SMJ 2003 48(3): 63
Guy Fletcher , Editor
There have been several changes recently at the Journal and it seemed like an appropriate time for a ‘re-launch’. The most obvious change is the new front cover which has been designed by Anne Hanlon at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. I hope that this will be the start of several new changes at the Journal which will develop along with the expansion of the website. Another change that you will notice is that the journal is now going to appear four times a year instead of six times, however the number of pages will remain the same as each edition will expand from 24 to 32 pages.
The recent couple of years have been difficult since the withdrawal of the sponsorship from Roche. This forced the Journal’s Board of Management to investigate alternate sources of funding over and above the sponsorship of the four sponsoring societies. As of this year The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow has agreed to sponsor the Journal, which has benefits over and above their substantial financial support. I had been liaising with Elizabeth Robertson at the College and she has incorporated some of the articles onto the College’s ‘Cybermedical College’. From August 2003 the Journal will also be sent to the members and fellows of the College who are based in Scotland. The increased circulation will be of benefit to the Journal’s standing and I hope will also encourage other Scottish Societies to become sponsors of the Journal.
I am aware that one of the problems I have faced since taking over as editor has been the delay between receipt of articles and reaching an editorial decision about acceptance. This has partly been caused by the volume of submissions which increased by 90% last year. I hope to improve this over the next year by setting up an editorial board. All of the Journal’s sponsoring societies have been asked to nominate a representative who I hope will provide an active part in the review process as well as create a body with new thoughts, ideas and an enthusiasm for developing the journal.
For those who are receiving the Journal for the first time, I would like to point out that it is available in full text on the website (www.smj.org.uk). I also offer a service of emailing the contents, with links to the articles, to those who wish to receive them. If you would like to take advantage of this service send an email to me at guy@smj.org.uk.