Writing, editing and publishing are the heart and soul of
research. For the benefit of the society at large, information
gathered from a study should be made available to it and be
accessible by it easily. Dissemination of research work is
imperative for it to become knowledge. “Publication and
dissemination of the results of national research and development
activities help in strengthening and expanding national scientific
and technological capacity and capability” [Ninth International
Conference of Science Editors].
Writing is the first step in this process of transformation
of information [A collection of facts or data] to knowledge [The
state or fact of knowing]. A well-written piece, unfolding a
research work, is readily accepted for publication and appreciated
and grasped by the peers. To effectively build these capacities,
it will be necessary to enhance the training of medical students
and scientists at all levels. Though research methodology is part
of the curricula in some, most medical schools do not train the
future medical scientists as to how to present their work in the
most appropriate manner. Even more importantly, no course
discusses the importance of writing and publishing the data which
are being collected in every clinic and hospital. These issues
will form the crux of this conference. One of the important aims
of the conference is creating awareness among researchers,
students and doctors about the ethical issues in writing related
to authorship, relationship with the industry and / or patient’s
privacy.
Editing and peer-reviewing form the essential part of
publication process and they help to assess the scientific
validity, originality and importance of a work and improve its
readability and accuracy before publication. Special skills in
editing, publishing and managing scientific journals are
obligatory to fulfil the role of journal editors. Unfortunately,
part-time editors of the journals from the developing world are
not well-versed with the evolving norms and technology in
scientific journal publishing and management.
Publishing is the final stage of dissemination of research
findings. Electronic tools facilitate and speed up the process of
dissemination of knowledge beyond the limits of printed volumes of
a journal. Electronic publishing also helps to propagate the
knowledge from South to North and from East to West which becomes
especially relevant today with increasing spread of diseases
across the globe. A toll-free access increases the visibility,
accessibility and impact of research. There is a need to examine
the issues related to electronic publishing and open access in the
context of the developing world – who pays for the access, what is
the best solution for a journal from the developing world, and so
on.

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