Difficulties getting published in high-impact journals. Response from Editor in Chief

摘要

To the Editor—We appreciate the Hong Kong Medical Journal (HKMJ)’s efforts to emphasise transparency and responsiveness, in the form of editorials, letters, and other correspondence during and after publication. Our research team has faced various difficulties submitting articles and getting published. Owing to the novelty and impact of our research and the compatibility with the journal, we hoped to submit to one of the most prestigious medical journals in our field. However, the author guidelines of our target journal indicate that original research articles are usually not considered for publication, and the majority of published articles are solicited reviews. Those guidelines also indicate that unsolicited editorials and short commentaries may be considered for publication. In contrast, HKMJ accepts a variety of article types with a focus on improving care of patients. This approach is also adopted by many other journals; for example, in his first Editorial as Editor-in-Chief of Circulation, Hill 1 said, “rather, we will focus on the impact of an article on advancing clinical practice”.