As Editors of The Journal of Rheumatology we are pleased to inform you that The Journal is offering our traditional excellence in clinical research to the international rheumatology community more rapidly!
Advances in our peer review and editorial production processes have resulted in a shorter time from submission to first decision and from acceptance to publication, despite steadily increasing submissions since 2006.
In 2009 The Journal received about 1500 submissions, of which 1000 were full length manuscripts. As authors, reviewers, board members (Table 1), and staff make better use of our integrated Web based review system, we can shorten our decision turnaround time: for manuscripts that meet requirements for external peer review, the time from submission to review assignment is about 10 days and time to first decision, about 35 days; moreover, if we look at all manuscripts we receive, the average time from submission to first decision is only 21 days.
Every month, thoughtful and insightful feedback to manuscripts is provided by our established and newer reviewers: their contribution enriches the quality of authorship and enhances the insight of fellow reviewers, editorial board members, and readers alike. While not all deserving manuscripts can be accepted, all improve as a result of the review process.
For the 30% or so full length manuscripts that are accepted, publication now takes less time. First, via our Online First Release program, articles are posted to jrheum.org as edited, formatted and indexed PDFs about 10 weeks after month of acceptance. Second, a month or two later, the article is fully published in our monthly print and online issue.
As for reader experience, Journal content is now easier to discover and more convenient to use. Since our new website jrheum.org launched in 2009, viewers have benefitted from smoother navigation, faster more effective searching, as well as citation tracking and personal alert options. Functional XML format, highly readable table and figure display, and viewing features such as inter-journal hyper-linking help promote higher reader retention. And regardless of subscription status Editorials, Full Release (“open access”) articles, and case reports are all freely available.
Our Web viewers vote with their mouse: In a given month they download or view roughly 4000 unique articles over 70,000 times, providing rapid feedback for the Editorial Committee (Figure 1). For example, of articles published in our July issue, interest was highest for Recommendations for Use of Methotrexate in RA, studies on Vitamin D in SSc, a review on IgG4 Diseases, and Response to Adalimumab. In terms of overall viewing, full length articles are accessed the most, followed by editorials, reviews, and letter/case reports.
All the above technical and organizational features are best when they support a vigorous medical research discovery cycle enhanced by our peer review system. Our thanks to all our contributors, whether authors, reviewers, editors, or subscribers, as The Journal embarks on our 38th year of commitment to you. Moreover, your comments and concerns are always welcome.