Over a quarter of century ago, 27 years actually, the first issue of the Saudi Journal of Ophthalmology was published. The SJO has a long and rich history in serving the ophthalmic community in the Kingdom, Gulf States and the Middle East. The SJO is published by one of the first medical societies formed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and is the official journal of the Saudi Ophthalmological Society with support from King Saud University. The first issue of SJO was published in January 1986 as the Saudi Bulletin of Ophthalmology. In 1991 the name was changed to the Saudi Journal of Ophthalmology to reflect the true spirit and mission of the Society and the Journal. Since inception, the journal’s mission has been to provide high quality clinical and scientific manuscripts relevant to eye diseases in the region. However the advent of the Internet meant that most scientists and clinicians eventually adopted online searches for relevant information and knowledge. Additionally many authors will only submit to Journals that are indexed in online scientific databases in order to increase the visibility of their research. In keeping with this reality, the SJO proactively addressed this issue and it is my pleasure to announce that the Saudi Journal of Ophthalmology (SJO) is now indexed in PubMed Central. PubMed Central is the most used biomedical bibliographic database and is an authoritative source of knowledge for clinicians and scientists worldwide. This milestone could not have been achieved without the past and current support of the King Saud University, our Editorial and Advisory Boards, the Reviewers and Authors.
With its support, King Saud University has provided the Journal, a platform to reach a global audience. King Saud University assisted in the provision of services from Elsevier, one of the leading publishers of scientific journals. This enabled all submissions to be processed online with technical support available to Authors, Reviewers and the Editors. The outcome include faster manuscript processing, reduced costs, instant reports, transparency of the publication process and timely publication of manuscript. From 2009 onwards, the journal has been available online (www.saudiophthaljournal.com), via ScienceDirect and other online archives. The SJO is an open access journal and all the articles are available free of charge to readers. The journal maintains a standard of timely reviews and serves as a resource for the educational needs of Ophthalmologists and Allied Health Care Personnel by focusing on clinically relevant manuscripts.
The Journal also publishes thematic issues on a regular basis. For example, in the last two years SJO has published special issues on oculoplastics, diabetic retinopathy, cornea and refractive surgery, glaucoma, cataract, ophthalmic pathology, pediatric ophthalmology and oculoplastics imaging. Many internationally renowned ophthalmologists shared their experience and expertise by contributing original/review articles for these issues. Thematic issues are very popular as they serve as convenient reference/guide of cogent current information on a particular topic in Ophthalmology. Due to feedback for the readership, the Journal will continue to publish regular thematic issues.
We are fortunate to have outstanding, proactive editorial and international advisory boards comprised of well-regarded experts from all over the world. Currently, the editorial and international advisory boards comprise of 32 clinicians, professors and researchers from 13 countries. The diversity of experience and knowledge allows unique and varied perspectives that enhance the quality of the SJO. Based on this experience and looking to the future we are currently expanding these boards to meet our ongoing endeavors. I take this opportunity to express my gratitude at the diligence and outstanding work of the Board members who have actively participated and lead the arduous task of managing some of the thematic issues.
The success of the peer-reviewed journal depends on the willingness of our colleagues to set aside time from their practices, academic requirements and in some cases, family to critique articles. The editorial board would like to thank all the Referees for the rigor of their work and those who continue to support the Journal in the future. To the authors, many thanks for your submissions and for the trust you have placed in the SJO. Your reward is the increased visibility of your research now that SJO is indexed in the foremost database of biomedical and scientific literature worldwide. The board would also like to thank Elsevier for providing the excellent publishing services and helping the journal in achieving its goals.
Obtaining indexing in PubMed is indeed rewarding and quite an accomplishment. All articles published in this issue are available in PubMed Central. Subsequently, all back issues will be made available in a timely fashion. The next goal for the Editorial Board to have the SJO indexed with the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) Web of Knowledge and have it listed on MedLIne. In order to achieve these goals, we need your active participation as an author, as a referee and as a reader of the journal.
Footnotes
Peer review under responsibility of Saudi Ophthalmological Society, King Saud University.
