The editorial team at Peritoneal Dialysis International (PDI) is keen to encourage submissions to the journal from researchers of all disciplines working in the area of peritoneal dialysis (PD). Peritoneal Dialysis International is the journal of the International Society for Peritoneal Dialysis (ISPD) and the only international journal dedicated to PD—a therapy that offers high-quality, person-centered care, where patients can retain a degree of autonomy and independence. We welcome articles dealing with all aspects of PD from healthcare professionals and scientists working around the world. Indeed, in 2015 we received submissions from 46 different countries. These include original investigations from the laboratory and medical practice, clinical reports and guidelines, educational pieces, in-depth reviews and invited commentaries. Letters to the editor can be submitted either in direct response to articles using the e-letter facility on the journal website or as short reports.
When papers first arrive at the journal, a rapid assessment is made for suitability. Initial evaluation is based around 5 general criteria: topic, potential impact, quality, governance, and presentation. It is rare to receive papers that are not focused on PD, but occasionally PD forms only a small part of the whole, or the overall theme, and the article would be better suited to a different speciality (e.g. health economics or psychology).
Potential impact is a question of editorial judgment. While novelty is always attractive, if an important topic has been previously reported and further confirmation is required, or a different approach to analysis adds value to the previous work, then the editors are likely to assign a high priority. This process also has the benefit of time efficiency, since we believe that it is fairer to authors to reject promptly than to accept too many papers and create an unmanageable wait for print publication.
In the assessment of the quality of a paper, the role of reviewers is key. The journal is dependent on the dedication of its expert international reviewers, who give generously of their time. Clear methodological and study design weaknesses will result in rejection prior to being sent out for review. Examples may include an unclear research question, absence of a pre-defined primary outcome measure supported by a statistical plan, lack of a control group, an unfocused cross-sectional analysis of a range of parameters in the hope of finding a significant association, or conclusions that are not supported by the presented data. Manuscripts describing multi-center, collaborative work with longitudinal follow-up of relevant outcomes will be prioritized.
Research governance includes the permissions that are required for the research to be conducted such as informed consent from participants as well as ethics review. If these are not evident in research involving patients, the paper will be rejected without proceeding to the review stage. Our publisher, Multimed, is currently setting up the mechanisms for all articles to be scanned using anti-plagiarism software.
Presentation relates to the paper conforming to the journal style as outlined in the Instructions for Authors, the written English, and the length. Following the recent abolition of page charges to authors, these instructions will be strictly enforced, and excessively lengthy articles will be rejected. Authors can make use of the online supplementary facility, at a charge of $50 per uploaded file, to present additional material (e.g. detailed methods, extra tables, figures, and appendices such as questionnaires).
The print backlog at PDI is about 9 months at this stage, with original articles being published online within a few weeks of acceptance. In recent times, the decision ratio for PDI has become considerably tougher than previously in order to manage the publication backlog, and for 2015, a decision to reject was made for 70% of original articles and 76% of short reports.
This current issue of PDI presents material spanning the full PD curriculum, including an in-depth review on mechanisms of ultrafiltration; a case-controlled study on the impact of biocompatible solutions on peritoneal histopathology; a randomized controlled trial on exit-site care; 2 investigations of lipid control; a cohort examination of blood pressure and survival; experience of urgent-start dialysis; a report describing a catheter insertion training program for surgeons; prescription modeling to achieve adequate solute and water removal; a health economic evaluation from China; and several insightful and innovative short reports. Focusing on the future direction of the journal, we plan to increase the proportion of in-depth reviews, welcome examples of innovation in response to population health needs, as well as quality-improvement initiatives that lead to sustained impact. We will continue to publish high-quality investigative work that represents the very best of the international effort to improve the quality of care for patients and supports the work of the ISPD. We look forward to receiving your manuscripts.