Research and Publishing in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Medical research has been the cornerstone in discoveries of better ways to prevent and treat diseases [1]. Along with public health improvements (sanitation, food, reduction of infectious diseases, etc), it has contributed to a more than doubling in life expectancy during the past 200 years.

However, medical research remains demanding and ever challenging. A number of hurdles such as developing a hypothesis, locating funding, involving clinical trial units, developing agreements with sponsors, obtaining ethical committee approval, attaining patient consent for participation, and carrying out sizeable amount of paperwork (obtaining data) must be overcome [2], [3].

In addition to the above, publishing a scientific article requires data analysis, writing, submission, reviewing, revision, more reviewing and publication. At each step, human interaction is required and for those individuals to have the time and focus to deliver to the goal [4], [5]. The current worldwide COVID-19 pandemic will certainly stretch the available human resources to meet those needs [6], [7]. Moreover, due to the self-isolation requirements to reduce the process of contamination and spread of the disease, the vast majority of academic institutions and laboratories at least in the countries greatly affected by the pandemic have been locked down.

While many of the research resources will necessarily be directly related to the epidemiology, virology and treatment aspects of COVID-19, in the trauma area there are likely to be significant issues for which research is likely to be valuable. How to triage in a pandemic environment, how to handle trauma resuscitation in a COVID positive or suspect patient, and how to maintain resources for trauma when many will be redeployed in other directions are all examples of COVID related research important in the trauma arena.

The history of influenza pandemics is interesting and in the 20^th Century there were three main pandemics in 1918-20, 1957-58 and 1969-70. In the first of these there were 40-50 million deaths, and in the second and third about 2 million deaths on each occasion [8], [9], [10]. Despite this, the world research output remained on a steady logarithmic increase.

Any crisis generates opportunities for new learning and past experience suggests research publication does not slow down during or after a pandemic.

While it is recognised that human resources will be significantly stretched and distracted in 2020, Injury reiterates its mission to accept, review and publish important trauma-related research and all the editors are confident that the current COVID pandemic will provide as many new research opportunities as it takes away.

The journal will do everything possible to ensure submitted papers are reviewed and published in a timely way.