The Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (RAPM) Editorial Office discussed the following topics at the April 27, 2002 ASRA Annual Meeting in Chicago:
I announced to Society headquarters my intent to hand over leadership of the Journal after five years of service. Increasing departmental responsibilities and national commitments are limiting the time needed for the creative work the Journal demands. Joseph Neal, M.D. of Seattle, Washington will be assuming the Editor-in-Chief role effective June 1, 2002, and our entire editorial team is delighted.
Submissions to Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine continue to increase. From 2000 to 2001 the journal saw an 8% rise in submissions and another 4% increase from 2001 to 2002. The proliferation of medical journals, especially pain titles, makes this increase surprising. However, the commitment to provide quick, quality reviews makes the journal an attractive choice for authors. On average, the Editorial Office is returning manuscript decisions in just under five weeks. This high standard of performance is possible because of the dedication and quality of the journal's review board.
Growing interest in the journal as the choice for submission has produced a corresponding increase in the journal's rejection rate. The journal's contract with W.B. Saunders allots 100 pages per issue including 6 color pages for the years 2002 and 2003. In order to meet this contractual obligation the Editorial Board has consistently and progressively raised its standard for publication. Since 1999 the rejection rate of Original Manuscripts has risen from 39% to 59% and Case Reports over the same period of time went from a 39% rejection rate to a 66% rate. This growth will be taken into consideration as the Society renegotiates the journal's contract.
The Editorial Office continues to research options for web-based manuscript submission, review, and tracking in order to improve the journal's efficiency and meet the growing preference for electronic systems over paper. For the first time the journal is experiencing a preference to submit electronically with 55% of the 2002 submissions (1/1/02-3/21/02) arriving via e-mail. After intensive investigation and review the Editorial Office recommended Editorial Manager by Aries Systems as the system that would best meet the journal's needs for its easy customization, cost effectiveness, and its user-friendly interface.
In conclusion, the journal continues to succeed through efforts of its editorial board members, contributors, and specialists in the field. Through their valuable contributions the journal remains a useful forum for the presentation of science and clinical issues related to regional anesthesia and pain medicine. I thank you for the wonderful professional experience you have allowed me to have as Editor-in-Chief these last five years.
David L. Brown, M.D.
Editor-in-Chief, Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine Editorial Office
Year-End Annual Report (Condensed Version) - May 10, 2002
The Editorial Office of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (RAPM) has undergone a major relocation. After five years as the Editor-in-Chief, David L. Brown, MD, Professor and Chair of the University of Iowa Department of Anesthesiology, has stepped down to devote more time to his Department and national commitments. The Editorial Office has moved to the Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, where Joseph M. Neal, MD became the new Editor-in-Chief on June 1, 2002. Dr. Brown's contributions to RAPM cannot be overemphasized. Under his leadership, the Journal enjoyed significant increases in total number of submissions and impact factor. The Journal provided its readership with innovative articles focused on imaging topics, translational vignettes, and also published important supplements, most notably the frequently cited ASRA Consensus Statement on Neuraxial Anesthesia and Anticoagulation. Dave's leadership and organizational skills will be missed, as will the very capable team of the Iowa City editorial assistants, Shawn A. Platt and Dorene A. Burr.
Although the general focus of RAPM will not change, the Editorial Board hopes to incorporate several new features. Most important of these will be a concerted effort to make RAPM the preferred publication vehicle for those pain medicine investigators whose work is of particular interest to the practicing anesthesiologist. To this end, I am most pleased to announce the appointment of James P. Rathmell, MD as the Associate Editor-in-Chief for Pain Medicine. Jim has skillfully coordinated the Journal's Imaging Section for the last several years. As Chair of the ASA Committee on Pain, his expertise is well respected and frankly will be a valuable complement to my focus on the surgical applications of regional anesthesia. In addition to expanding our focus on pain management, we will continue to encourage the submission of high quality clinical and basic science research from throughout the world. This focus naturally includes a re-affirmation of the continued participation of a strong, internationally based Editorial Board. Meeting the financial challenges of publishing a medical journal in today's environment of increasing production costs and decreasing advertising revenue also brings opportunity for innovation. For example, we are exploring options for the electronic delivery of valuable but otherwise expensive information, most notably distribution of meeting abstracts and/or supplements from the recent conferences on Local Anesthetic Toxicity and the Anticoagulation Guideline updates. Opportunities are also present for increasing RAPM's availability amongst our international colleagues. Finally, we will continue to provide our readership with quality peer-reviewed information presented in an interesting format, and our authors with a rapid review process. To this end, an entirely Web-based manuscript submission and review process should be in place within the year.
As part of the transition from Iowa City to Seattle, we are most fortunate to have Jeff D. Baker join the Editorial Office as the new Managing Editor. Jeff has extensive publishing experience and will become the central force in assuring that you receive a new issue every other month and that your research is efficiently guided through the publication process. We are most interested to hear your thoughts and concerns regarding our efforts to continue RAPM's growth. Please feel free to contact us at RAPM@vmmc.org with your comments.
Joseph M. Neal, MD
Editor-in-Chief, Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine