Scientific publishing is a long established process, often presenting its share of frustrations to authors. Lengthy peer review processes and subsequent rejections can prevent timely publication of important research. A recent article in the Economist (June, 2013) addressed the issue of scientific publishing, stating that “slowness” is often identified by authors as the primary drawback of the publication process. According to the article, the average time for publication is six months after submission, and frequently follows submissions to multiple journals, as the article may be rejected for publication by journal after journal despite high scientific quality. This contributes to the extended time to publication. In addition, the article must be peer reviewed by multiple experts in the field, which adds  to the time for publication. This has been particularly true for print journals, in which the article, once approved, must also wait for publication of the particular edition of the journal.

A new generation of journals has been created in recent years. Cureus.com is an online medical journal with an Editorial Board that consists of hundreds of experts in a wide variety of medical specialties. The goal of the Cureus journal is to provide a transparent and rapid publishing process in which authors receive feedback, and an unbiased measure of the scientific merit of their papers via a novel crowd-sourcing algorithm, the SIQ, from reviewers and all readers. Authors on Cureus have the ability to have their work published in a timely manner, for no cost, and while retaining copyright at all times. The online accessibility also enables patients to access the most recent research on their particular medical condition. The structure and publication process provided by Cureus addresses and eliminates the historical problems in scientific publishing. Most importantly, it allows important research to be published quickly, and to be viewed by medical professionals and patients alike.