Published online before print November 11, 2004, doi: 10.1161/01.STR.0000149884.68204.01
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(Stroke. 2004;35:2751.)
© 2004 American Heart Association, Inc.
Editorial |
Why Publish in Stroke?
From the London Health Sciences Center, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.
Correspondence to Dr Vladimir Hachinski, Editor-in-Chief, Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, London Health Sciences Center, 339 Windermere Rd, London, ON, Canada N6A 5A5.
Anyone publishing in Stroke has a high likelihood of reaching those who need to read the paper. This may eventually improve the way stroke patients are treated worldwide. Stroke is the number one journal in the field and therefore no one with a serious interest in the subject fails to follow the contents of each issue of the journal. 15 300 paid subscribers read Stroke and many others, including students, teachers, researchers and practitioners at 640 institutions and libraries.
We welcome "reports of clinical and basic investigation of any aspect of the cerebral circulation and its diseases from many disciplines, including neurology, cardiology, internal medicine, geriatrics, radiology, nuclear medicine, neuropathology, neurosurgery, epidemiology, vascular surgery, rehabilitation, anesthesiology, critical care medicine, vascular physiology, neuropsychology, speech pathology, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and neurophthalmology" (Stroke, "Instructions to Authors").
We particularly welcome manuscripts that integrate different disciplines such as basic science with clinical work and manuscripts on topics that cut across fields. We have no quotas regarding subject, authorship or country of origin of manuscripts.
Two-thirds of the world’s strokes occur in the developing world and yet we know little about them. It is particularly difficult for authors from these countries to submit a competitive paper to Stroke. We have launched "Rewrite: An Editorial Aid Program," whereby an author from a developing country is matched to a mentor who provides guidance and advice on how to rewrite the paper in such a way that it would have a chance of being accepted by an international journal. Although we realize that only a minority of these papers may be accepted by Stroke, we hope to serve the world community by helping to improve our colleagues’ scientific writing, which most likely will change the way they treat their patients.
We have a large, distinguished, international Editorial Board with broad expertise, who review the manuscripts. In addition, we are fortunate to count on the help of hundreds of ad hoc reviewers. The average review time between the initial submission of a manuscript through to first decision is 5.49 weeks, and the average time from final decision to publication of accepted manuscripts is 10 weeks. Stroke ASAP provides for weekly online publication of final proofs. A manuscript could be published online as early as three weeks before it appears in print.
Our impact factor is currently 5.233, which puts Stroke in the lead by a large margin among stroke journals and places it with the top four general neurology journals, along with Brain, Annals of Neurology and Neurology.
Every month 1 or 2 articles are selected as the Editor’s Choice and are available, full length, for free online. Articles are also recommended for press releases. We have enjoyed marvelous coverage from the media, and articles from Stroke are featured regularly in other journals as abstracts or news items including JAMA and Lancet Neurology.
Selected articles published in Stroke are translated from English into other major languages. We launched a Spanish edition in 2002, a Russian edition this spring, and are negotiating a Japanese edition. Articles may also be highlighted in our annual Advances in Stroke feature. Every February we publish a summary of advances in the broad field of stroke occurring in the previous year. The reviews comment on the main developments regardless of where the articles were published, but given our growing prominence in the field, the advances often feature articles published in Stroke.
We consider manuscripts from all disciplines, all countries and reports of work at different stages. 1500-word Research Reports are designed to publish observations or results that do not yet have the weight of the evidence behind them, but are considered innovative enough that the research and clinical community should know about the findings. 4000-word Original Contributions have a higher standard of proof. We welcome critical, constructive Reviews of specific subjects. We particularly appreciate reviews that not only give a perspective on the known, but also point out imaginative ways of making further progress. In addition to reviews of research we will consider thoughtful contributions on education, clinical practice, health policy or any other subject within the broad scope of stroke. One of the most popular features of Stroke is the Controversies section. Readers can either suggest topics and authors for controversies to the Editors of the section, Professors Stephen Davis and Geoffrey Donnan, or offer to tackle a topic themselves. Letters to the Editor enliven and enlighten a discussion of a published paper. Letters need not refer to articles in our journal if they make a substantial point.
Manuscripts submitted to Stroke are reviewed, posted and published promptly. They most likely will be quoted, and they may be translated or highlighted in the media or other publications. They will be in good company, reach a wide audience and contribute visibly to progress.
Received October 27, 2004; accepted October 27, 2004.
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