Towards an improved editorial process for Revista Colombiana de Obstetricia y Ginecología (Colombian Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology)

Abstract

From the moment we began our work as editors of Revista Colombiana de Obstetricia y Ginecología (RCOG), we have been keenly interested in supporting national and international authors seeking to publish research conducted in this region. Our main focus is on publishing articles that provide the reader with a clear understanding of what the question is and how the authors came to it, as well as of the objective of the research. Articles should also contain a detailed description of the methodology used to answer the question, reduce the risk of bias, and present a relevant statistical analysis. Results are to be presented in a simple logical form, in line with the stated objectives and with supporting information included in the text and in the form of tables or figures. Finally, the discussion section is required to be relevant and compare the results obtained with the evidence available in relation to the problem studied, and state the weaknesses and strengths of the study. All this in a simple and agile format in response to the fact that readers are busy and need to optimize the time devoted to reading the manuscript in terms of credibility and efficiency.

The use of several tools designed to improve reporting of biomedical research has been suggested in order to support the authors (1). The editors of the journal recommended the use of those tools for verifying the information to be included in the manuscript starting with the first 2014 issue (2); however, their interpretation is not always easy and their effective application requires some knowledge of epidemiology or statistics. Likewise, as of 2013, the editorial committee appointed an expert advisor in Ethics to provide advice to the authors and the committee itself on the ethical considerations of the publications. Along the same lines, we are now in the process of adhering to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) (3), and will take additional steps towards improved transparency of the editorial process in support of the authors and for the benefit of the RCOG readers. However, these changes will mean additional work from the editorial team and compliance with more demanding requirements by the authors as they start the publication process.