Position Statement: Publishing in the Journal of Prosthodontics

Publishing in the Journal of Prosthodontics

Position Statement of the American College of Prosthodontists
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Choosing an appropriate journal to publish scientific and scholarly contribution is an important component of academic dentistry. Authors use various factors to determine which journal they want to send their manuscript to. Some of these factors include journal impact factor, speed of publication, reputation of the journal, visibility, the audience and the community that the journal represents, editors and editorial team, cost of publication, and open access publication options. Publishing in an appropriate journal is therefore not only important for the dissemination of published work, but also for the work and authors to be recognized as collective knowledge of a community of experts. It is therefore paramount for authors to choose the right journal at the beginning of manuscript preparation and prepare their work for publication based on the targeted journal’s style, editorial requirements, as well as the intended audience.^1-2

The impact factor is perhaps the first factor authors contemplate when choosing a journal to submit a manuscript. The impact factor was first introduced by Eugene Garfield in 1975.¹ The impact factor measures the frequency with which a particular journal’s articles are cited in a defined period of time. Despite its shortcomings, the impact factor remains a key metric for ranking dental journals and a metric used by authors to target journals for submission.² However, the impact factor should not be the only metric, especially in the prosthodontic field because, for the most part, of the limited audience that leading prosthodontic journals target.

Target audience, speed of publication, visibility, and reputation of the journal are perhaps more important factors when considering where to publish a scholarly paper. The Journal of Prosthodontics is the official journal of the American College of Prosthodontists (ACP), the largest prosthodontic organization in the United States and is specifically geared to publish prosthodontic research, case reports, and techniques. In addition to possessing a respectable impact factor and ranking among all dental journals, the Journal of Prosthodontics ensures the dissemination of research and the widest exposure to the prosthodontist community and should be the first journal targeted for submissions relevant to prosthodontics sciences, materials and techniques. The Journal of Prosthodontics relies on a modern peer-review model for considering manuscripts submitted to the Journal. In this model, all submitted manuscripts are initially vetted by the Editorial Team to make sure they adhere to Journal guidelines and are novel/original and meet scientific rigor guidelines. The manuscripts are then forwarded to knowledgeable associate editors who assign the manuscripts to reviewers and manage the review process. On average, the entire review process is completed, and a decision is rendered within 3 weeks. Accepted articles are published online within a week after acceptance and within 6 months in a printed issue. In the past, a manuscript could take 1 – 2 years before being published. There is no fee for publication in the Journal of Prosthodontics. However, the Journal offers authors an open access option called OnlineOpen, to have their article immediately freely available to everyone, including those who don’t subscribe. To cover the cost of publishing OnlineOpen, authors pay an article publication charge (APC). Open access publication has an advantage of a wider audience since the manuscript is freely downloadable. In addition, the author of an open access manuscript retains their copyright of the manuscript. The article is made freely available via Wiley Online Library; authors can post the final, published PDF of their article on a website, institutional repository, or other free public server; and authors can fully comply with funder open access mandates.

Manuscripts published in the Journal of Prosthodontics are highlighted and featured regularly in the ACP’s Wednesday Wake Up Call, in emails and on social media.  The Journal of Prosthodontics also offers best manuscript awards in basic science, clinical research, case reports, and reviews each year. The first author receives a cash award, certificate, and recognition during the ACP annual session. The streamlined reviewing and editing process, the high visibility and reach, and annual awards help boost the impact of these articles in the prosthodontic community.

Publishing in a journal can be a challenging and tedious process. It is the position of the American College of Prosthodontists that choosing the right journal for your work is essential to maximize the work’s visibility as well as to present the work for an appropriate audience. A speedy and reputable reviewing process, speedy publication, and most importantly the prosthodontic community representation and support make the Journal of Prosthodontics the journal of choice to publish prosthodontic scholarly work.  

References

1. Wakim NI, Braun TM, Kaye JA et al: Choosing the right time granularity for analysis of digital biomarker trajectories. Alzheimers Dement. 2020;6: e12094

2. Moed HF: The impact-factors debate: the ISI’s uses and limits. Nature. 2002;415:731–732

Sompop Bencharit, DDS, MS, PhD, FACP