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Revista Colombiana de Obstetricia y Ginecología

Print version ISSN 0034-7434

Rev Colomb Obstet Ginecol vol.65 no.4 Bogotá Oct./Dec. 2014

https://doi.org/10.18597/rcog.9 

Towards an improved editorial process for Revista Colombiana de Obstetricia y Ginecología (Colombian Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology)

From the moment we began our work as editors of Revista Colombiana de Obstetricia y Ginecología (RCOG), we have been keenly interested in supporting national and international authors seeking to publish research conducted in this region. Our main focus is on publishing articles that provide the reader with a clear understanding of what the question is and how the authors came to it, as well as of the objective of the research. Articles should also contain a detailed description of the methodology used to answer the question, reduce the risk of bias, and present a relevant statistical analysis. Results are to be presented in a simple logical form, in line with the stated objectives and with supporting information included in the text and in the form of tables or figures. Finally, the discussion section is required to be relevant and compare the results obtained with the evidence available in relation to the problem studied, and state the weaknesses and strengths of the study. All this in a simple and agile format in response to the fact that readers are busy and need to optimize the time devoted to reading the manuscript in terms of credibility and efficiency.

The use of several tools designed to improve reporting of biomedical research has been suggested in order to support the authors (1). The editors of the journal recommended the use of those tools for verifying the information to be included in the manuscript starting with the first 2014 issue (2); however, their interpretation is not always easy and their effective application requires some knowledge of epidemiology or statistics. Likewise, as of 2013, the editorial committee appointed an expert advisor in Ethics to provide advice to the authors and the committee itself on the ethical considerations of the publications. Along the same lines, we are now in the process of adhering to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) (3), and will take additional steps towards improved transparency of the editorial process in support of the authors and for the benefit of the RCOG readers. However, these changes will mean additional work from the editorial team and compliance with more demanding requirements by the authors as they start the publication process.

Described below are changes to be implemented in 2015 as part of the editorial process:

a) Only the manuscripts that meet the requirements contained in the checklist and that are submitted in the forms provided in the journal`s website will be accepted (see: http://www.fecolsog.org/revista/Guia_Indicaciones_Autores_APU_02.pdf)

b) Manuscripts will undergo an initial review to determine whether they are relevant for target audience and focus on the topics covered by the journal. They will also be examined to determine whether they meet the qualit y and clarit y reporting criteria suggested by the EQUATOR initiative for original research, including controlled clinical trials, observational studies, study of the accuracy of diagnostic tests, systematic reviews, economic evaluations and qualitative research (see: http://www.equator-network.org/). Additionally, the authors will be asked for a report of the activities they have performed that entitle them to authorship rights; and a software for the detection of plagiarism or publication duplications will be used. Only the manuscripts that meet the requirements will be sent for peer review.

c) Efforts will be made to expedite the peer review process and to incorporate any relevant changes suggested by peer reviewers or at any other time during the editorial process. In the event a manuscript is not accepted, the mechanism to appeal the decision will be made known to the authors.

d) Authors will be asked for a detailed description of the changes made and their comments to the feedback from the peer reviewers, which they must submit together with the document containing edited changes.

d) Articles will be published on-line once the editorial process is completed.

e) Education articles will be published to help the authors understand the content of the various guidelines on reporting. In cases of potential misconduct by the authors or the reviewers, the COPE criteria will apply. The journal will continue with its position of editorial independence from its parent organization, FECOLSOG.

We hope that these new processes will enhance the already high scientific and editorial quality of our journal so that we may again apply for inclusion of the RCOG in the international databases of bibliographic references where it is not indexed as of yet, as is the case of Medline and Embase, thus improving the dissemination of the research published in our journal.

Hernando Gaitán Duarte

Editor

REFERENCES

1. Enhancing the Quality and Transparency of health Research - EQUATOR. [Visitado 2014 nov 20]. Disponible en: http://www.equator-network.org.         [ Links ]

2. Rubio-Romero JA. La Revista Colombiana de Obstetricia y Ginecología y los estándares internacionales de publicación en revistas científicas. Rev Colomb Obstet Ginecol. 2014;65(1):8-10. Disponible en: http://www.scielo.org.co/scielo.php?script=sci_ arttext&pid=S0034-74342014000100001&lng=es.         [ Links ]

3. Committee on publication ethics COPE. [Visitado 2014 nov 20]. Disponible en: http://publicationethics.org/        [ Links ]