Winning the Publications Game - 4th Edition (2016)

Know the game 9
system. Editors have many roles and have to reconcile
many pressures (see Figure 1.4), but one of their main
tasks is to ensure that the publication continues to exist.
For this, articles must be read and cited. If this no longer
happens, the journal will have to close. As Lawrence
K Altman, a medical correspondent of The New York
Times, has reminded us: ‘Scientific journals represent
scholarship. But they are also an industry. Medical and
surgical journals in North America collect more than
$3 billion in advertising revenue each year.’ 2
The traditional idea – that a ‘good paper’ will automatically
receive the recognition it deserves – is clearly
unrealistic. But where does this leave the aspiring writer?
FIGURE 1.4 The range of pressures on an editor
Editorial
policies
Owners of the journal
Legal restraints
Competitors
Public institutions,
e.g. governments and
health authorities
EDITOR
Advertisers
Readers
Technical editors
Reviewers
Authors