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.