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From the Editor |
Answer—a lot! The title for this communication allows me to share with our readers more changes that already have occurred or will occur, all in keeping with my commitment that we be responsive to the needs of our authors, reviewers, and readers. Now in my 8th year as Editor, I am pleased to announce:
1. Category 1 credit for reviewers.
2. Revised publication information for authors.
3. Version 3.0 of Radiology Manuscript Central.
4. New cover listing of Radiology contents.
5. A special series on human research.
6. Special reports on maintenance of certification (MOC), cerebrovascular intervention, and coronary computed tomography (CT).
7. A change in the timing of statistical review.
8. Essential points in monthly featured articles.
9. Review articles for residents.
10. Resident group answers for Diagnosis Please.
11. Legacy content for Radiology.
12. Editorial Fellowship for trainees.
13. Publication of an article submitted from the International Space Station.
Continuing Medical Education Category 1 Credit for Reviewers
This program that began in 2001 (1) was discontinued in 2002 owing to a decision by the American Medical Association (AMA) to no longer allow category 1 credit for manuscript review. Through the efforts of many (2), the AMA Council on Medical Education approved the awarding of such credit (15 category 1 credits per year total for manuscript review, with up to three credits per manuscript) on September 5, 2003 (3). Since then, the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) staff spent numerous hours ensuring that all the guidelines for awarding such credit be met. Accordingly, we again began to offer category 1 credit for manuscript review in 2004. Reviewers are informed of the process to follow when they receive a manuscript for review. RSNA staff will tabulate the credits and notify reviewers of the number of credits received.
Peer review is a learning process for the reviewer and in a major way is responsible for the quality of the manuscripts published in Radiology. I commend the members of the AMA Council on Medical Education for their positive decision.
Radiology Publication Information for Authors Guidelines
Over the past several years, this information has been updated from time to time so that authors would be fully aware of our requirements. With the January 2005 issue of Radiology, this information has undergone a substantial revision. Some highlights include:
1. The actual instructions for uploading a manuscript online will be available only online (mc.manuscriptcentral.com/rad). By so doing, we will be able to update these instructions quickly and whenever needed.
2. Information regarding editorial policies and manuscript preparation will appear both in print and online.
3. As announced in 2004 (2), we began to require as of July 1, 2004, that all individuals listed as authors meet the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) criteria for authorship. When a manuscript is submitted via Radiology Manuscript Central, the message acknowledging receipt includes a form that all authors must complete to verify that this requirement has been met. The ICMJE criteria for authorship are detailed in the printed issue of Radiology in the Publication Information for Authors and in Radiology Online (www.rsna.org/publications/rad/pdf/pia.pdf) and at www.icmje.org.
4. We have expanded information regarding conflicts of interest and the Standards for Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy, or STARD, Consolidated Standards Of Reporting Trials, or CONSORT, and Quality of Reporting of Meta-analyses, or QUOROM, statements (see "Text" in our guidelines).
5. We have included new information regarding clinical trial registration and compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) (see "Human and Animal Studies" in our guidelines).
6. Two new items relating to manuscript submission are a 3000-word limit for the text and advances in knowledge (see "Abbreviated Title Page" in our guidelines).
Radiology Manuscript Central
Near the end of September 2004, we transitioned to a new version of Radiology Manuscript Central, a Web-based system for manuscript submission and peer review. Having utilized an earlier version since February 2002, we were pleased to implement the new version, which includes numerous upgrades. These upgrades relate to improved user friendliness for authors and reviewers. More information regarding technology and communication with authors can be found in the article appearing in this issue of Radiology, written by John J. Humpal, managing editor of Radiology (4). We thank the authors and reviewers who have used this new version and have provided useful and important feedback. The inevitable "glitches" did occur, but we have resolved or are currently resolving them.
Radiology Cover
Since 1998, we have included on the front cover of Radiology a table of contents to help the reader quickly find an area of interest. While a few items remained in the same sequence every month, the majority of items did not. The listing of sections varied from month to month and essentially was patterned to begin with a section that related to the featured article (State of the Art, Special Review, Review, and other such articles). Recently it came to my attention that a more routine listing of all items would improve one’s ability to quickly locate an area of interest. Thus, beginning with the January 2005 issue of Radiology, we will feature two groups for the table of contents on the cover. The first group will list various sections, some of which are published monthly, others of which are not, and many (but not all) of which do not relate to original research. The second group will list in alphabetical order the topical sections that typically appear monthly, most of which (but not all) relate to original research. We hope this new listing scheme will provide our readers with more speedy identification of their areas of interest.
