The role of small journals and their editors in academic communities or: a message to young researchers on why publishing in small journals is important

摘要

When a medical professional becomes a journal editor,he or she is usually not aware of how special and specifictheir position will be. Being an expert in a certain fieldand having an academic reputation is usually considereda qualification for an editorial position. Editors are thusoften surprised when they learn how complex, technologicallyadvanced and regulated the scientific publishingenterprise in medicine is today (1, 2). For editors ofsmall journals in small scholarly communities, followingthe developments in medical publishing is probably moreimportant than for those in large, prestigious journals(3). This is because small journals from the so-called scientificperiphery not only play a role in communicatingnew knowledge, but also provide education and service tothe local community (4-7). In my life as an editor, I havelearned the power of small journals to strengthen the localacademic community and promote its visibility in theglobal academic environment.