Monica L. Helton

Peering into Peer-Review

From the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH P eer-review is defined as the expert assessment of submitted materials. Because ‘‘the goal of this process is to ensure that the valid article is accepted, the messy article improved, and the invalid article rejected,’’ quality reviews are essential to the peer-review process and assist in maintaining the integrity of the medical literature. Grainger believes that ‘‘a critical determinant of any successful journal or technical communication in general is the sound, reliable capability to readily access a talented, adept, accomplished and reliable reviewer pool.’’ Because The Journal of Pediatrics publishes articles focusing on a wide variety of specialties and subspecialties in the field of pediatrics, The Journal uses an extensive historical database of experts, to which more are added daily. However, because of heavy workloads and time constraints of potential reviewers, it is often challenging for the editors to secure a commitment to review a manuscript from appropriate reviewers. Editors of The Journal usually choose reviewers from these sources: (1) personal knowledge of experts in the field; (2) authors of articles referenced in the manuscript; (3) reviewers suggested by the authors; (4) literature searches; (5) requesting suggestions from the editorial board; and (6) Elsevier Editorial System (EES) report of manuscript/personal classification matches. Occasionally, reviewers will be invited because another reviewer who declined or was uninvited suggests an individual as a good alternative candidate. Occasionally editors will choose reviewers from eTBlast, a freely available ‘‘similarity-based search engine,’’ which allows them to find ‘‘authors that are the most published in the topic of [their] query’’ (http://etest.vbi.vt.edu/etblast3/).

The Journal celebrates 85 years

— Monica L. Helton, BA — William F. Balistreri,MD The first issue of The Journal of Pediatrics rolled off the presses in 1932 as the first official publication of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP; J Pediatr 1982;101:1-4). However, in 1948, the AAP introduced Pediatrics, and The Journal of Pediatrics became an independent, nonsociety journal—a status it has held ever since. Being a proprietary journal means that we do not have a built-in subscriber base, so we never take for granted the continued support of our authors, reviewers, and readers. Prompted by an unsolicited report submitted by Hellems et al reflecting on the first 75 years of The Journal (J Pediatr 2009;155:16-20.e1), we published two editorials providing a behind-the-scenes look from the perspective of the editor and the publisher (J Pediatr 2009;155:3-5 and 6-7). After 85 years, The Journal has continued to follow our mission: “Through a rigorous process of evaluation and peer review, The Journal of Pediatrics strives to publish pediatric research of the highest value for a diverse audience of pediatric healthcare professionals” (http://www.jpeds.com/content/aims). Although some aspects of publishing have changed (eg,mobile apps, online innovations, clinical trials registration), our foundation remains strong and we appreciate your support. Over the years, we have received and published countless articles “to inform immediate care decisions, deepen knowledge, and advance further scientific discovery to improve the quality of care and the health of infants, children, and adolescents” (http://www.jpeds.com/content/aims). To provide just a sampling of high impact clinical practice articles that have been published in The Journal over the past 85 years, throughout the year we will highlight a number of articles. Please follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/jpediatr) to rediscover these important articles, joining the conversation by tweeting your thoughts, reminiscences, and comments regarding articles that have been useful or meaningful to you, your practice, and your research. Cheers to another 85+ years!