Jean de la Rosette, Sonja van Rees Vellinga, and Stavros Gravas

The aim of the Clinical Research Office of the Endourological Society (CROES) is to promote international research in the field of endourology and laparoscopy and facilitate the implementation of research projects through creating a global network, and providing the infrastructure to conduct such multicenter studies, including evaluation of the quality of the project, data collection, statistical analysis, and preparation of manuscripts. Into this frame, publication of the outcomes of each project represents a cornerstone in the concept of CROES. Expedited translation of research results into knowledge, products, and procedures is essential for the improvement of human health, which is our ultimate goal as clinicians.

For this reason, CROES has established the Publication Office with the mission to communicate with the Steering Committee of each project, authors of each manuscript, data managers, statisticians, and medical editor to avoid delays in the preparation of manuscripts. ¹ In addition, guidelines for publications have been prepared to secure in a transparent way the recognition of participating sites in publications and presentations. ²

The present newsletter provides a report from the CROES Publication Office based on the experience from the first 19 manuscripts on the Global PCNL study. The majority of the articles were published in the Journal of Endourology, ^{3 –12} because this was one of the priorities set by the CROES Council. Four articles were published in the Journal of Urology, ^{13 –16} two in European Urology, ^17,18 two in World Journal of Urology, ^19,20 and one in British Journal of Urology International. ²¹ The total impact factor of the articles was 55,288 (ISI Thompson Journal Citation Reports 2011). Approximately eight more manuscripts are under evaluation and will be submitted soon.

The topics of the vast majority of the manuscripts on PCNL were proposed by the PCNL Steering Committee and were disclosed on the CROES website. Six months after closing the study, there was an open invitation (and this will be repeated for the other CROES projects) to all the participating sites to suggest interesting topics for analysis and potential publications. A significant number of participants responded to this invitation, and after evaluation of the proposals, they were approved by the PCNL Steering Committee to have access to the database, ask for an analysis, and prepare their proposed manuscript in due time.

It should be underlined that 99 different urologists from almost 85 centers have coauthored the 19 manuscripts. In addition, 16 more urologists and 10 new centers will be included in the eight upcoming publications on CROES percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL). Therefore, virtually all the centers will be involved in one or more publications and/or presentations. This is in line with the guidelines of publications set forth by the CROES Council and the PCNL steering committee should be congratulated for this achievement.

In general, the Publication Office feels the need to further acknowledge all the authors involved in the manuscript preparation. Their contribution and comments in every step of the article preparation (from the first draft to the final manuscript) were extremely productive and resulted in high quality articless. In addition, one of the tasks of the Publication Office was to identify any holdups in the communication between the coauthors and alert those who stay behind to secure the unobstructed and timely flow of data publication. We are very happy with the fact that all the involved parts were in line with the deadlines, making the coordination of the whole process by the Publication Office easy.

Another factor that significantly contributed to timely publications was the support of an experienced medical editor. Therefore, there was no need for obnoxious actions by the Steering Committees and the CROES Council (including withdrawal of coauthors, expression of complaints to the data managers, and the Medical Editing Team in case of unexcused delay and poor communication). We are thankful for that, and we would like to thank all those who contributed to make these publications possible.

The experience from the CROES publications on PCNL can serve as a guide for the manuscripts of the other CROES studies that follow. Further refinement of the manuscript preparation process, faster communication, and more representative participation of all the involved centers will be the next goals to be achieved by the Publications Office. Please feel free to let us know your feedback or suggestions to further improve our work. CROES clearly states its philosophy. “The time is now—with CROES, the ability is yours.” ²²