2006: Another fruitful year for IJDVL

Uday Khopkar

 Department of Dermatology, Seth G S Medical College and KEM Hospital, Parel, Mumbai, India

Correspondence Address:
Uday Khopkar
Department of Dermatology, Seth G S Medical College and KEM Hospital, Parel, Mumbai
India

Another successful year is added to IJDVL. Following PubMed listing the IJDVL has seen substantial increase in the number of articles submitted. A highlight of this trend has been an increase in the number of submissions from other countries accounting for 15% of total submissions. Consequently about 10% of journal articles are authored outside India especially from West Asia and Western Europe.

The quality of original articles has kept a steady uptrend throughout the year. Compared to 72 original articles submitted in 2005 we received 96 original articles in 2006, about 20% of which were from outside India. We have a relatively low acceptance rate of about 40% for such articles only to make sure that you get the best of the material to peruse.

In response to our policy of making the IJDVL office paperless, almost 100% of the articles last year were submitted electronically through the website. All manuscripts must now be submitted in electronic formats through the manuscript processing website of IJDVL. No hard copies of articles need to be posted to the editorial office either at the time of initial submission or during revision or proofing stages.

In order to increase the worldwide exposure of our journal and for expert reviews, we have added many overseas reviewers during this year, the percentage of these increasing from 20 to 50 during 2005. All the same, we are also looking to increase the number of Indian reviewers who can do the work online and on time. Those who wish to offer their services as a reviewer may please apply online from our website or send an email with their CV to editor@ijdvl.com

I thank the IJDVL Ombudsman, Dr. A. K. Bajaj, for his report, which is reproduced elsewhere in this issue. Thanks are also due to Dr. DK Sahu of Medknow Publications for the smooth and coordinated efficacy of his publishing machinery. I also take this opportunity to thank all the sponsors of the IJDVL print and web versions, especially Elder Pharma, Gracewell, Galderma, GSK, Stiefel and Procter and Gamble for their wholehearted financial support.

From the current year 2007 we have added to the internet version, especially for the postgraduates, a challenging and interactive crossword. The net quiz will now be published with photos unlike the earlier year. We also plan to increase the number of reports and reviews, subject to availability, that is likely to make your IJDVL thicker. In this context I appeal to all members to submit quality reviews in their field of interest or expertise to IJDVL. However, as always, the subject of any review needs to be finalized in consultation with the editor by simply sending an email to editor@ijdvl.com

I take this opportunity to congratulate Drs. Kaushal Verma, Arika Bansal and Sethuraman G, authors of the article titled "Parthenium dermatitis treated with azathioprine weekly pulse doses" for winning the Vishnupriya Debi Award for best paper published in IJDVL during the year 2006. I also congratulate Dr. AD Sharma, author of the article on "Disulfiram and low nickel diet in the management of hand eczema: A clinical study" for winning the Indubala Memorial Award for best paper published in IJDVL in 2006 in the subject of occupational/contact dermatitis. Last but not the least, I thank all the contributors for their unstented support during the year that is pivotal to the continued success of our journal.