EDITORIAL
Year : 2022 | Volume
: 43 | Issue : 2 | Page : 115--116
Parting remarks from the outgoing editor
Yogesh S Marfatia
Chief Editor, IJSTD & AIDS (2007-2022); Professor (Skin-V.D.), SBKS Medical Institute & Research Center, Piparia, Dist.; Formerly Professor (Skin-V.D.), Government Medical College, Vadodara, Gujarat, India
Correspondence Address:
Dr. Yogesh S Marfatia
SBKS Medical Institute & Research Center, Piparia, Dist. Vadodara, 391760, Gujarat
India
How to cite this article:
Marfatia YS. Parting remarks from the outgoing editor.Indian J Sex Transm Dis 2022;43:115-116
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How to cite this URL:
Marfatia YS. Parting remarks from the outgoing editor. Indian J Sex Transm Dis [serial online] 2022 [cited 2023 Mar 25 ];43:115-116
Available from: https://ijstd.org/text.asp?2022/43/2/115/361306 |
Full Text
The journey is more pleasurable than the destination.
My journey as an editor of IJSTD and AIDS started in 2007. I was appointed as the chief editor during ASTICON-2006, Chennai.
Stalwarts like, Dr. Bhushan Kumar and Dr. D.M. Thappa, motivated me to take up this prestigious assignment and I am indebted to them.
About the Journal
Indian Journal of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (IJSTD) was started as an official publication of the Indian Association for the Study of STD (IASSTD) in 1980. Later on, the name of the association was changed to IASSTD and AIDS and the journal to IJSTD and AIDS. This is the 43rd year of its publication. It is the only journal of its kind in the Indian subcontinent focusing exclusively on sexually transmissible infections and AIDS. Although the focus on this subject is going down, the problem is far from over and publications such as IJSTD and AIDS have a great role to play.
This is the time to acknowledge the selfless services rendered by all past editors, the founder editor Late Dr. Sardarilal, Dr. R.C. Sharma, and Dr. Rishi Bhargava.
Digital Transformation of the Journal
The first thing that we did after taking charge of editorship was the digitization of the whole ecosystem of the journal. We appointed MedKnow Publishers for the same. Later on, MedKnow Publishers was taken up by Wolters Kluwer, the multinational publishers.
Milestone
The PubMed Indexation of the journal in 2009 (Vol. 30, Issue 1) was the ultimate step to bring the journal at par with other reputed specialty journals.
Awards of Appreciation for Best Articles Published
Every year the Sardarilal Memorial Award is given by our association to the best original article published in a volume of IJSTD and AIDS. As an editorial initiative, awards for the best Case Report and the best Letter to Editor were instituted to be given annually.
What the Statistics (2007–Till Date) Say!
Most cited article: 102 citations
Formulating a researchable question: A critical step for facilitating good clinical research Sadaf Aslam, Patricia Emmanuel; January-June 2010, 31(1):47-50.
Most Viewed article: 70,318 views
Prostitution in India and its role in the spread of HIV infection
Devinder Mohan Thappa, Nidhi Singh, Sowmya Kaimal; July-December 2007, 28(2):69-75.
Most Downloaded article: 1167 downloads
Laboratory diagnosis of HIV Archana Sharma, YS Marfatia; January-June 2008, 29(1):42- 45.
Issues and Challenges
When we took over, before 16 years, there was a dearth of submissions. There was a gradual increase in submissions because of the indexation. At present, publication is a pressing need for enhancing one's career, and hence, the number of submissions is ever increasing. As against it, there is no significant improvement in the quality of the articles submitted. It is a very challenging time for the editorial team to select quality material while ignoring the incessant requests to accommodate the submitted articles.
Financial Issues
Initially, it was easy to raise finances through advertisements. Journal contributions from the surplus of ASTICONS were also quite supportive. For the past few years, it is becoming more and more challenging to raise funds from pharmaceutical companies because of the change in their sponsorship policy. In between, ASTICON's contribution also was an issue due to COVID. I acknowledge one-time financial support from the parent organization. Maintaining the financial health of the journal is another major challenge.
Acknowledgment
Manuscript management to the publication of the journal is a laborious task, requiring a lot of time and perseverance and it is not a one man's job. The real wealth for a teacher is the solid backing of committed postgraduate students. I wholeheartedly acknowledge postgraduate students of Medical College, Baroda (2007–2019) and SBKS Medical Institute and Research Centre, Piparia Vadodara (2019–2022), for their blind commitment toward journal work.
I express my gratitude to all Assistant editors/Associate editors. A special thanks to Dr. Aradhna Bhargav, who has been a great support and has contributed immensly in this journey. But for the reviwers, it would had been impossible to bring the journal to this stature.
Throughout my tenure of 16 years as the chief editor, I was always supported and appreciated by office bearers of IASSTD and AIDS. Positive feedback from fellow colleagues was a great source of strength.
The one name I cannot afford to forget mentioning is Dr. G. Chandrashekhar Rao, our beloved and decades-old treasurer. He was a great support in financial matters and in regularly providing updated list of members.
We are thankful to our publishers, Wolters Kluwer, for the timely publication of the journal. This is to take note of Mrs. Priyanka Abhyankar for her sincerity and commitment to IJSTD and AIDS.
Looking Ahead
The journal needs to include more features covering recent developments. Some of the features can be exclusively online so that more quality material can be included. Taking the journal steps ahead of its current stature will be a real challenge for incoming editors, but I am quite confident that the job will be accomplished by the new team.
Although I am saying goodbye to the editorship of the journal, IJSTD and AIDS will always be in my heart. I will always be available for the cause of the journal.
I conclude by quoting Winnie the Pooh – “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard!”
My best wishes to the incoming team. Let us create brilliance together.
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