Journal Editor’s Report – SPR 2015 Business Meeting – April 30, 2015
Publications and content:
2014 – 12 regular issues & 4 supplements (SPR meeting syllabus, ESPR meeting syllabus, Image Gently
ALARA CT Summit: How to Use New CT Technologies for Children, Abusive Head Trauma)
2015 – 12 regular issues & 3 supplements (SPR meeting syllabus, ESPR meeting syllabus, Advances in
Pediatric Neuroradiology)
2016 – 12 regular issues & 2 supplements (IPR meeting syllabus, Pediatric Body MRI) [tentative]
Special features (2014) – Research Forum, mini-symposia (Palliative Care, World Federation of
Pediatric Imaging Outreach in the Developing World, Cystic Fibrosis), Book Reviews (2), Hermes (brief
bibliography of interesting articles in other journals).
Special features (2015) – Research Forum (now nearing completion, but will continue with occasional
ad hoc articles), mini-symposia (Advances in Cardiac Imaging, Postmortem imaging, MR Spectroscopy,
Fetal/Neonatal Imaging Update), Fellow Rounds (quarterly education article), Book Reviews, Hermes,
Exposure (brief bibliography of interesting radiation related articles in other journals)
Currently, the material in queue is approximately 6-7 issues. Ideally, the queue is 3-4 issues. We will
be using several measures to address this issue: Foremost, Springer has approved a permanent
increase to 150 pages/issue (up from 140 pages/issue; note - as recently as early 2013 we were
publishing at 120 pages/issue). We are temporarily publishing at 160 pages/issue to decrease the
queue. There is possibility of a “catch-up” supplementary issue in 2016. In addition, the editorial
team will also be considering effects of acceptance rate, special features and article length on time in
queue.
European Editorial Office: We were all immensely saddened by the untimely passing of Dr. Guy
Sebag, the European Editor of Pediatric Radiology. The European office manages submissions from
Europe and the rest of the world, other than the America’s. The American and European offices work
closely together to produce the journal. The teamwork and relationship of the two editorial offices
has been and continues to be excellent. Dr. Øystein Olsen is currently serving as the European Interim
Editor and the ESPR and Springer are currently conducting a selection process for the European Editor.
This selection process is expected to be finalized in June, 2015.
Financial: Costs of running the journal (editor and assistant editor stipends, journal Editorial Assistant
salary and benefits, professional copy editing and photography editing, journal related travel,
supplies) are offset by member subscriptions (part of SPR dues) and Royalties received from Springer.
Royalties are chiefly based on subscriptions and journal consortium sales. In FY2014, the SPR’s overall
margin on journal related activities was $94,000.
Copy editing/quality: We invest considerable time, effort and expense in achieving high quality of the
articles in the journal. All articles are reviewed by professional copy editors after acceptance and
again in the proof/galley stage. All photography is reviewed by Dr. Slovis (Thank you Tom!) working
with a professional photography editor. Queries for authors frequently arise during copy editing.
iThenticate: All manuscripts of all types which are accepted for publication in the journal are put
through the iThenticate program for plagiarism detection. As of April 2015, all submitted manuscripts
will be put through iThenticate. In general, a Similarity Score of > 10% is worrisome and will prompt
further review. Articles with Similarity Scores of > 15% are usually impermissible for publication.
During the past year, we have had a minor issue with text recycling – authors re-using their own
material via cut & paste. This is not permissible due to copyright and for ethical reasons.
On-line Only Option: SPR members now have the option of receiving the journal online only. We will
continue to work with Springer to improve the efficiency of this option and of online access to the
journal for SPR members.
Thank You’s:
Our publisher, Springer, continues to be an excellent partner in producing the journal and adapting to
increased content and new paradigms. The appearance of the journal and its content is excellent and
Springer’s assistance is paramount in achieving this.
Pat Vario, Editorial Assistant, continues to be our MVP. She makes everything work in the journal
office and keeps the articles chugging through the system. Thank you Pat!!!!!!!
Assistant Editors – Brian Coley, Cindy Rigsby, Geetika Khanna – share in the management and review
of articles. They are hard-working, diligent, reliable and fair and impartial. The editor is extremely
grateful for their contributions and teamwork!
Jennifer Boylan – Thank you for assisting with journal logistics and financial management.
Angela Davis – Thank you for overseeing our online CME process and meeting supplement production.
Editorial Board Members – Thank you for carrying a greater load of article reviews and for your
contributions of content (review articles, occasional commentaries).
Reviewers – Your work is integral to the success of the journal. We continue to be impressed by the
experience, wisdom, knowledge, effort and dedication of our reviewers. We rely on your opinions to
shape the content of the journal and to make every single paper appearing in the journal better.
Thank you! (note: suggestions/volunteers for new reviewers are always welcomed)
For Authors: Thank you for selecting and trusting Pediatric Radiology as the venue for publication of
your important work. Pediatric Radiology is the primary journal for pediatric imaging – this relies on
the sustenance of a stream of high quality work. Thank you for your contributions.
In order to help us in maintaining high quality in print and improving efficiency, authors can assist in a
number of ways: (1) please consider the length of your article; in general, most submissions of all
types of articles are longer than they need to be; (2) please follow the journal’s Author Instructions
carefully; (3) please respond to queries during the copy editing process expediently; (4) please review
your galley proof carefully; in spite of our best intentions, errors do persist and/or may be introduced.
Respectfully submitted,
Peter J. Strouse, MD FACR
Editor for the Americas, Pediatric Radiology
Rad-Ped-Radiol-Journal@med.umich.edu