• Users Online: 96370
  • Home
  • Print this page
  • Email this page

   Table of Contents      
EDITORIAL
Year : 2008  |  Volume : 56  |  Issue : 6  |  Page : 451-452

Why should you publish in the Indian Journal of Ophthalmology?


P. D. Hinduja National Hospital and Medical Research Centre, Veer Savarkar Marg, Mahim, Mumbai - 400 016, India

Date of Web Publication14-Oct-2008

Correspondence Address:
Barun Kumar Nayak
P. D. Hinduja National Hospital and Medical Research Centre, Veer Savarkar Marg, Mahim, Mumbai - 400 016
India
Login to access the Email id

Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None


DOI: 10.4103/0301-4738.43363

Rights and Permissions

How to cite this article:
Nayak BK. Why should you publish in the Indian Journal of Ophthalmology?. Indian J Ophthalmol 2008;56:451-2

How to cite this URL:
Nayak BK. Why should you publish in the Indian Journal of Ophthalmology?. Indian J Ophthalmol [serial online] 2008 [cited 2024 Mar 29];56:451-2. Available from: https://journals.lww.com/ijo/pages/default.aspx/text.asp?2008/56/6/451/43363

Choosing a journal for publication of research is a common dilemma faced by every researcher after completing his/her research. In most cases, the authors of biomedical journals are neither paid nor do they expect any monetary compensation for their publication. What then is the driving force behind researchers' eagerness to publish their work? It is probably, the satisfaction of being a part of the advancement of science through research and subsequent publication. However, the real value of a research lies in its citation by other researchers after publication. For this the article should be read by as many scientists as possible. The purpose of this editorial is to discuss the important factors that the researcher should consider while choosing a journal for publication, so as to enhance the chances of acceptance to add value to their research, and most of all ensure a wide readership.

With a large circulation in the print version a journal has the advantage of reaching out to a majority of the target audience. The Indian Journal of Ophthalmology (IJO) has a circulation of 11,000 print copies which go to almost every ophthalmologist in the country, besides various libraries world over. Indian ophthalmologists shy away from subscribing to foreign journals because of their high cost. Indian authors who choose to publish their work in any foreign journal lose their chances of being recognized for their work among Indian fraternity - a place where they can be identified most. "Everyone wishes to publish in the best quality journals but also need to target the most appreciative audience." [1] It is important to note that most Indian researchers conduct their study on an Indian population. The outcomes of these studies are more relevant to Indian ophthalmologists, since their clinical practice is on a similar population and environment. From this viewpoint, IJO is a good option as it has the highest circulation among Indian ophthalmologists.

IJO has adopted the policy of 'open access', [2] wherein anyone can view and download the full text of any article published in IJO free of charge. "We as academicians strive to create wonderful sculptures in the form of published research in the hope of sharing it with all our colleagues and the general public." [3] No researcher would like that his/her article is not read due to monetary constraints of the reader to pay for journal access since that would restrict its readership to only a privileged few. 'Open access' fulfills the ultimate goal of disseminating and sharing scholarly information. Shidham et al , [4] point out four broad benefits of 'open access' for science as well as public. The first is the widest possible dissemination of work. Free online articles have been found to be cited more often. [5] Secondly,; literature search is not restricted by library budget. Third, the results of publicly funded research will be available to all tax payers and not just limited to those who can afford to subscribe. Fourth, researchers from the developing world will not be handicapped due to the poor economic state of the country. In addition to the advantages of 'open access', the IJO website www.ijo.in has uploaded full text of all the articles since its inception. Very few journals, more than 50-years old, have achieved this feat. The IJO website has more than 80,000 visitors every month.

There are many indexing and archiving systems for biomedical publications. Indexing with as many systems as possible increases the visibility of articles in that particular journal. The list of bibliographic listing of IJO is large, which includes the prestigious PubMed/Index Medicus and PubMed Central. The others are Biological Abstracts, Biosis Preview, CAB Abstracts, Caspur, CINAHL, DOAJ, EBSCO Publishings Electronic Database, Expanded Academic ASAP, Genamics JournalSeek, Global Health, Google Scholar, Health and Wellness Research Center, Health Reference Center Academic, Index Copernicus, Info Trac One File, Journal Citation Reports, Science citation Expanded, SCOPUS, SIIC databases, Ulrich's International Periodical Directory, and Web of Science.

