First published on December 23, 2008
This version was published on January 1, 2009
Neuro Oncol 2009 11(1):1; DOI:10.1215/15228517-2008-121
Duke University Press
To Publish or Not to Publish...
W. K. Alfred Yung, Editor in Chief
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Introduction
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In the ideal, research would always be transformative, yielding information that immediately and directly improves not just a discipline-specific knowledge base but the human condition as well. In the real world, of course, research represents an accumulation of experiences and incrementa gains, which together ultimately reveal what we really want to know. Conducting research is most often like putting together the pieces of a 1,000-plus–piece puzzle: each one seems to contribute just a little information to the whole, but if any one of those pieces is missing, the picture is incomplete.
Neuro-Oncology is a journal that serves both a large constituency (those interested and involved in the umbrella concept of "neuro-oncology") and those working in the subspecialties that individually contribute information to the whole. With the rise in our impact factor and our now one-year-old practice of bimonthly publication, submissions to the journal and the quality of those submissions are at an all-time high. One of the more difficult tasks for journal editors (and the peer reviewers who provide critiques on the submissions) is to determine which manuscripts merit publication. The hard truth is that sometimes even good papers, those that in themselves describe robust results gained from well-designed inquiries, may not make it into our pages—whether because of space constraints, timeliness, or the scope of content.
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Published Articles Reflect Conscious Decisions
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You will likely have noticed that Neuro-Oncology tends to emphasize full research articles rather than short reports, individual case studies, or pictorial essays. In part this reflects the types of papers that are submitted, but it also reflects conscious decision-making about what types of articles we believe will serve the greatest number of our readers in the most meaningful ways. To that end, we are committed to publishing content and review articles specifically focused on topics of profound interest to the neuro-oncology community.
This month's lineup of articles includes materials that fall into both those broad classifications. First, we present a special section (starting on p. 41) on quality of life, both short term and long term, in glioma survivors. In addition, we present two review articles that discuss advanced medical treatments for glioma (these reports begin on page 69). Read separately, each of these articles might be just a small piece of the picture of neurooncological science and clinical practice. Together, however, they demonstrate real advances in patient care and reveal needs that remain unmet.
We welcome your contributions to the puzzle. Please note our guidelines (as they appear in Instructions for Authors at www.editorialmanager.com/n-o/default.asp), and remember that our aim is to publish information that represents the highest order of hypothesis-driven inquiry and of fundamental importance to the field. If you are in doubt about whether we might want to publish a certain type of paper, contact us at neurooncology{at}mdanderson.org and ask.
To all of you who make Neuro-Oncology the leader in the field, thank you for entrusting us with your knowledge, your data, and your experience.
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Introduction
Published Articles Reflect...
