Abstract
We have entered the second year of the pandemic, and we are still feeling the effects far and wide. We are fortunate that perhaps, there are some things that grew more quickly with the situations that resulted from the pandemic. As a journal, we saw a definite increase in the number and quality of submissions to the journal, and we were enthusiastic with the growth of the journal. This resulted perhaps with the ability of researchers and surgeons having more time to focus on finishing their research projects and manuscripts. This resulted in more work for the administrators of the GSJ, and a lot more work from our dedicated reviewers and editorial board. We want to thank each one of our volunteers for their hard work, diligence, and timeliness in advancing the review process during this busy time. We know that surgeons and all spine practitioners are busier than ever in their hospitals, especially when there are huge surges in various regions, and it makes for less time to peer-review articles. We are extremely grateful to our reviewers who have reviewed for GSJ during this difficult time.
With the increase in the number of high-quality submissions, we know that our rejection rate has increased. We have received a number of queries from some authors of some very good submissions, where the reviews are positive, but ultimately, the difficult decision was made to accept another article, and unfortunately, not accept their article for publication. This is becoming more difficult, given the increasing number of submissions. We hope this does not discourage our authors from future submissions to the GSJ, and we rely on the submitted content to fuel our journal. Often the reviewers are judging the quality of the single submission in isolation, with positive reviews. However, as it advances through the peer-review process, there are perhaps other similar articles with longer follow-up, or higher numbers, which would only allow for acceptance of a limited number of similar articles. We thank all the authors for considering GSJ for their articles, and we will promise to continue our blinded and fair review process.
We are all doing our best to still provide a high-quality journal with optimal service during the pandemic, and we are grateful that we have been able to continue to publish at all when so many other businesses and services have been halted or ended due to the pandemic. We want all our readers, authors, and reviewers to know that the editorial board in conjunction with our publisher appreciate your support, reviews, and your submissions as we would not be able to function without you.