Special Series
In accepting manuscripts for publication in Radiology, one of several items I check is information regarding institutional review board approval and patient informed consent. These two items of exceptional importance regarding human research have been emphasized in the past (5). More recently, the HIPAA has been implemented, emphasizing the importance of patient confidentiality. I am delighted to announce that we will publish a five-part, peer-reviewed series on the responsible conduct of human research. We are indebted to Jeffrey A. Cooper, MD, deputy director, Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs, Washington, DC, and adjunct professor of radiology, Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pa. Dr Cooper has prepared the first four articles in this series—the regulatory framework for human research, the regulatory requirements for human research, exemptions from the regulatory requirements for human research, and the boundary of research and practice. We are also indebted to Matthew S. Johnson, MD, Marcia Gonzalez, JD, and Shelley Bizilia, MS, for the fifth article in the series, which addresses HIPAA and research. I urge all of our readers to pay special attention to these important articles, particularly those readers who are authors and reviewers.
Special Reports—Radiology, January 2005
We are pleased to publish three special reports in the January 2005 issue of Radiology and urge our readers to review them carefully. The first report relates to the MOC program of the American Board of Radiology (ABR). As of June 2002, individuals certified by the ABR in Diagnostic Radiology were issued 10-year time-limited certificates. To maintain certification after that 10-year period, an individual must participate in the MOC program that is outlined in detail in this special report. As stated by the authors, "The MOC process is designed to facilitate and document the professional development of each ABR diplomate through its focus on the essential elements of quality care in Diagnostic Radiology, its subspecialties, Radiation Oncology, and Radiologic Physics" (6). The overarching goal of the ABR MOC program is "improvement in the quality of patient care via improved outcomes and evidence-based practice of our specialty" (6). Moreover, the MOC program of the ABR "will provide a process for ABR diplomates to document their commitment to lifelong learning and self-assessment in order to continuously improve the quality of their practices and continue their professional development" (6). The ABR urges all diplomates to participate, even those who were issued certificates that are not time-limited.
The second special report is an important multidisciplinary document relating to cervicocerebral angiography, carotid stent placement, and cerebrovascular intervention (7). This cooperative effort of several groups emphasizes many important points. An editorial by Sacks and Connors appears in the same issue of Radiology (8). As Sacks and Connors emphasize, "The critical necessity of procedural excellence combined with the potentially dangerous nature of this new procedure [carotid artery stent placement] was fundamental to the consensus recommendations... for training to perform the procedure... " (8). Please read this special report and the editorial commenting on it.
In the third special report, Carr and colleagues discuss the standardized protocol of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) and the standardized protocol of the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study. The importance of coronary artery disease is well known to us all. CT evaluation of the coronary arteries has continued to develop and be fine tuned (9,10). This report describes in detail the method and application of the cardiac CT examination as used in the MESA and CARDIA studies. Again, I urge our readers to review this document.
Statistical Review of Manuscripts
As of January 2001, we began statistical review of all manuscripts that contained statistical analysis of data and that were to be published in Radiology (1). Since then, the statistical analyses in submitted manuscripts have improved, in both the information provided and the sophistication of the analyses. For that we compliment and thank the many authors who submit their original research to Radiology. In recognition of this change, I recommended and our statistical consultants agreed that the statistical review of manuscripts be performed at the stage of the original version rather than at the stage of the revised version. Accordingly, several months ago we began a transition to statistical review of the original rather than the revised manuscript. We hope the transition will have been completed or will be near completion at the time this editorial is published. Such a change will provide greater convenience for authors, who may now make both statistical and nonstatistical revisions at the same time (during the preparation of revision 1) rather than make statistical revisions at a subsequent stage (revision 2).
Listing of Essentials—Monthly Featured Article
Each month we publish either a State of the Art, Special Review, Review, or other such featured article. According to our recently completed readership survey, these publications are of great interest to readers. In recognition of that interest and also in recognition of the fact that time is at a premium for our busy readers, we began several months ago a new feature—Essentials. Essentials represents up to five items submitted by the authors to emphasize important features in a given article. These features typically appear on the second page of the article and are intended to help our readers review the essence of the article "at a glance." We hope you will find Essentials a worthwhile feature in Radiology.
Review Articles for Residents
Although the monthly featured articles in Radiology are intended primarily for readers beyond the years of training, no doubt residents and fellows can benefit as well from reading them. Since trainees, however, are also members of our readership, Deputy Editor Douglas S. Katz, MD, and I thought it appropriate to consider publishing from time to time a review article specifically intended for residents. We hope to publish the first such article later this year in a newly created section, Review for Residents. In the meantime, any authors interested in submitting such a review for residents should write to me regarding the topic and should also include a brief outline of the items to be included in the manuscript.
