Abstract
As I reflect on my time involved with the JDMS, I still remember my first publication as an author. Seeing my name in print seemed hardly believable. The article about integrating contrast into the echo lab became a go-to article for industry to provide education to sonographers and opened doors that I never could have expected. The following year, I was fortunate to work with Alan Waggoner, MHS, RDCS, FSDMS, who mentored me on a review of aortic insufficiency. In several of the original drafts, he marked up my draft with so much red, I thought someone had bled on it! And yet through these experiences, I learned persistence, humility, process improvement, and a desire to always be better! These learnings led to an amazing opportunity (that I hope each of you will consider) to be more involved in the JDMS as a writer, reviewer, and eventually a member of the Editorial Board.
When I began on the Board almost 20 years ago, I was excited to begin a new chapter of my career through continued learning and partnering with others to continue to raise the excellence and usability of the Journal. At the time, Jean Lea Spitz, MPH, RDMS, FSDMS, was the editor and role model for how to effectively support a journal that was practical and elevated the scientific standards of the sonography field.
In 2006, I was named Editor-in-Chief and served in that role for 5 years. I was lucky to work with a dedicated Editorial Board who was active and passionate about the Journal. The Board was restructured during this time to include section editors to aid in facilitating the publication process. The instructions for authors were revised to include a checklist to make manuscript submission simpler. In an effort to increase the quality and quantity of manuscripts submitted to the Journal, we created workshops for the authors and the reviewers. These programs were 1 to 2 hours and provided educational opportunities at the annual meeting with online access available thereafter. A mentorship program was developed to identify authors and mentors who could work together to improve manuscripts, especially those novice authors who might not have local resources to help. Authors would bring an outline or a draft to the meeting, and together with the mentor, a plan for moving forward to publication was created. Additionally, a robust online mentorship program was used to develop promising manuscripts. Throughout the years, continuing medical education (CME) was increasingly utilized through the Journal to promote articles as well as to provide opportunities to readers for free CME.
During this time, the Journal transitioned from Rapid Review, a software program, into a new online platform—SAGETrack—for the JDMS that allowed a more streamlined process from submission to publication. This online system also gave us the ability to review manuscripts, provide feedback to the authors and reviewers, and improve the submission-to-publication times. An online checklist for authors was implemented, author letters were enhanced, and direct communication on manuscripts was implemented. Later, a new plagiarism software became available for use, further enhancing the quality of reviews and feedback to the authors. The new platform also allowed the ability to download full texts/pdfs of the manuscripts. By 2008, the yearly full-text downloads were 65 746 with 413 320 people accessing the JDMS website every year. Given our current reliance on digital access to resources, I wonder how we could have gotten through without this!
To increase the access and visibility of the manuscripts published in the JDMS, the Board decided in 2008 to pursue Medline/Index Medicus recognition. As an already peer-reviewed, international journal with a specific unmet niche publication type, we felt it was a perfect match! A significant push was made to publish original research and review articles that would increase the impact of the Journal as well as the frequency by which the JDMS articles would be referenced in future articles. The peer-review process included the review by section editors, at least two additional reviewers, and the Editor-in-Chief and was outlined to meet the process and statistical standards of Medline criteria. The acceptance rate and time to publish were provided as well as inclusion of publication standards relating to financial disclosure, conflict of interest, human rights, and informed consent statements. At that time, the JDMS had over 21 000 subscribers in over 40 countries with over 1500 articles published since inception. Supporting letters were also provided with the application. Despite our best effort, the Journal was not accepted for full indexing, but we learned a lot through the process and identified areas for future improvement. In the following years, we were able to achieve greater visibility and accessibility through other avenues.
In 2010, focus shifted to enhanced usability and marketing of the Journal. The Journal cover was updated with a brighter, more eye-catching cover, and the global article formatting was improved for readability. The Journal began to explore and then integrated video clips into submissions and publication. A program was implemented to allow authors to be rewarded through CME credits and membership discounts for publishing in the JDMS. As social media continued to increase, a Twitter account and the JDMS Facebook page were started to increase communication and provide a forum for conversation about upcoming publications and resources. The JDMS Facebook page is currently followed by over 2750 people from around the world. Even today, the page keeps readers up to date on upcoming content and related information.
It has been an honor to work with the JDMS and to serve sonographers through working with the Journal. I would encourage all sonographers to not only continue to use the JDMS as an invaluable resource but to also challenge yourself to get involved in the JDMS as an author and potential reviewer. You will reap the rewards of your involvement more than you can imagine, whether it be through academia, education, or comradery with other sonographers and health care providers. I will look forward with you to a bright future!