Abstract
SAGE publications has introduced this new open access online journal named ‘Cardiothoracic Open’ (CTO).
SAGE publishes the Asian Cardiovascular & Thoracic Annals (ACTA) affiliated to the Asian Society for Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery (ASCVTS) and the Association of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeons of Asia (ATCSA). The new CTO is affiliated to the ASCVTS and shares the same editorial board, consultants and reviewers. So why another new publication?
The need to publish is very important for the medical specialist community especially those in academic institutions. Decades ago as students we had seen two journals, one from the United States and the other from the United Kingdom in this super speciality. Today, there are more than 50 publications in cardiothoracic surgery alone. This phenomenal growth is a direct consequence of the need to publish. Memberships of professional Associations, National and International visibility and exposure, Career promotions and the need to have a Robust Curriculum Vitae are the driving force for this growth. CTO fulfils a part of this need to help authors get their contributions published by a quick and even citable publication, however, based on a peer review process that aims to confirm a final publication of substantial quality.
There is delay for publication in reputed journals, including the ACTA. A period of 6 months to 1 year elapses before an accepted submission is seen in print. Most publishers currently make available accepted manuscripts online before print. However, appearing in print takes time. Open access online journals such as the CTO mitigate this problem by offering quick, visible and peer reviewed publication of the submission. These journals are not printed and one may obtain a Portable Document Format (PDF) for personal records. Environmental issues may compel all journals to go online in the future. Printed copies of most journals have been reduced by giving electronic access to subscribers with savings in costs and benefits to environment. Although Prophetic future generations may only see ONLINE all published content. CTO and similar open access journals fulfil this prophecy in these preliminary steps.