Journal of Postgraduate Medicine: The path ahead

SB Bavdekar, NJ Gogtay, D Muzumdar, P Vaideeswar, V Salvi, M Sarkar 
 Editorial team, Journal of Post-graduate Medicine, Seth GS Medical College and KEM Hospital, Parel, Mumbai - 400 012, India

Correspondence Address:
S B Bavdekar
Editorial team, Journal of Post-graduate Medicine, Seth GS Medical College and KEM Hospital, Parel, Mumbai - 400 012
India

Full Text

The Journal of Postgraduate Medicine (JPGM) was established to provide a forum for the scientists for sharing their ideas, thoughts and research findings. [1] Initially envisaged as a medium for dissemination of research findings amongst institutional and local researchers, the journal has grown to don an international character. It now attracts contributors from over 40 countries, with over 40% of its 800 submissions last year contributed by overseas authors. Its popular website (www.jpgmonline.com) is accessed by over a million visitors annually. The articles published in JPGM are being quoted more often. JPGM has shown the way for society-run journals with a small subscription base to improve their impact through open access. It is noteworthy that JPGM, which was the first internationally indexed medical journal published by any Indian medical college is now listed with over 30 different databases. [1],[2],[3],[4]

The new editorial team that has taken over the reins of JPGM from July 2007 is aware of the great work done by its predecessors and the great responsibilities that it will have to shoulder. The 55 years of its existence have not been easy and it is the motivation, perseverance and a will to succeed demonstrated by the staff society members that has ensured that JPGM has overcome difficulties, weathered several storms and has continued to grow. It has received support not only from the staff society but also from the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai and from institutional heads. Dr. ME Yeolekar has taken over as the Dean of Seth GS Medical College and KEM Hospital. He has been previously associated with the journal and has a vast editorial experience. The editorial team is sure that it can draw upon his expertise in the field and would also receive support for meeting the challenges that lie ahead.

The new team would like to continue with the initiatives launched in the previous years. The journal's basic structure and editorial policies would remain the same. The editorial team would like to consolidate the gains attained in the last few years. It would continue to provide high-quality scientific articles that are whetted by a 2000-strong international panel of experts and reviewers. It would take all the necessary steps to ensure that the time lags between submission and review, acceptance and publication of manuscripts are reduced to a minimum. Sections such as ethics forum, education forum and looking back would be revived. The team would endeavor to make all the articles published in the Journal since its inception available to the readers through its website. It has been observed that some manuscripts submitted to the journal do not carry information about ethical clearance and about research being done in conformity with national and international guidelines. This constitutes an important omission. The editorial board would post detailed policies related to research and publication ethics, registration of trials, procedures related to author/ editor misconduct on the website.

The journal, as in the past, [5],[6] will continue to make its contribution to educating researchers and authors by organizing conferences and workshops on medical writing, editing and publishing. The student editors would be given greater area of work and freedom so that they are better trained. The journal would ensure that, through them, the views of the student community are communicated more effectively. And last but not the least, the editorial team would like to reiterate the commitment made in 2004 that the journal would make its contribution to the "open access" movement, as it believes that technology should facilitate dissemination of knowledge and not hinder it and that scarcity of resources should never come in the way of accessing information that is likely to lead to better healthcare and a better life.

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