Scientific publishing in the modern era, has been exclusively the domain of research giants of the West. Iran as an emerging Middle Eastern research hotspot has managed to gain a foothold in this area. Years of perseverance are starting to pay off; Iranian publications are currently enjoying better visibility and more credibility than ever before. Iranian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences (IJBMS) as one of the foremost regional publications in its field has contributed significantly to this national effort.
IJBMS, in 2014, continued the rapid forward trend of the recent years, notably 2011 through 2013. Manuscripts received by IJBMS in 2013 and 2014 are summarized in Table 1. Number of submitted manuscripts increased twofold in 2014 compared to 2013. Rejection rate was around 60% in 2013 while this rate increased to 70.6% last year.
Table 1.
Analysis of manuscripts submitted to Iranian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences in 2013 and 2014
| Year | Submitted | Accepted | Rejected | Withdrawn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 613 | 96 | 363 | 56 |
| 2014 | 1019 | 153 | 720 | 50 |
The journal was published on a monthly basis in both 2013 and 2014, but number of published papers in each issue was increased from 12 to 15 in 2014. An improving pattern is also observed in types of manuscripts published in 2013 and 2014 (Table 2).
Table 2.
Types of manuscripts published by Iranian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences in 2011–2014
| Year | Original | Short communication | Review | Letter to editor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 65 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| 2012 | 65 | 12 | 4 | 3 |
| 2013 | 124 | 15 | 9 | 3 |
| 2014 | 133 | 18 | 6 | 2 |
The editorial board of IJBMS has decided to concentrate more on review articles in the current year. As IJBMS plans to publish at least one review article per issue in 2015, all researchers in related fields are encouraged to contribute. The publication of accepted manuscripts after the peer-review process, will be as rapid as possible.
Figure 1 presents the international share in published manuscripts during the last 4 years. In 2014, around 20% of published papers were from 13 countries including China, Turkey, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Portugal, Thailand, Tunisia, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Germany, and Palestine.
Figure 1.
International share in published articles of Iranian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences between 2011 and 2014
Final issue of 2014 was a special issue focusing on pharmacological and biological activities of black cumin (Nigella sativa) and its constituents such as thymoquinone. In this issue both basic and clinical pharmacology of this annual plant were covered.
Thomson Reuters issued 0.324 as the first IJBMS impact factor. It was improved to 0.604 in 2014 and according to unofficial calculations based on number of citations in 2014 and number of publications in 2012 and 2013; we expect that the impact factor would be above 1 in 2015. Hopefully with improved editorial quality, better response times, improved online submission, and more international and intercontinental diversity the journal will be able to enjoy yet more credibility next year.