J Dent Res 86(1):5-7, 2007
© 2007 International and American Associations for Dental Research
Editor’s Report for the Journal of Dental Research, 2006
Anthony J. (Tony) Smith
University of Birmingham, UK
Maintenance of the Journal of Dental Research’s leading position in the dissemination of the most pivotal dental science to the research community and ensuring wide accessibility to both readers and authors continue to be key aims for both the editorial team and the publishers of the Journal.
Over the last two years, improved access to readers has been achieved through adoption of the DC Principles of Open Access, whereby all JDR-published articles older than 12 months are available freely online on an open access basis, by making available all issues of the JDR from Volume 1 (1919) available online through the HighWire Press site, and also by the provision of online subscription to the Journal as an IADR/AADR membership benefit (from January, 2006). These changes reflect the importance that the IADR and AADR, as publishers of the Journal, place on making the pivotal archive of dental research published in the JDR widely accessible to the research community. We also recognize the importance of making publication in the JDR as accessible as possible to authors, and, as an international journal, of being inclusive of research globally. In 2006, 65% of corresponding authors were from outside the US, reflecting the international status of the Journal. Last year, I instituted a series of workshops to support authors from all countries in publishing their research in the JDR, and this year, similar workshops have been held at the IADR General Session in Brisbane, the Pan-European Federation meeting in Dublin, and the Korean Association of Basic Sciences in Dentistry meeting in Seoul. I hope to continue to make such workshops available wherever they would be of assistance and to engage with authors in support of publication of their research.
While our strategies to broaden access have been primarily directed toward improved research dissemination, the policies of research funding agencies continue to have an impact on the open access debate in scientific publishing. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the US were among the first funding agencies to adopt a policy whereby authors supported by NIH funds are requested to submit a copy of the published article to a public digital repository within 12 months after publication. We have supported such authors by automatically submitting these articles on the authors’ behalf at the transfer point, and this system is operating well. There is presently debate as to whether the 12-month period for deposition of articles should be reduced to 6 months with NIH-funded research, as has been specified for research funded by the Wellcome Trust. To address this situation, where funding agencies require deposition at times earlier than 12 months, the Boards of the IADR and the AADR have agreed that authors can be offered open access immediately upon publication if they meet the full costs of publication of that article. We will keep our policies relating to open access and the requirements of funding agencies under continuing close review to adapt to the changing environment in relation to research funders’ policies. Nevertheless, the open access to the entire JDR archive from its inception in 1919 to one year from publication continues to provide wide and easy access to the research published in the Journal.
With the publication of the 2005 Scientific Impact Factors (SIF), the JDR continues to hold the leading position in the field of dentistry with an improved SIF of 3.192 (Journal Citation Reports, 20051). Critical Reviews in Oral Biology & Medicine (SIF 3.933) still had a separate SIF calculated, despite its merger with JDR last year, due to the retrospective nature of the SIF calculation. The quality of the science published in the JDR is of paramount importance, and our aim is to continue to consolidate our position in this respect. The JDR favors definitive research articles reporting original and novel research showing cause-and-effect relationships for experimental studies and explanatory/associative relationships for those of an observational nature, which will allow a pivotal stance to be adopted on a topic. Reports of hypothesis-driven research are encouraged to provide an understanding of the data presented, and simple descriptional and methodological reports tend to carry relatively low scientific priority for publication. The diligence of the editorial team in maintaining the quality of articles in the Journal is gratefully acknowledged, and I particularly wish to recognize the devoted duty of all of the Associate Editors of the Journal. Dr. Jocelyne Feine of McGill University and Dr. Larry Katz of UMKC have provided continuing and valuable contributions as Associate Editors for the Clinical and Biomaterials & Bioengineering sections of the Journal, respectively. Dr. Marty Taubman from The Forsyth Institute has continued the tradition of the Discovery! section of the Journal with many fascinating insights into how significant scientific achievements have been made.
It is with particular sadness that I report the retirement of Dr. Olav Alvares as Editor of the Critical Reviews section of the Journal. Dr. Alvares was responsible for the founding of Critical Reviews in Oral Biology & Medicine some 16 years ago and has led its evolution in the intervening period as the leading source of erudite reviews in the oral and dental research field. I am particularly grateful personally to Olav for his support and wise counsel since taking over the reins as Editor of the JDR, and for helping to make the merger with JDR last year such a smooth transition. The publication of two Critical Reviews per issue of the JDR since January, 2005, has enhanced the Journal significantly. Following the announcement of Dr. Alvares’ retirement, a Search Committee—led by Dr. Chuck Shuler and comprised of Drs. Sue Kinder-Haake, Chris Squier, Greg Seymour, and Jim Sciubba—was initiated to identify a successor to lead this section of the Journal. A strong slate of candidates was identified, and, as a result, Dr. Dana Graves from Boston University was appointed as the new Associate Editor of the Critical Reviews section of the Journal. We warmly welcome Dr. Graves to this post and recognize that he brings wide experience, vision, and enthusiasm to the position. The future development of this section of the Journal will be in good hands, and we all look forward to Dr. Graves’ contributions.