Diagnosis Please—Resident Group Submission
Diagnosis Please, introduced a number of years ago, has become a popular monthly feature; hundreds of answers are submitted monthly for the various ongoing cases (11). Each year we have announced the one or more individuals who have submitted the highest number of correct answers for the cases shown for that 12-month cycle. Recently, it came to my attention that Diagnosis Please cases have become a teaching exercise for residents in programs both within and outside of North America. Residents in a given teaching program will collectively look at the images and history provided and will discuss the findings among themselves to determine what they consider to be the most likely diagnosis. That being the case, we will accept not only individual responses, as we have been doing, but also collective responses for the most likely diagnosis from groups of residents in training programs both within and outside of North America. We invite resident groups to submit their Diagnosis Please answers and identify their training program when they do so. At the end of the 12-case cycle, we will announce the individual or individuals who have submitted the highest number of correct answers, as well as the resident group or groups within and outside of North America that have done the same.
Looking at images with appropriate history, deciding on a differential diagnosis, and trying to determine the one most likely diagnosis represent what we as imagers do day in and day out. Discussion among colleagues is an educational experience from which we can all benefit. Thus, I strongly urge resident groups to participate in Diagnosis Please and submit the most likely diagnosis for the monthly Diagnosis Please case.
Radiology Online—Content Available from 1980
Radiology Online currently has content available from 1999 through the present. Recently, the RSNA Board of Directors made a decision to support availability of content from both Radiology and RadioGraphics as far back as 1980 for Radiology and 1981 for RadioGraphics (when it began publication). As announced in RSNA News (12) by Robert R. Hattery, MD, chairman of the 2004 RSNA Board of Directors, content will be available online via portable document format, or PDF, files from 1980 to 1998 for Radiology and from 1981 to 1998 for RadioGraphics. This "legacy" content is available without charge, as are all issues 2 or more years old.
RSNA Editorial Fellowship for Trainees
Since 1998, when the RSNA Editorial Fellowship was developed, 10 individuals have served as RSNA Editorial Fellows, spending time in the Radiology Editorial Office, in the RadioGraphics Editorial Office, in the RSNA office in Oak Brook, Ill, and at the RSNA Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting with the Editors of Radiology and RadioGraphics. The RSNA Board of Directors has recently approved another editorial fellowship that is intended specifically for residents and fellows who may have participated in the RSNA Introduction to Research Program (13). This new fellowship for trainees will be an abbreviated version of the currently offered fellowship for radiologists. Interested trainees should contact Roberta E. Arnold, assistant executive director for publications and communications, at the RSNA office for additional information.
Manuscript from International Space Station
In November 2004, we published in Radiology Online the first report of musculoskeletal ultrasonography performed at the International Space Station for the evaluation of shoulder integrity in space (14). We were delighted to be selected for peer review of this manuscript and were even further delighted to be able to publish video clips in Radiology Online illustrating the imaging procedures used. Moreover, we were able to publish an audio clip of communication between the International Space Station and Earth indicating the submission of this manuscript. We applaud the ingenuity of those who developed the process for caring for individuals at the International Space Station and urge all of our readers to review this article in Radiology Online appearing in our section Continuous Publishing. The printed version of the article will be available in the February 2005 issue of Radiology.
To date, my years as Editor of Radiology have provided me with untold opportunities to learn of the many exciting activities ongoing in our specialty. Those opportunities have been made available to us by authors who have submitted their best work to Radiology for peer review and possible publication. My thanks are extended to those authors and to others who may do the same in the upcoming years. Moreover, my thanks are extended to our Deputy Editors, Editorial Board members, and the many reviewers, all of whom help to ensure the quality of what is published in our monthly Journal. Last, my thanks go to our readership, whose enthusiasm for learning about "what’s happening" in our specialty causes them to read Radiology. As always, I welcome your critique so that together we can continue to make Radiology "must reading," not only for all in our specialty but also for others not in our specialty who are interested in the importance of imaging for patient care.
REFERENCES
This article has been cited by other articles:
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  A. V. Proto Radiology 2007: Reviewing for Radiology Radiology, July 1, 2007; 244(1): 7 - 11. [Full Text] [PDF]
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A. V. Proto Radiology 2007: The Year Ahead Radiology, January 1, 2007; 242(1): 3 - 5. [Full Text] [PDF]
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A. V. Proto Diagnosis please certificates of recognition awarded to tammam nehme, MD, and to international and north american radiology resident groups. Radiology, November 1, 2006; 241(2): 331 - 333. [Full Text] [PDF]
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A. V. Proto Radiology 2006: More Change Radiology, January 1, 2006; 238(1): 3 - 5. [Full Text] [PDF]
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A. V. Proto Diagnosis Please Certificate of Recognition Awarded to Taro Shimono, MD, PhD Radiology, September 1, 2005; 236(3): 747 - 747. [Full Text] [PDF]
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