Abstract
Milestones of Publication in IJCC
Hope you all read the June issue a few weeks back. I invite your valuable inputs and comments by phone message or as a letter to the editor (on a particular article) for improvements. Of course, I am a bit upset that its publication got delayed due to circumstances beyond my control. An honest introspection led me to pen this editorial, which is largely meant for budding authors. Seasoned and senior colleagues may skip reading it.
The milestones of a publication in IJCC include: drafting the manuscript by authors, check-list by the corresponding author, opening an account with Sage-website, submitting as per guidelines, scrutiny by the journal coordinator (of Sage Publishers), forwarding to the Editor-in-Chief [EIC] and assigning it to associate editor [AE], invitation letter to two reviewers, reviewer’s response, decision by associate editor, revisions by authors, review of the revised manuscripts, AE recommendation to EIC, decision by EIC, plagiarism/similarity check of accepted articles, contributor agreement form by each author, export to publication, processing by publication department, proof reading of each article, final decision by EIC, online publication of select articles, online publication of entire issue, hard copies to the editorial office and final dispatch to individual members. Needless to say, it is not one man’s job. A break in any step leads to a delay in the publication.
Drafting the manuscript by authors: The journal has original research articles, case reports, imaging corner, interventional corner, heart failure corner, ECG-EP corner and letters to editor categories to which one can submit your write-up. Invited editorial, review-articles, journal-scan section and perspective (on important cardiology issues are sought from key opinion leaders). We are yet to finalize how to use fellow’s forum category. I feel this forum could be for the students on topics useful for their exit examinations. The details of manuscript preparation and submission can be accessed at Opening an account with Sage-website for a long-term relationship with our own journal: An easy one-time task. Have to remember the login id and password (can be recreated a number of times later). All co-authors also have to open the account. Check-list by the corresponding author: Correct author names, sequence, affiliation, e-mail ids and contact details. Necessary permissions for reproduction of illustrations from already published articles/books. ORCID number is desirable, especially if you are interested in multiple publications. Submission as per guidelines: Scrutiny by journal coordinator (of Sage Publishers): This basic initial scrutiny will find if the manuscript is meeting minimal structure to be considered for peer-reviewing. Forwarding to EIC and assigning AE. This step needs a week’s time as EIC and AEs are busy clinicians. Invitation emails to two reviewers at a time. The reviewers have to see and accept. Sometimes the invitation is not read, ignored or refused. Then the cycle is started with one or more new reviewers. Reviewer’s response: This step takes about two weeks’ time. Sometimes they need a time extension. A few sent negative responses. Recommendation by associate editor to EIC. This may be acceptance, rejection or minor or major revision—another week goes on. Revisions by authors: This takes one to two weeks’ time. Sometimes needs reminder emails. Review of the revised manuscripts: Another week or more goes in this step. AE recommendation to EIC: Usually it is done in a reasonable time. Decision by EIC: It is done in a day’s time. Contributor agreement form by each author: An avoidable delay at this step; earlier the better. Plagiarism/similarity check is done for all accepted papers. If the similarity rate is unacceptably high, an article may be sent back to the author to fix the issues. Export to publication and processing by publication department: They expect two to three weeks’ time for this vital step. Proofreading of each article by the corresponding author: Another avoidable delay often noticed. Final look and decision by EIC. Sometimes an accepted paper may be pushed to the next issue to keep balance of the original articles, review articles, case reports and other special categories. Online publication of select articles which can be accessed and downloaded at the website much in advance than the print version comes out. Online publication of the entire issue: Since the publication occurs once in three months—we aim for it by 1st week of March/June/September/December. The hard copies come out in one to two weeks’ time. Hard copies to the Editorial office and finally to individual members: one to two weeks of tedious work. I request all members of TS-CSI to inform me of any change in your mailing address [at
These timelines are important to get the published journal to reach the readers in time. The birth of an article in its final form is a big teamwork of dedicated individuals. My appeal to associate editors and reviewers is to adopt a policy of doing the job required and send the ball to the other court promptly during the peer-reviewing. The authors can lessen their disappointment by being meticulous in all concerned steps.
Please feel free to send your suggestions for improvement in the journal.
