The Beginning of a New Journal

Article Outline

• Copyright

Look with favor upon a bold beginning.

—Virgil, Georgics

As you know, the Red Journal that you're reading is the premier clinical journal in radiation oncology. In the past decade, under the leadership of Dr. James D. Cox, the quality of scientific papers in the Red Journal has increased, and the impact factor has risen steadily as a result. The increasing number of manuscripts submitted has forced the editors at the Red Journal to reduce word limits and reject many papers of value.

Given this situation, the ASTRO Board of Directors (BOD) spent several years deliberating and recently concluded that the discipline of radiation oncology would benefit from a new journal that focuses on the practice of radiation oncology. In late 2009, ASTRO announced an editor selection search and named an Editor Selection Task Force made up of private-practice and academic practitioners. The Task Force reviewed all applications (more than 20) and interviewed a small group of candidates. After a rigorous, deliberative process, the Task Force nominated me for this position, and in early 2010, the BOD confirmed the nomination. I am humbled, honored, and excited to be the first editor-in-chief of this new journal. In the following paragraphs, I briefly describe the structure and content of the new journal and update you on the progress made to date.

The new journal will be titled Practical Radiation Oncology (PRO) and will be owned by the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) in the same way that American Society of Clinical Oncology owns the Journal of Clinical Oncology. I will be joined by a group of approximately 12 radiation oncologists and physicists who will act as senior editors for PRO. I am happy to report that this group has been assembled, and work on the journal has already begun in earnest. I want to thank publicly the senior editors in advance for their work on behalf of PRO. The group has significant experience in radiation oncology and related disciplines and is quite diverse with respect to disease expertise, radiation techniques, and geographic location. The senior editors will assist with soliciting and refereeing manuscripts. Senior editors will serve a 3-year term, renewable depending on performance. The senior editors will be assisted by a larger group of reviewers who will be named in the coming weeks. In the coming months, ASTRO will hire an editorial assistant to assist with the launch and to manage the peer review and editorial board processes.

ASTRO will contract with Elsevier to publish the journal. Elsevier has a long relationship with ASTRO and is a market leader in the field of biomedical publishing and Web site design. Elsevier has many innovative ideas that will be incorporated into the structure and design of the new journal. PRO will use a completely electronic review system (submission, review, and publication). The system will rely on a double-blind review process (identity of authors and reviewers are hidden). Manuscript reviewers for PRO will be able to earn continuing medical education (CME) credit by participating in the review of journal manuscripts. Authors can expect notification within 4 to 5 weeks of submission. For the foreseeable future, the journal will be available in print and electronic versions.

The overarching vision of the new journal is to improve the quality of radiation oncology practice. PRO will most resemble a clinical or practice journal. As their dominant purpose, these types of journals document the state of current practice, providing background for those in training or continuing education for practitioners. This is accomplished through the discussions and illustrations of new techniques, evaluations of current practices, and the publication of case reports. PRO will strive to provide its readers content that emphasizes knowledge “with a purpose.”

The content will be complementary to that provided by the Red Journal. Manuscripts that focus on imaging, contouring, target delineation, simulation, treatment planning, immobilization, organ motion, and other practical issues will be of particular interest. The content will also be consistent with the overarching goals approved by ASTRO BOD in the summer of 2009. The anticipated content is described in more detail in the next few paragraphs.

PRO will be the journal of choice for publication of ASTRO guidelines, position papers, and consensus statements. Invited commentaries are expected as well. Each issue will have a section titled “Quality Corner” that will contain at least one contribution focusing on patient safety, quality measurement, or quality improvement initiatives. One of the senior editors will be charged with soliciting content that emphasizes quality in radiation oncology. Additionally, PRO will highlight the Maintenance of Certification process and Practice Quality Improvement initiatives such as ASTRO's Performance Assessment for the Advancement of Radiation Oncology Treatment (PAAROT) program.

Each issue will contain a Point/Counterpoint section that will contain opposing expert views on current topics and controversies in the field of radiation oncology. The journal will also include periodic articles devoted to professionalism, biomedical ethics, and practice management. Clinically oriented reviews of cancer biology will be considered. Professional development will be emphasized, and online CME credits will be available for all registered users of PRO. The Editorial Board would also like to publish the description of an interesting case with each issue. Cases will be solicited and chosen based on pedagogical merit. The first issue of PRO will published in the first quarter of 2011. The site to receive manuscripts will be operational in July 2010. The journal will be published quarterly for the first 2–3 years with the potential to increase the number of issues per year depending on the number and quality of manuscripts submitted.

Creating a journal from the ground up is a challenge and cannot be accomplished without the efforts of many people. Many of you have responded to a recent survey asking for your feedback on the possible contents of PRO, and I thank you very much for that. I invite all authors of manuscripts that are practical in nature to consider submitting their work to PRO. I also invite all interested parties to send me any ideas that I can share with the Editorial Board as we move forward.

Finally, I want to reemphasize that PRO is not designed to compete with the Red Journal. The Red Journal will continue as the premier journal of our discipline, where discoveries are first described. It is my hope that PRO will complement the Red Journal by providing its readers with meaningful, relevant information that improves the quality of their practice.