Welcoming 2024 and our new Editor-in-Chief Designate
Year: 2024
Type: editorial
Abstract: The year 2024 will mark my 11th year as Editor-in-Chief (EIC) of the Singapore Medical Journal (SMJ). I am immensely pleased to announce that Professor Ang Tiing Leong has been appointed the SMJ EIC Designate from 1 January 2024, and will take over the helm in 2025. Prof Ang is currently a Senior Consultant at the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Changi General Hospital, Singapore. He is an Adjunct Professor at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, and Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, and a Clinical Professor at the Duke-NUS Medical School. He has extensive publications, many of which are well cited, especially in areas related, but not restricted, to his specialities. Prof Ang is no stranger to SMJ. He joined the Editorial Board as an Associate Editor from 2008 to 2013, and was appointed Deputy Editor from 2014 to 2023. Over the past two years, Prof Ang, A/Prof Mahesh Choolani (Deputy Editor) and I have met weekly to go through all new submissions, make decisions on authors’ queries and strategise on the future of SMJ. Both the Singapore Medical Association (SMA) council and SMJ Editorial Board strongly support the leadership transition, and I am confident that Prof Ang will bring SMJ to greater heights. Over the last decade, we have kept our readership updated on the progress of the journal with regular editorials.[1,2,3,4] In 2022, we engaged Wolters Kluwer Medknow to streamline the journal publication process, substantially reducing our time from acceptance to publication.[2] We have also reduced submission to final decision turnaround time. All submitted manuscripts are first reviewed by the Editors, and manuscripts with insufficient originality or serious methodological flaws are promptly rejected to avoid delays to authors. Manuscripts that pass the initial screening are sent for peer review by Specialty Editors, and reminders to late reviewers are auto triggered to ensure timeliness. Occasionally, a manuscript may have conflicting reviewer recommendations, requiring a relook and more review time. Our reviewers play an important role in the peer review process. Some reviewers highlight the statistical reliability, scientific plausibility and clinical practicality of the articles, and we are grateful for their keen insights. We grade and note the timeliness of each review, and the best reviewers are recognised yearly through the Reviewer Recognition Award and waiver of their manuscript submission fees for that year. The SMJ is special in my heart. I published my first articles — an original article[5] and a case report[6] — in SMJ. I started reviewing articles for SMJ as a junior doctor and joined the Editorial Board as an Associate Editor in 2008 when the journal was helmed by Prof Wilfred Peh. I became Deputy Editor in 2010 and EIC Designate in 2013, assisting Prof Teo Eng Kiong, then-EIC of SMJ. In 2014, I became the 11th EIC of SMJ since its founding in 1960. The Electrocardiography Series, which is part of the SMJ Continuing Medical Education programme, was initiated by me, and I continue to be in charge of the series. I am grateful to the late Prof Chia Boon Lock,[7] who supported me greatly during the toughest period of my clinical career, for providing fresh insights and guidance during the initial period of this series.[8] In a flash, a decade has passed. We have weathered the COVID-19 pandemic,[1] engaged readers through social media[3] and increased the journal impact factor.[4] The SMJ is still a work in progress, and we hope authors will continue to send their high-quality scientific papers to us. Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Ms Sarah Lim (SMJ Senior Manager), who has been with me throughout the journey, and all previous and current SMJ staff and Editorial Board members, without whom we would not have been able to bring the journal to its current height. I wish everyone a good year ahead.
Source: Singapore Medical Journal
Author: Kian Keong Poh
Language: English
Subfield: Library and Information Sciences
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4390789756