The level of manuscript submissions continues to increase, with 489 new submissions (through November 1) in contrast to 477 reported at the same time last year. The countries of origin of the manuscript submissions continue to reflect the global nature of dental research (Fig. 1
). The overall manuscript acceptance rate in 2006 has remained virtually constant, at 30.98% versus 30.4% in 2005 (Fig. 2). A strong pattern of manuscript submissions to the different sections of the Journal has been maintained (Fig. 3). Manuscript review time continues to be of considerable importance to authors, and I am pleased to report that during 2006 this has improved, with a median time to initial decision of 2.3 months, in contrast to a little over 3 months in 2005. In fact, one decision to publish an article early in 2006 was achieved within approximately 2 weeks, which included two revisions to the manuscript. Following acceptance, articles usually appear in print within approximately 2–3 months.
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Figure 1. Distribution of JDR Manuscript Submissions by Division/Section and Country (Country is that of Corresponding Author)
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Figure 2. JDR Submitted/Accepted Manuscripts by Year [manuscripts submitted/accepted from 01 Nov 2004 to 31 Oct 2006-accepted manuscripts may have been submitted during a previous year]
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Figure 3. Distribution of JDR Manuscript Submissions by Category [manuscripts submitted from 01 Nov 2005 to 31 Oct 2006]
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Members of the Editorial Board carry considerable responsibility in helping to maintain the scientific standards of the Journal, and I convey my grateful thanks to all of the members of the Board and to the many reviewers, who provide the expert peer review fundamental to ensuring the quality of the science published. The Editorial Board members who have completed distinguished service at the conclusion of this year include: Yoshimitsu Abiko, Jane E. Aubin, Ricardo M. Carvalho, Christopher W. Cutler, Göran Dahllof, Thomas B. Dodson, Margaret J. Duncan, Kenneth Eaton, Carla A. Evans, Richard Gregory, Matthias Hannig, Jill A. Helms, Amid I. Ismail, Sören Jepsen, Jennifer Kirkham, Elizabeth A. Krall, Ashok Kulkarni, William L. Landis, Gilles Lavigne, Paula J. Moynihan, Hyun-Duck Nah, Katsuji Okuda, Wenyuan Shi, Philip Stashenko, Riitta Suuronen, Jason Tanzer, Franklin R. Tay, Murray Thomson, Maurizio Tonetti, Grant C. Townsend, Angus W.G. Walls, Cun-Yu Wang, David Warburton, Alain Woda, and Margarita Zeichner-David, and I particularly acknowledge their contributions at this time. The support of Dr. George Taylor in identifying new Editorial Board members is gratefully acknowledged. Nominations to the Editorial Board, including renomination for continued service, are sought each summer, and we strive to appoint members with a broad range of experience, who have made significant research achievements themselves. I am also grateful to the members of the 2006 IADR/AADR Publications Committee (Dominick DePaola, Chair) for their support. Dr. Karen Novak from the Publications Committee has co-ordinated the monthly review of each issue of the JDR, and the feedback has been invaluable to the Editors and staff.
The efficient production of the Journal each month is achieved only through major contributions behind the scenes from staff in Central Office, especially those in the Publications Department—Linda Hemphill, Sue DeAngel, Norm Hayden, and Katie Brennan—who operate as a highly efficient and enthusiastic team. Under the leadership of Executive Director Christopher Fox, many of the staff in Central Office have significant input into the marketing and profile of the Journal, which is critical to its continuing success. We are fortunate to be supported by the conscientious and enthusiastic group of staff in Central Office in both the publishing and wider activities of the Associations.
The scientific publishing environment is a complex and changing one. We continue to monitor this environment closely and aim to be responsive to changes, which will enable us to maintain the JDR’s position at the forefront of dental, craniofacial, and oral health research. This requires dialogue with the whole spectrum of the research community-researchers, research funders, and the end-users of the published research—and I welcome communication (a.j.smith{at}bham.ac.uk) at any time as to how we can best serve your needs and promote the dissemination of research of the highest quality and relevance to dentistry.
