination of information we know. That system is well noted all over the globe as the only one known for improving education and bringing the new material that is present in every corner of the world. Having said all that, as well as those three items, I want to say before I expand that with this issue of the journal we can now move from being labeled a new journal to an established one – no more ‘‘new journal.’’ The Journal of Craniofacial Surgery is the premier journal in craniofacial and pediatric plastic surgery, and is a traditional journal so far. What the new coming years will bring to us all will be interesting, all we have to do is wait and see. The interesting and more encouraging part about your journal is that as I have traveled around the world this year, there was not a place I visited that the local surgeons did not stop me to thank me about the high quality both of the journal and the material presented in the journal pages preserving the art of the practice of plastic surgery. Some expressed their satisfaction on how we progressed slowly and stayed above board. I will also like to add how so many What Is This Box? A QR Code is a matrix barcode readable by QR scanners, mobile phones with cameras, and smartphones. The QR Code links to the online version of the article.
The Journal of Craniofacial Surgery
complementary remarks we received for the January issue and that was far due for our most distinguished surgeon in plastic surgery. There will not be enough pages in an issue to print the letters, but I shared some of them with some members of the board. To remember one comment from an overseas surgeon who said he started the January issue in the evening issue and woke up in the morning to reread it over again, the material that put him in a trance of how lucky he was to be a plastic surgeon. Now for our 25th year in the making, what lies in the future will also be very interesting. I had to go to the place where the concept was born 32 years ago and see maybe there was more inspirational and intuition for the future. Of course, that was a group of young and very enthusiastic surgeons who wanted to see that the new field gets growing and that it stays within the traditional discipline of plastic surgery, allowing the matrix with the other disciplines. Add to all that the inspiration from my mentors and remarks about the first issue forced us to do nothing but move forward. Well, now we are there, and all we can say is ‘‘what is next?’’ I can tell you that what is next is more exciting and informative. We will first increase the frequency. That will be the most important part, and please for those who keep asking ‘‘when?’’ it will be soon and in the near future, as well as sooner than we anticipated. The second, we will be more online, than printed copies. The printed journal or the printed word will be extinct in few more years. All will be digital as we will be depending on passing the knowledge all over the world. There will be nothing new in one part of the world and unknown to the others. Innovations and contributions are now global and so is health care. We will continue to take the lead in technology even that reverse innovation is moving to the forefront. New vocabulary and new terminology is upon us to stay, and we will soon have a special glossary for the new information technology. Now what is left after all that is the new publication revolution that many do not understand, and we will expand on that item in case you have missed the last description we had in past issues of the journal, and that is open access in the publication world. Open access in the publication world is here to stay. For those who are thinking the opposite, that will not happen. But why some asked, if we go through the history we know that but why is not possible. So, please allow me to explain. In the publication world, there are research articles of basic work and bench research, clinical research with patient involvement and involvement, clinical work with patient’s presentation, clinical trials and spectacular patient’s results, as well as show-off publications with rare clinical conditions. These are all educational and keep us aware of the wide variety of clinical situations and the clinical
& Volume 24, Number 6, November 2013
Copyright © 2013 Mutaz B. Habal, MD. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
1869
Special Editorial
The Journal of Craniofacial Surgery
idiosyncrasies of our work. Sometimes a new operation to a new situation may become possible. This is a major issue that for open access we see so much variability. The emergence of less than 10000 journals over a short period of time was noted by creating a special glossary that explains that voluminous number very well. We even now have a new directory for also some of these fly-bynight new systems. The initial request by the large granting boards across the two sides of the Atlantic Basin was legitimate to have open access for their research they have supported by grants. The monies were taxpayer’s monies so that the publication process should be open to all. So what has happened is that in the grants there was a special budget factored in for the publication to be open access so it is available online to all that are interested in the research. Well, that concept is genuine and noble, but as everything in life, it can be useful to some and abused by others and that is what happens today. So for the authors of the new operation, new techniques and new marketing, you can pay for the publication to be printed or viewed online as well. As we call that the gold model of publication in which the last year many of us got the classical solicitation and information about the new journal, their names are near or almost near an established journal. I personally fell in the trap at one point to find that there will be a lot of monies needed to publish an invited editorial. Alas, I had it withdrawn at the last minute. Well, that is not all; at a recent conference many were asking ‘‘What is this open access? You are an editor?’’ I said ‘‘Yes, I am.’’ They stated ’’Well, we submitted our paper to a known journal, and after we were accepted we were told it was open access only, so we said fine. Wow, a bill came and was not expected, we cannot afford that green. It was few patients presentation and funds have to come from us. We do not have the funds, especially now with the economy downward dive.’’ Just last week an author heard so much about open access so he asked to have his paper in the journal which was already reviewed and accepted to be open access, but when he got the bill he choked, and did what else but called the editor-in-chief, after this was explained he declined. Now, for you all, open access is the author’s responsibility to pay for the publication cost, then the article will be viewed by all around the globe. Now having said all that about the golden model of open access, we will tell you about your journal, the Journal of Craniofacial Surgery. First, we will not now, later, or in the near future be golden open access or we will have that model in the journal as a golden open access online. But (with a big ‘‘B’’), we will have a hybrid model that is two or more selected articles which are reviewed and accepted and will be open access if the author chooses to, asks to, or the granting agency requests it. It will be by no means a formal advertising for the product unless disclosed. The author must reveal the source of the funding such as personal, governmental, grant for education or industrial. Also there will be no conflict of interest, in the publication of the material. Then the reader will read ‘‘OA’’ on the right hand of the page to note that is open access and can be viewed by everyone as well as the source of the fund. That hybrid model is already instituted and available to all accepted and reviewed original papers and clinical papers. I hope now that I was
1870
& Volume 24, Number 6, November 2013
explicit enough to remove all the dark clouds and confusion about the open access model. I cannot finish my short note without pointing to the work that was done by the reputed editors of a science journal recently, in regards to evaluating the open access publication. The study had many flaws in it but it is noted because it produced shock waves all over the publication arena, and at the editor council recently, more shock. The sting which I will call started with fake research, fake data, fake authors and fake institution. The same was submitted to over 300 journals, over half accepted it and at a proposed cost of a lot of green in excess of $3000. Shocking data even that I did not see was noted a high school kid could have picked it as not genuine. The flaws were that the proposal of the sting did not have a control submission to traditional journals too and note how may would have rejected the work. On the same token they did not wait long enough to see how many more would have accepted, before the whistle was blown. But either way it was an eye-opener for us on many review boards with basic or clinical research and data that are the major body of the submitted paper. However, I am noting this: it was already noted and discussed in many boards and over a variety of well-reputed, high-quality research publications. This is no way to demean the new model but just to make everyone aware of the study and it minor flaws. On a final note, I hope with this short note I explained to the authors and readers the new model of open access (OA), to make everyone aware of the existence of such models that may take a year before everybody is aware of that, especially upon submission of original work and basic research material. I will make this note, as always, available on our website and on the iPad for you all. I will end by saying please do not hesitate to communicate with me at any time, I will try to answer my email on a short period of time and I will also try to give you the correct response with which you can work. In the meanwhile open access is here to stay and it will not go away, but it will get better, and five years from now we may not have so many new journals but some may go away. On the same token, we may have double. Who knows? Only time can tell, but we are increasing the frequency of the journal, that I am sure about. Happy anniversary for you all, it is your journal, so go and enjoy your silver edition in January. Thank you all for your contributions, loyalty, and support as well as recommendations to the Journal of Craniofacial Surgery.
Mutaz B. Habal, MD, FRCS, FACS Editor in chief Tampa Florida, USA [email protected]
* 2013 Mutaz B. Habal, MD
Copyright © 2013 Mutaz B. Habal, MD. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
