Abstract
At the end of this month, my seven-year tenure as Editor-in-Chief of Thyroid comes to an end. To be at the helm of Thyroid has been a gratifying and formative experience, and I wish to express my deep gratitude for the opportunity and honor to serve in this capacity.
This is a moment to thank numerous contributors to the success of Thyroid. First, a journal is dependent on quality submissions by authors covering a broad spectrum of topics. It is rewarding to see that not only the volume of the submitted manuscripts has increased substantially, but, more importantly, that the overall quality has been constantly rising. Secondly, peer review depends on the citizenship of Associate Editors, Editorial Board Members, and ad hoc reviewers. The countless hours dedicated to this process is key for a rigorous and thoughtful quality control. Next, and less visible to many readers of Thyroid, a lot is happening behind the scenes and needs the dedicated work of what I call the “Thyroid Team.” In the American Thyroid Association office, Sharleene Cano, our Editorial Assistant, has been efficiently coordinating the flow of manuscripts and the communication with authors and the publisher. More recently, Carrie Prewitt has started to take on many of these roles. At Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., our publisher, Vicki Cohn, Executive Vice President, has provided my predecessors Drs. Jeremy Hershman, Terry Davies, Charles Emerson and myself with prompt, generous and wise support at all moments. Vicki has contributed very significantly to the success of Thyroid. Sophie Mohin Reisz is now taking on Vicki's role and she is equally dedicated to Thyroid. Many others at Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., especially Susan Jensen, Patricia Meravy, Paige Casey, and Larry Bernstein, among others, cover the many areas of expertise that are required to assure a seamless publication process that includes, for example, the production process, PubMed listings, and distribution. Last but not least, Amanda Montes de Oca, our Production Editor at Westchester Publishing Services, is superbly handling the production process. I am most grateful and appreciative of the collective efforts of the whole “Thyroid Team,” which allows Thyroid to flourish.
Both the American Thyroid Association and Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. have not only provided strong support but also respected editorial independence at all moments. This is a key pillar for a (scientific) journal and is all the more important in times where this tenet is unfortunately not always respected and sometimes even threatened.
Reading and editing every single article that made it to publication in Thyroid during the last seven years has allowed me to deepen my knowledge and broaden my horizons in many areas of thyroidology. The many interactions with colleagues from the whole world has led to many new connections and friendships. Thyroid has become a truly international journal with contributors, editorial board members, and reviewers from all corners of the world. Aside from the fact that the content of Thyroid is widely cited, it is impressive that there have been close to 850,000 downloads in 2018. Importantly, these downloads are not only occurring in developed countries but at a global scale and, after considering aspects such as physician density and health care expenditure, it is apparent that they are, in part, particularly high in developing countries. It is my deep conviction that building and valuing such connections and exchange, rather than building bulwarks, does strengthen our professional and personal community.
It is gratifying to hand over Thyroid to Dr. Electron Kebebew, the incoming Editor-in-Chief, knowing that our journal is in solid shape, and that it is recognized as the leading resource focusing on all aspects of thyroidology. The current stature of Thyroid has been built on the strong foundation created by my predecessors Drs. Jeremy Hershman, Terry Davies, and Charles Emerson, and I am confident that Thyroid will continue to be under a good star. However, this will also need contributions from all of you. First, to me it seems very important that the content of Thyroid continues to cover the whole spectrum of thyroidology. Equally important is the participation in the review process. Some (and this includes individuals with major commitments) are always reliable and responsive reviewers. Others do not respond, do not complete their assignments, or simply abuse the system. For example, a particularly “creative” individual, who is an author or co-author of numerous manuscripts published in Thyroid during the last years, requested an exemption from serving as peer reviewer until 2032 (presumably coinciding with the anticipated retirement age). In short, if active participation and citizenship are eroding, here and elsewhere, even seemingly solid entities and structures can rapidly crumble. Dr. Davies, EIC from 2000-2008, has emphasized that Reviewing is a Privilege, Not A Chore, in 2000 and this all the more true today (1). Furthermore, respecting key ethical principles of academic publishing is fundamental for the ongoing success of Thyroid, the credibility for authors of clinical and basic research, as well as reviewers (2).
I thank you for your confidence, commitment and support during my tenure as Editor-in-Chief.
To Thyroid all my heartfelt wishes for ongoing success, and to all of you my sincere wishes for a Peaceful and Happy New Year!
Footnotes