
Alexander Muacevic is the Medical Director of the European Cyberknife Center in Munich, Germany and holds an academic teaching position at the University of Munich Hospitals. Dr. Muacevic is a board-certified neurosurgeon and radiosurgeon and his main clinical and scientific interest is full body radiosurgery using advanced image-guided robotic technology. In addition to earning a European Neurosurgery Certificate, Dr. Muacevic has published over 100 scientific contributions including peer-reviewed articles, book chapters and congress proceedings. Dr. Muacevic is also a member of several academic societies and president of the International Radiosurgery Society containing over 700 members. Last, but not least, Dr. Muacevic is the Co-Founder and Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Cureus Journal of Medical Science.
Q: What was your first publishing experience like?
A: I started with smaller retrospective studies around Gamma Knife radiosurgery and I remember it was tough as a junior resident to fulfill all of the scientific standards.
Q: How did your relationship with Dr. John Adler begin?
A: We knew each other from neurosurgery meetings but got to work more closely together via the Radiosurgery Society and finally when we started our Cyberknife center in Munich in 2005.
Q: Has open science always been something you’ve been passionate about?
A: No, this developed over time and was based on frustrations in the conventional publishing world with more and more bureaucratic hurdles.
Q: In your opinion, what are the greatest challenges facing Open Access publishing?
A: Getting wide spread acceptance in the academic world.
Q: Is there anything about Cureus that you are particularly proud of?
A: Of course! We started from scratch over 10 years ago with only four people working to publish one article a month and now we have a much larger team and are publishing close to 10,000 articles this year. A great team effort and achievement!
Q: Do you have any advice for first-time authors?
A: Take your time, try to be precise and correct, and learn from more experienced people. Perhaps a simple case report with Cureus is the ideal introduction to the academic world.
Q: What are you looking for from Cureus peer reviewers?
A: A clear, concise and unbiased analysis of the paper in question.
Q: What is it like having Dr. Adler as a partner?
A: He is the best partner to have, as he is always open to strong arguments. I enjoy the fair battles we have behind the curtain to make Cureus a better journal each and every day.
Q: Why should researchers submit to Cureus?
A: Because it is the best and fastest way to get peer reviewed science out to the world. I might be biased but I don’t know any journal which is more comfortable and also fun to publish with.
Q: Are you currently working on any research? If so, what can you tell us about it?
A: We are working on multiple projects like SRS for Trigeminal Neuralgia, Meningiomas and Renal Cell Cancer.