Mutual Responsibilities to Nurture the Journal

As we move into 2023, the Indian Journal of Plastic Surgery (IJPS) will publish six times a year, every other month. This will greatly improve the efficiency and significantly reduce the article processing time with faster publication. I'm sure this will encourage more submissions from authors around the world. We are in the 56th year of publishing, the first Asian plastic surgery journal and constantly strive to maintain the high standards with high impact articles, timely publication, and delivery of hard copies.[1] [2] While the task is cut out for us, much less is discussed about the reciprocal support and responsibility of the members of the association in building a robust scientific publication. I have put together a thoughtful list of some areas of cooperation, inputs, and contributions from our colleagues.

Citations

I am pleased to report that the Scopus Cite Score of the IJPS is on a steady rise from 0.8 in 2021, 1.1 in 2022, to 1.4 this year. This reflects an increase in readership, citations, and the overall quality of the journal. However, our internal audits suggest that less than 30% of citations come from India as opposed to 70% from international authors. I earnestly request all of you to refer to the articles published in the IJPS and cite them in your articles submitted to us or elsewhere. This is not an undue call for such action, but I sincerely believe that our articles on a wide range of topics deserve much more attention, readership, and citations from our members.

Sign Up for Regular Updates

Thieme India regularly shares the latest information on the IJPS with our audience through emails and newsletters. However, we have noticed that not all members of the Association of Plastic Surgeons of India (APSI) receive these updates. Only 5% of them have actually opted in for receiving these emails, this leaves out a large number of association members from receiving any information about the journal and its progress. We send information on New Issue announcements, most-read articles, editorials, call for papers, and news on our latest educational and scientific resources. All of this useful information is being missed by members of the association. I share the link and image here and urge everyone to sign up for email alerts, including journal updates and any special offers from Thieme India for members of the APSI ([Fig. 1]).

Fig. 1 Link for signing up: https://bit.ly/ijps_news.

Subscriptions

Our marketing team is excellently reaching out to authors, readers, and institutions to promote the journal. Our strategies include (1) new issue announcements via email and social media, (2) promotion of eFirst articles, Most Read Articles via email, cross-promotions in print and online journals, and Quarterly Plastic Surgery E-newsletter, (c) promotion of print subscriptions via email and print ads, and (4) Call for Papers via email, cross-promotions in print and online journals. This yielded a positive outcome with a 12% increase in article downloads and a 10% increase in institutional subscribers in 2022. However, our journal is grossly undersubscribed, with less than 20% institution subscription, considering over 650 medical colleges apart from Diplomat of National Board institutes in the country. Once again, I would ask everyone to check if your respective institutes subscribe to the journal and to insist that it be in your library. Subscription revenues go a long way to supporting us financially.

Promotions

The real value and impact of your article can be greatly enhanced with promotion. Once an article is published, consider sharing on your professional and private accounts such as on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, ResearchGate, Orcid, YouTube, Weibo, WeChat, Reddit, institution repository, blogs, and so on. Maximizing your article visibility on these platforms will promote the journal as well. Please follow and share content from IJPS social media platforms on a regular basis.

First Preference Submissions

We are witnessing a large volume of work output from many centers, particularly in oncological reconstruction, hand and microsurgery, and aesthetic surgery. As our journal is an open-access model, articles will have a greater chance of being read and cited. We have consistently supported a large number of authors and residents to assist with revisions and get them published. All good work should be published and I look forward to your submissions to the IJPS as a first preference journal.

Authors' Compliance

We receive several papers submitted by residents who do not meet the guidelines and nearly in a thesis format. I request senior co-authors to carefully review the entire article and guide residents for the submission. This will enable us to expedite the review and revision process and potentially save valuable time and effort for all.

Print Copies

Notwithstanding financial constraints, we publish print copies and deliver them to our members. I personally enjoy reading a hard copy, which provides a wholesome experience, available at the office desk for ready reference. There has always been a constant demand for hard copies and seldom to relinquish. Despite all our efforts, we are losing many copies that were either not delivered or were delivered incorrectly due to address changes. It is of the utmost importance for any change of address to be communicated regularly to the editor. We would also appreciate feedback on the status of receiving your journal copy. We welcome those who wish to relinquish print copies to reduce the cost burden.

Financial Support

As we increase the number of publications, the cost of production and postage will double as well. Our journal is an open-access model and does not charge article processing charges (APCs) for submission. However, funding from the association is not sufficient to sustain the open-access model. The advertisements, at best, can support the cost partially. We will be constrained to start the APC model or closed access and “Pay for Print” options. Any financial support and advertisements from members will be greatly appreciated, thankfully received, and faithfully applied.

The journal during the five decades under the competent leadership of my predecessors and nourished by the members of the association has grown by leaps and bounds. We will continue to engage each and every one of you on this progressive journey. Your cooperation, input, and support will help us all to continue robust growth into the future.

Conflict of Interest

None declared.

• References

• 1 Kadam D. The golden fifty and the glorious forthcoming. Indian J Plast Surg 2018; 51 (01) 1-2
• 2 Kadam D. From 2019 Onwards…. Indian J Plast Surg 2019; 52 (01) 1-3

Publication History

Article published online:
24 February 2023