Abstract
JFMS
JFMS to become a gold open access journal in 2023
As announced to AAFP and ISFM members at the end of January, and in response to a significant global shift in scientific medical publishing over the past decade, JFMS will, in 2023, be moving to an open access format. This exciting development means that the journal will become a free online resource for the entire global veterinary community – a fundamental step in enabling it to advance further collective feline medical and scientific knowledge.
With this change, JFMS articles will be published in their definitive form online, under a Creative Commons licence, once they have been accepted following peer review. There will no longer be print issues posted out monthly. In addition, with open access will come a move to an ‘author pays’ (rather than ‘reader pays’) model of publishing. The AAFP, ISFM and the publisher, SAGE, have been very conscious of the need for a competitive article processing charge (APC) and an initial introductory rate will be offered, followed by discounts for AAFP and ISFM members.
Quality remains a top priority in order to maintain the high standards that JFMS is known and respected for. The AAFP and the ISFM will therefore continue to make a significant investment in maintaining their own dedicated editorial team to work alongside SAGE’s team to support the publication process. In addition, this investment will allow the continuation of the much-loved Clinical Practice-style articles.
The move to open access publishing is an important new chapter in the evolution of JFMS and allows it to continue its mission of being the authority resource for feline medicine and welfare in a rapidly changing publishing world. The AAFP, ISFM and journal team hope that readers and authors alike will enjoy the benefits that the new format brings and that, ultimately, it will be a significant step forward for feline welfare.
AAFP
New benefits on the horizon for AAFP members
With JFMS moving to open access, the AAFP is excited to announce a suite of new member offerings that expands delivery of the best in feline medicine content to its members! A sneak peek at some of the benefits coming in the near future exclusively for AAFP members is shown below.
In addition, for 2022, AAFP members will receive a significant discount to the Spring into Feline Medicine eConference (see right), reduced rates for the Annual Conference and new free feline-specific webinar CE.
ISFM/iCatCare
Early bird registration for ISFM Feline Congress: Rhodes
Join ISFM in person on the beautiful Greek island of Rhodes for four days of high-level feline learning from 30 June to 3 July.
A full programme of lectures and events following the theme of ‘Feline fine: how to create harmony between physical health and mental wellbeing in your treatment and management of feline cases’ will be delivered by world-renowned speakers, including Sarah Heath, Danièlle Gunn-Moore, Clare Rusbridge and Matt Gurney. Additional masterclasses will take an in-depth look into pain management, neurology and evolving cat friendly skills, and Q&A sessions will give delegates the opportunity to pose questions directly to speakers and go beyond the talks. There will also be opportunities to network and meet like-minded veterinary professionals, as well as time to enjoy and explore Rhodes.
Early bird member registration is available until 1 April and starts at just £445. ISFM is also able to offer a discounted rate for those wishing to stay at the congress venue, The Sheraton Rhodes Resort. To keep everyone safe, ISFM asks for proof of double vaccination and that delegates comply with local government guidelines.
For those unable to attend in person, all the content from the events in Rhodes and ISFM’s second congress in Hong Kong, as well as exclusive bonus content and additional live Q&A sessions, will be available at this year’s virtual conference. In-person congress attendance also includes access to the virtual congress content.
iCatCare and BVNA announce new collaboration
The British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA) President, Alex Taylor, has announced International Cat Care, the parent charity of ISFM, as the charity of choice for her presidential year. Alex, AKA ‘The Cat Nurse’, is a passionate advocate for cats and, as a charity supporting veterinary professionals and cat owners to improve feline welfare, iCatCare was a natural fit.
The collaboration between BVNA and iCatCare aims to empower veterinary nurses to ‘speak up for cats’ and will see the two organisations work together in 2022 and beyond.
Head of ISFM Nathalie Dowgray comments: ‘2022 is the 10-year anniversary of our Cat Friendly Clinic programme and its success is in no small part due to the support of veterinary nurses. Collaboration with BVNA will be a fantastic step in our cat friendly evolution.’
Making countless cats more comfortable
Management of pain in cats has historically been neglected. ISFM is therefore delighted that the 2022 ISFM Guidelines on the Management of Acute Pain in Cats, published in the January issue of JFMS, had, at the time of going to press, over 22,500 downloads, making them the most read article from the past 6 months. The guidelines, which provide veterinary professionals with practical information on medications, dosages and techniques, have also achieved an impressive Alt metric score of 188, reflecting the interest in pain management in this species and helping countless cats be more comfortable
Awards
We are delighted to announce the winners of our two annual journal awards: the JFMS Resident Best Paper Award and, on page 271, the JFMS Open Reports Practitioner Best Paper Award.
2021 JFMS Resident Best Paper Award
Elizabeth Hiebert, of Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, USA, has won the 2021 JFMS Resident Best Paper Award. This annual award recognises quality and excellence for early career authors in veterinary science.
The criteria used for evaluating the studies eligible for this award are: benefit to cats, direct usefulness to practitioners, quality of science, originality and standard of writing. Elizabeth’s paper, ‘Intestinal dehiscence and mortality in cats undergoing gastrointestinal surgery’, published OnlineFirst on 19 October 2021, was ranked highest overall.
The panel of judges commented that this is a useful retrospective study that provides ‘good information for practitioners on high-risk situations, which will enable better communication about risks’. The panel of judges also noted that this topic is ‘very relevant to general practice’ and felt that ‘these findings will be much cited when considering gastrointestinal surgery’.
Elizabeth was gratified at the news, saying ‘Thank you very much for the award! I am honored to receive it’.
2021 JFMS Open Reports Practitioner Best Paper Award
The JFMS Open Reports Practitioner Best Paper Award has been won by Liu Yi Lee, who, at the time of writing the report, was a veterinarian at the Small Animal Specialist Hospital, North Ryde, Australia. This award, which runs annually, recognises quality and excellence for veterinary practitioners who submit papers to JFMS’s online, open access sister title, the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery Open Reports.
The criteria used for evaluating the papers eligible for the award are: benefit to cats, direct usefulness to practitioners, originality and standard of writing. Liu’s case report ‘Development of alternating, ipsilateral Horner syndrome and Pourfour du Petit syndrome associated with oesophagostomy tube placement in a cat’, published in January 2021, was ranked highest overall.
The panel of judges commented that this paper provides ‘valuable information for practitioners to consider when placing O-tubes’ and was an ‘excellent presentation of the case’. The judges also added that the paper was ‘clear, well written, with a good use of photos and graphics’ and that it was a ‘good case study to raise awareness of an uncommon complication of a common procedure’.
A delighted Liu responded, ‘Thank you so much, I am so honoured and grateful to the judging panel for this award’
