Should We Kill the Case Report?

The ACVP's mission and vision include “fostering excellence in veterinary pathology” and “to be…the leading force in comparative medical knowledge.” The editorial staff of Veterinary Pathology have been debating whether the one-animal case report contributes to this mission or belongs in the ACVP's journal. Editorial staff members are unified in their belief that Veterinary Pathology should include case reports, but should not be seen as a “case-report” journal. The Instructions to Authors specifically establish the expectation that a case report “provide a unique or outstanding pathologic description of general interest to Veterinary Pathology readers; it is not sufficient to be the first report of an entity in one species…”

So, who are the readers of Veterinary Pathology? Diagnostic pathologists read Veterinary Pathology and seek case reports when they encounter a seemingly new entity. Toxicologic pathologists rely on case reports to support the classification of a rare lesion as spontaneous and to distinguish it from one induced by a study compound. Pathology residents read Veterinary Pathology, including the case reports, and a resident's first publication is often based on a diagnostic case. However, all authors should consider reporting a case series or retrospective study (rather than a one-animal case report) to increase the value of their publications (for themselves, for the readership, and for the Journal). Interestingly, a one-animal case report tops the list of the 50 most-frequently-read articles for October 2007 (based on hits at www.vetpathology.org). Nevertheless, one-animal case reports appear only 6 more times in the list and not at all in the November 2007 list of most-frequently-cited articles.

The best case reports are derived from novel disease presentations and well-documented diagnostic investigations that challenge current dogma. The value of these reports is acknowledged, and they will continue to be welcomed by the editorial staff. On the other hand, case reports of classical presentations of well-recognized diseases should not be published in Veterinary Pathology because they do not provide unique information. Nonetheless, many of these studies have intrinsic educational value, so the editorial staff has debated how to disseminate that instructive information. To bring these case reports to all pathologists and pathologists-in-training, the editors are considering a Diagnostic Challenge section in Veterinary Pathology and the possibility of publishing certain case reports online in lieu of in the printed journal. In addition, because some case reports that do not meet Veterinary Pathology's publication criteria have educational value and appeal for veterinary students or practitioners with an interest in pathology, the ACVP will launch a regular feature article in the Veterinary Medicine Today section of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association in 2008.

Veterinary Pathology still needs case reports and the editors want the journal to be the first choice for authors of case reports that contain new information or challenge current dogma. To advance the journal's standing among comparative medical publications and to maintain its high standards, the length and number of case reports may be limited to increase space for other articles. Simultaneously, we are seeking alternative ways to distribute classical case report information to the veterinary pathology community. We encourage additional viewpoints from the readership and will provide a forum for these in a “Letter to the Editor” ([e-mail]).