Writing a scientific paper invariably requires a lot of work. Great science does not necessarily make for a great paper. Having published and reviewed hundreds, if not thousands, of papers over the course of my academic medical career it strikes me that getting a few things right makes for a much more impactful publication.
Reviewing a medical paper is a big responsibility and reviewing can be a difficult process; but it is critical to evolving the field of medicine. Cureus aims to make the review process as pain-free as possible. Moreover, we actively feature and promote reviewers as recognition for their important contribution to the field of medicine.
For the vast majority of us, the world of medical academic publishing is a mystery. Physicians and scientists work amongst the inner sanctum of academia in which the “publish or perish” mantra is alive and well. However, times have changed and the critical world of peer-reviewed medical journals is under fire.
Most anyone working with physicians observes on a regular basis that iPad is the dominant tablet platform: 62% of physicians claim to use one for professional purposes. What’s a little surprising is the rate of adoption — use has nearly doubled since just 2011.
There is mounting evidence that the world of academic medical publishing is entering a period of major change. Decades and even centuries old processes and capital models just don’t make sense; and its time they get a massive makeover that better serves physicians and patients alike.
“One of the reasons why I got involved in Cureus and why I’m on the editorial board is pretty simple – I want to have open access to journals, be able to publish journals and review journals in a timely fashion so it doesn’t take two years to get a paper out.” – Rod Oskouian, M.D., told Cureus.
What makes a physician decide to publish in peer-reviewed literature? The stock answer to that question is the pursuit of scientific truth. But even a superficial glance at peer-reviewed medical literature today shows that only a small proportion of it involves “pure science”, that is, research with the scientific method at its core.
Garnett Sutherland, MD recently published a paper on Cureus.com entitled: Surgeon at a Workstation: Information Age Surgery. I had the chance to talk to Dr. Sutherland about his work and robotics in particular.
When writing a report, it is often a good idea to begin by writing the Materials and Methods section. This section is usually very straightforward, and writing it first helps to establish the proper thought process and understanding of the work that will allow the rest of the report to flow more smoothly.
Frustrated and thoroughly unimpressed with the existing world of medical publishing we are challenging a 200 year old system with the launch of Cureus.com. And not a moment too soon.
Curēus is an internet based, open access, efficient and fun way for people to publish peer-reviewed medical literature.
Join the Curēus Community and help us modernize how medical knowledge gets published and shared.
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