Keeping Pace with the Ever-Growing Orthotic and Prosthetic Profession: New Faces and Changes at Prosthetics and Orthotics International

As the new Editors-in-Chief of Prosthetics and Orthotics International, we would like to take the opportunity to acknowledge and thank Dr. Timothy Bach for his service. Since 2015, Dr. Bach served as the Editor-in-Chief, and among his accomplishments recruited a larger and more geographically diverse cohort of Associate Editors with the clinical experience, and specialist research skills, needed to oversee the review of a wide range of manuscripts, including a growing number of systematic reviews.

Since assuming the role of Editors-in-Chief on the 1^st January 2019, we have reflected on the rapid scientific, academic and clinical expansion of our field. Today, our professional community is larger and more diverse than it has ever been. Importantly, it is a community defined not by discipline, position, role, or title, but instead by a shared dedication to improving quality of life for the millions of people around the world who benefit from prosthetic, orthotic, and other assistive technologies. We are honoured and humbled to be a part of this community, and are excited by this opportunity to serve the International Society of Prosthetics and Orthotics (ISPO), SAGE, and the readers, authors, reviewers and associate editors of Prosthetics and Orthotics International.

We would like to take this opportunity to articulate our vision for the journal and share some of our early efforts to achieve this vision including: the development of a new editorial model, recruitment of additional Associate Editors, development of new policies and administrative procedures, and a revitalised Editorial Board.

Our Vision for Prosthetics and Orthotics International

The ability to develop a body of knowledge is one of the most important traits of any profession. The evidence contained in the body of knowledge serves as the basis for our clinical, educational, and scientific practices. Our evidence base also helps us to define what is known, what is believed, and what is still yet to be determined. Peer-reviewed journals, like Prosthetics and Orthotics International, therefore play an important role in the profession by serving as a vehicle for the dissemination of evidence and as a repository of knowledge related to prosthetic and orthotic clinical practices, interventions, and outcomes.

Our vision is that Prosthetics and Orthotics International will be the journal of choice for all of those who wish to access, and contribute to, our rich and growing body of knowledge.

A New Editorial Model

One of the first changes you will note is that there are now four Editors-in-Chief. While Prosthetics and Orthotics International has historically been managed by a single Editor-in-Chief, we believe it is challenging for one person to effectively meet the many demands of leading a contemporary, peer-reviewed journal. Although we each bring extensive experience as authors, reviewers, and associate editors, we believe that we can accomplish more as a collaborative team of Editors-in-Chief than any one of us could achieve alone. We believe that this model will serve Prosthetics and Orthotics International well, as it has other leading rehabilitation journals, and we are encouraged that the ISPO Executive Board share this view.

New Associate Editors

One of our first actions as Editors-in-Chief has been to increase the number of Associate Editors. Associate Editors play a key role in the day-to-day operation of the journal, as they are ultimately responsible for managing the peer review for all submissions. Thus, to maintain high-quality and timely peer review, a journal must have a diverse and capable pool of Associate Editors. We have recently reached out to a number of researchers, clinicians, and educators around the world to invite their participation as Associate Editors. It was been heartening that many people are supportive of our efforts, share our vision, and have accepted our invitation. I am sure you will join us in welcoming our new Associate Editors as they commence their new roles.

In addition to increasing the number of Associate Editors, we have also charged each of them with the responsibility to render decisions on the manuscripts they manage. This approach is increasingly advocated by other journals in order to expedite reviews and facilitate better communication with authors. We have been working with the Associate Editors to prepare them for this increased responsibility. We are confident that authors will quickly see the benefits of having devolved this decision making to Associate Editors in terms of the timeliness of decisions, but also decisions informed by someone with intimate knowledge of the submission.

New Policies and Administrative Procedures

Since commencing as Editors-in-Chief, we have been working diligently to review and revise the journal’s policies and procedures so that we might streamline the submission, review, and publication process. For example, we have revised, and will soon release, new author guidelines and manuscript submission checklists. We expect that these documents will help make the requirements clearer to authors, avoid frustration, expedite the submission and triaging process, as well as improve the overall quality of articles ultimately published in Prosthetics and Orthotics International.

We are also pleased to have established a close working relationship with the publisher SAGE to engage a Senior Peer Review Associate who is responsible for quickly verifying that submissions adhere to the author guidelines before editorial review, associate editor assignment, and peer review. The Senior Peer Review Associate will also serve as the first point of contact for author queries.

We are confident that these policy and administrative changes will streamline the submission and review processes, and thereby speed the time from submission to decision.

New Editorial Board Efforts

We are also working to develop an Editorial Board that will provide us with strategic direction and help us undertake new initiatives to improve the quality and impact of articles published in Prosthetics and Orthotics International. For example, we intend to develop new resources to help train those interested in becoming peer reviewers. We believe that peer review is an important professional responsibility, but also realize that we each have only so much time to volunteer towards such efforts. Given the increasing number of submissions to Prosthetics and Orthotics International, it is imperative that we work with our Editorial Board members to increase the number of individuals who are available to review these submissions. It is also important that we are able to train and support Associate Editors and reviewers to extend their skills to ensure that the best evidence reaches publication. Through the Editorial Board we will also explore new methods to expand our social media presence in order to spread the word about the quality work published in the journal.

In closing, we look forward to serving as Editors-in-Chief of Prosthetics and Orthotics International, and hope that our first editorial helps provide some insights into our vision for the journal and our early efforts to achieve this vision. We hope you share with us the vision for a journal that draws from the collective knowledge, experience, and expertise of our community to create a robust and reliable body of knowledge. We welcome your feedback to help inform the future direction of Prosthetics and Orthotics International, and ensure that the journal meets the needs of the profession it serves.