A high quality scientific journal like Brain and Spine owned and run by scientific societies like EUROSPINE and EANS has many advantages for a scientific society. A PubMed listed scientific journal is for example an important medium to publish new methods and results from clinical and experimental research. It makes published research visible, citable and valuable. It delivers guidelines, systematic reviews and case illustrations with the goal to add value to brain and spine patients care and supports the members of the societies in their daily work. Further, the scientific organizations can sharpen their profiles because the quality of their journal often reinforces the reputation of scientific societies.
Yet, a modern scientific journal like Brain and Spine is even more than this. It is a platform for the communication between the members of a scientific society and in between societies. It brings together specialists from different fields of expertise, it allows the exchange of technical ideas and surgical experience, and it promotes high quality research by offering scientific prices and awards. Finally, a scientific journal can help a scientific organisation to support altruistic ideas (Chhabra et al., 2023), highlight grievance (Blattert et al., 2022) and foster political decision-making in the medical field (Frontera et al., 2023).
These are some reasons why EUROSPINE and EANS founded Brain and Spine 3 years ago. Since then both scientific societies and their scientific journal proceed on their way forward successfully hand in hand.
EUROSPINE and EANS are also associations bringing together the national European spine and neurosurgical societies. EUROSPINE and EANS act as umbrella organizations for their institutional members on the supranational European level. Many of these national societies representing small European countries do not have enough members or financial capacities to run their own scientific journal. Therefore, our new affiliated society project of Brain and Spine intends to support these institutional members of EUROSPINE and EANS by sharing the benefits of an own scientific journal with our partners.
In order to affiliate with Brain and Spine, the applying society must fulfil some criteria. It should be a scientific organisation based on democratic principles and should be a multidisciplinary spine or neurosurgical society, representing the majority of spine or neuro-surgeons of their country. Further, it is mandatory to support the aims and goals of our journal and EUROSPINE and EANS.
If a scientific society becomes an affiliated society, it will receive many benefits. For example, with a seat on the Editorial Board the affiliated society will have an influence on the future direction of the journal. With the opportunity to publish editorials or the abstracts of a peer-reviewed national meeting, it will create awareness for the national clinical and experimental research in a large community of experts. Within the network of Brain and Spine, the affiliated society will receive the opportunity to bring up-to-date research results direct to their members.
If this is interesting for you, just submit an informal application letter to us and we will be happy to welcome you and your society in the scientific family of Brain and Spine.
References
- Blattert Thomas, Demetriades Andreas K., Kandziora Frank, Peul Wilco. EUROSPINE and EANS statement about Putin's Ukraine war. Brain and Spine. 2022;2 doi: 10.1016/j.bas.2022.100880. ISSN 2772-5294. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Chhabra Harvinder S., Tamai Koji, Alsebayel Hana, AlEissa Sami, Alqahtani Yahya, Arand Markus, Basu Saumyajit, Blattert Thomas R., Bussières André, Campello Marco, Costanzo Giuseppe, Côté Pierre, Darwano Bambang, Franke Jörg, Garg Bhavuk, Hasan Rumaisah, Ito Manabu, Kamra Komal, Kandziora Frank, Kassim Nishad, Kato So, Lahey Donna, Mehta Ketna, Menezes Cristiano M., Muehlbauer Eric J., Mullerpatan Rajani, Pereira Paulo, Roberts Lisa, Ruosi Carlo, Sullivan William, Shetty Ajoy P., Tucci Carlos, Wadhwa Sanjay, Ahmed Alturkistany, Busari Jamiu O., Wang Jeffrey C., Teli Marco G.A., Rajasekaran Shanmuganathan, Mulukutla Raghava D., Piccirillo Michael, Hsieh Patrick C., Dohring Edward J., Srivastava Sudhir K., Larouche Jeremie, Vlok Adriaan, Nordin Margareta. SPINE20 recommendations 2023: one Earth, one family, one future WITHOUT spine DISABILITY. Brain and Spine. 2023;3 doi: 10.1016/j.bas.2023.102688. ISSN 2772-5294. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Frontera Walter R., DeGroote Wouter, Ghaffar Abdul. Importance of health policy and systems research for strengthening rehabilitation in health systems: a call to action to accelerate progress. Brain and Spine. 2023;3 doi: 10.1016/j.bas.2023.102691. ISSN 2772-5294. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]