I am pleased to serve as Editor in Chief for the Indian Journal of Organ Transplantation (IJT), an official journal of the Indian Society of Organ Transplantation from January 2023 onward for 3 years. I have long regarded IJT as the foremost outlet for publishing peer-reviewed manuscripts on organ transplantation, basic sciences, transplant immunology, immunogenetics, transplant infectious diseases, and any posttransplant complications related to solid organ transplantation. I am fortunate to inherit this journal from a distinguished Editor-in-chief (EIC), Dr. Manisha Sahay, many stellar associate and subject editors and members of an impressive editorial board with a wide range of expertise. IJT has built excellent visibility as a high-quality peer-reviewed journal in the field of organ transplantation. IJT stands apart from other journals because of its inclusive focus on priorities arising out of organ transplantation in India and the adjacent Asian regions, along with the national and global perspective of organ transplantation.
As a new EIC, my vision will concentrate on prioritizing the publication of research of applied relevance. There would be a rigorous review of methodological and analytic rigor with immediate downstream implications for improving the care and well-being of individuals suffering from end-stage organ disease and organ transplantation. Despite a growing number of competing journals in the field, IJT continues to receive a large number of manuscripts for publication consideration, not only from India and neighboring countries but also from authors globally now. The rigorous manuscript review by experts in the field will be ensured within the stipulated time. The Editorial team is committed to reducing the turnaround time of 6–8 weeks from the review to publication to the initial decision on acceptance or rejection. The priority of the Editorial Board will be to focus on accepting and publishing the quality manuscript rather than rejecting it. We will provide authors with detailed decision letters, a briefing about the reason in cases of rejections, and detailed comments to improve the revised manuscript for submission in this journal or any other journals. The unsuitable submission may be returned to the authors within 1 week after a quick check by the subject Editor and editorial team. The editorial staff will ensure the technical and plagiarism check of the submitted manuscript soon after the first submission. Authors will have to declare their conflict of interest, and the ethical approval, with their approval codes and number from the respective ethics board, will be the prerequisite of submission. The authors need to declare that the study was conducted as per the ethics guidelines for practice in organ donation and transplantation, laid down by the declaration of Istanbul ethical guidelines and as per the “Declaration of Helsinki” as a statement of ethical principles to guide investigators and physicians involved in human research.
I am committed to ensuring that IJT remains a premier journal in the field for the members of society and reputed authors worldwide. Our goal is to consistently publish papers online soon after the acceptance of the manuscript. This goal will not only serve to improve the author’s experience but will also facilitate the dissemination of scientific clinical and basic research findings to the field.
As EIC, I will strengthen the connection between the IJT and the Indian Society of Organ Transplantation. The society’s position statements and guidelines should be published in this official journal; the advantages of such publications were witnessed during the recent coronavirus disease 19 pandemics. We will actively seek input from the organization and its members about how the journal can better serve society in achieving its goals. Recent years witnessed extraordinary advances in the use of digital technologies to expand the scope and reach of evidence-based medicines and care of patients through Twitter, Facebook, and other social media dissemination of recently published articles. The visual abstract of each original and review article will be published online, ensuring the journal’s reach to the members and persons involved in organ transplantation. A few publications in crucial areas such as outreach with telehealth services, gender disparities in transplantation, and marginalized and underrepresented populations in organ transplantation will be the another goal of the editorial board. The journal will assist in narrowing the discrepancies in deceased organ transplantation in different parts of India and worldwide through sharing scientific knowledge. I will also prioritize submissions, dissemination, and implementation of research findings from researchers and will convince the researchers that the IJT is your first Go-to journal.
I hope, the goals I have described will sustain and improve the journal’s reputation and entice authors to submit their work to the journal for publication. I will continue to publish editorials that describe progress toward the objectives described here and additional objectives that will be established in the coming months. Moreover, I would not be able to accomplish these objectives without the assistance and support of the editorial team and Medknow Wolter Kluwer, team India. I look forward to closely associating with the publishers to ensure that IJT is regarded as the first-choice journal.