It is said that biomedical literature is biased toward the English language. If the researchers are not from an English-speaking country, their knowledge and literature search remains confined to their own language and are unable to understand articles published in English which has the largest database compared to any other language. The IJO website has the unique feature of giving instant translation into 34 other languages with full text of all the articles. IJO has thus crossed the language barrier. With its large circulation of printed versions coupled with 'open access' policy, colossal bibliographic listings, and unique features of its website, IJO stands far ahead of all other ophthalmic journals as far as visibility of its articles is concerned - a great value for the authors.

Researchers prefer to publish their works in journals with a high 'Impact Factor'. [6] IJO is included in the 'Science Citations Index' from the year 2008 and the first official 'Impact Factor' for IJO will be available for the year 2010 in the Journal of Citation Report in the year 2011. The interim analysis of 'Impact Factor'" of IJO shows a rising trend. [7]

Authors also look for the convenience in manuscript submission. The complete processing of manuscript right from submission to peer-review is online at www.journalonweb.com/ijo .This has made the functioning of the system smooth and transparent, wherein at any point of time authors can track the progress of the manuscript. It has also reduced the processing time of the manuscripts. [7]

Peer-review process adds value to the manuscripts. [8] "Science requires that publications be properly vetted (peer-reviewed) and experimental findings logically presented." [4] Therefore, authors prefer to get their articles published in peer-reviewed journals. Due to the online processing system, IJO had developed a robust peer-review system with more than 700 national and international reviewers. Each manuscript is reviewed by at least two external experts followed by the internal sectional expert before it is considered for acceptance by the editor.

IJO scores fairly well in all the pointers mentioned above. Then why not publish your best research papers in IJO and add value to your research/ paper.

 
  References Top

1.
Dick AD. The continuing need to publish laboratory science in clinical journals. Br J Ophthalmol 2000;84:1213-4.  Back to cited text no. 1
[PUBMED]  [FULLTEXT]  
2.
Nayak BK. Humanity's quest for knowledge - open access- The IJO Initiative. Indian J Ophthalmol 2005;53:85-6.  Back to cited text no. 2
[PUBMED]  Medknow Journal  
3.
Shidham VB, Sandweiss L, Atkinson BF. First CytoJournal Peer-Reviewer's Retreat in 2006 - Open access, peer-review, and impact factor. Cyto Journal 2006;3:5.  Back to cited text no. 3
[PUBMED]  [FULLTEXT]  
4.
Shidham VB, Cafaro A, Atkinson BF. Cyto Journal joins 'open access' philosophy. Cyto Journal 2004;1:1.  Back to cited text no. 4
[PUBMED]  [FULLTEXT]  
5.
Lawrence S. Free online availability substantially increases a paper's impact. Nature 2001;411:521.  Back to cited text no. 5
    
6.
Nayak BK. The enigma of impact factor. Indian J Ophthalmol 2006;54:225-6.  Back to cited text no. 6
[PUBMED]  Medknow Journal  
7.
Nayak BK. The journey continues ……… and so we evolve. Indian J Ophthalmol 2008;56:1-2.  Back to cited text no. 7
  Medknow Journal  
8.
Nayak BK, Maniar R, Moreker S. The agony and the ecstasy of the peer-review process. Indian J Ophthalmol 2005;53:153-5.  Back to cited text no. 8
[PUBMED]  Medknow Journal  



This article has been cited by
1 Editorial: Constantly marching forward...
Nayak, B.K.
Indian Journal of Ophthalmology. 2010; 58(2): 99-100
[Pubmed]
2 The significance of case reports in biomedical publication
Nayak, B.
Indian Journal of Ophthalmology. 2010; 58(5): 363-364
[Pubmed]
3 A bibliometric study of publications by Indian ophthalmologists and vision researchers, 2001-06
Kumaragurupari, R., Sieving, P.C., Lalitha, P.
Indian Journal of Ophthalmology. 2010; 58(4): 275-279
[Pubmed]
4 Marching ahead…
Nayak, BK
Indian Journal of Ophthalmology. 2009; 57(2): 89-90
[Pubmed]



 

Top
 
 
  Search
 
    Similar in PUBMED
   Search Pubmed for
   Search in Google Scholar for
    Access Statistics
    Email Alert *
    Add to My List *
* Registration required (free)  

 
  In this article
References

 Article Access Statistics
    Viewed3316    
    Printed104    
    Emailed2    
    PDF Downloaded403    
    Comments [Add]    
    Cited by others 4    

Recommend this journal