The American Journal of Neuroradiology: Expanding Its Vision, Extending Its Reach

Behind the scenes, and perhaps unnoticed by readers, many changes have occurred in the AJNR regarding editorial structure, scientific content, and dissemination of published material. Changes in a journal should proceed thoughtfully and deliberately, and should be guided by what a journal such as ours wants to accomplish. The intent of this end-of-the-year editorial is to give our members and subscribers a flavor of what has recently been implemented and what we may expect in the future.

Readers of this issue of the AJNR will note that there has been a change in the masthead of the journal. Not only have we added 28 new members to the Editorial Board, but the disciplines represented have increased, and the geographical distribution of the members has widened. The pivotal role neuroimaging plays in the clinical neurosciences, the ever-expanding use of neurointerventional procedures in neurovascular disorders, and the burgeoning use of a variety of image-guided, provocative spinal examinations and therapeutic procedures makes it imperative that there be a significant input from the fields of neurology, neurologic surgery, and orthopedic surgery in our journal. This has been accomplished by having these disciplines represented on our Editorial Board, and a glance at the masthead will show the inclusion of such physicians from these medical disciplines. These new Editorial Board members will be frequent reviewers of submitted manuscripts, occasional editorialists, and they will help us keep our feet rooted in our primary goal, which is to disseminate new and important information in the science of neuroimaging, the end result of which is improved patient care.

Advances in neuroradiology depend to a large measure on the creativity of our colleagues in the basic sciences. For the design of neuroimaging equipment, implementation of innovative software programs, the conceptualization and development of new material used in interventional procedures, and advances in image transfer and display, we rely on physicists, biochemists, and engineers, among others, and these disciplines are now also represented by our Editorial Board. Authors who focus primarily on these topics can expect to have their work evaluated by scientists in their field whom we have added to our list of peer reviewers. In essence, the AJNR will continue not only to maintain its leadership role in clinical neuroimaging, but it will strive to add significantly to the publication of basic research in medical imaging. Those in the basic sciences must understand what neuroradiologists wish to achieve, and likewise, those involved in neuroimaging must be familiar with the ever-changing landscape in basic research. The AJNR is the perfect vehicle for the interchange of ideas between clinicians and scientists involved in neuroimaging.

An unmistakable increase in international representation of papers submitted and eventually published in the AJNR has occurred over the past few years. During the first 6 months of 2000, for example, over half of the submitted papers came from outside North America. The reasons for the increasing submission primarily from Europe and Asia are multifactorial, and this situation will in part be discussed at one of the focus sessions of the 2001 ASNR annual meeting in Boston this spring. Although the number of subscribers outside of North America does not match the high rate of non-American publications in the journal, the worldwide interest in the AJNR continues to rise and the message is that, although the name of the journal is the “American” Journal of Neuroradiology, it is in all senses an international journal. Because of this important and growing influence on the AJNR of contributors from around the globe, there now are 11 members of the Editorial Board from outside North America. They not only will bring their expertise to bear on the journal, but they may give our readers a perspective on advances in neuroradiology from many different regions of the world, and how patient care is thereby altered.

As of September 2000, the AJNR has begun on-line publication (www.ajnr.org). There are numerous advantages of an on-line journal, such as linkages to other journals, quick retrieval of previously published papers, rapid dissemination of journal issues, and the ability to reach subscribers, particularly those abroad, whose mail delivery systems are not optimal. Despite all these advantages, the printed version of the journal will remain intact for the foreseeable future, as it is often more convenient because of its portability, is easier on the eyes, can be read more quickly, and long-term archival matters are more easily handled. Importantly, authors just like to see their article in print.

Simultaneously with the move to electronic publication, changes will occur in the way the journal is managed, the way authors submit papers, and the way manuscripts are evaluated. Dealing with mountains of paper from time of submission through the review process to the revision stage and to final production is inefficient and results in a slow turnaround of manuscripts. The AJNR has begun experimenting with electronic peer review, and although more mature and friendly systems are still needed, it is possible that many of our reviewers will be evaluating manuscripts on-line, and authors will receive decisions more quickly.

As we all know, the electronic dissemination of information is occurring at such a rapid rate that predicting where we will be in the intermediate to long-term future is fraught with uncertainty. Although a rapid distribution of articles has its greatest impact in disciplines such as physics or biological chemistry, where late-breaking discoveries can influence the research of others, there is also the need in neuroimaging and neurointervention to have important observations and techniques in the hands of our members as rapidly as possible. Subscribers could be notified by e-mail when articles in which they have particular interest have been electronically posted. To extend this concept even further, it would be possible to combine articles from different journals that explore the same topic and “deliver” these papers to designated subscribers. One can envision, for example, an interventional neuroradiologist receiving specified articles from multiple journals—the AJNR, Neurosurgery, the Journal of Neurosurgery, Stroke—as they come on-line. Similarly, a neuroradiologist with a particular interest in spine imaging and therapeutics would preferentially receive papers from the AJNR, Spine, and the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. Targeting specific audiences with multiple journal input is on the horizon.

Of course the economics and the administrative details from the standpoint of a journal, a society, and a publisher must be clearly worked out; these may be the most difficult obstacles to overcome. The more easily and widely distributed articles become, the more beneficial this is to a given specialty; however, the publishers of such material, who see these papers primarily as a commodity and see erosion of their control of the end product, may begin to raise legitimate economic concerns.

From strictly an educational and teaching standpoint, electronic publishing has major advantages. Video clips can be imbedded into articles that, for example, may illustrate endovascular techniques or percutaneous spine procedures. On-line discussions with authors would allow an open dialogue, which could be shared with the journal's subscribers.

It is difficult at the end of the year 2000 to know what the journal will look like 5 years from now, but it is certain that the science will be distributed more quickly over a greater geographical area, and it will be displayed in a more interesting and usable format. We are now taking the first steps to achieve those goals.