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Duties of Editors

Definition

Editors are the stewards of journals. They usually take over their journal from the previous editor(s)
and always want to hand over the journal in good shape.

Most editors provide direction for the journal and build a strong management team.

They must consider and balance the interests of many constituents, including readers, authors, staff,
owners, editorial board members, advertisers, and the media.

Actions

1. Editors’ decisions to accept or reject a paper for publication should be based only on the paper’s
importance, originality, and clarity, and the study’s relevance to the merit of the journal.
2. Studies that challenge works previously published in the journal should be given an especially
sympathetic hearing.
3. Studies reporting negative results must not be excluded unless reviewed properly.

4. All original studies should be peer reviewed before publication, considering all possible bias due
to related or conflicting interests.
5. Editors must treat all submitted papers as confidential.
6. When a published paper is subsequently found to contain major flaws, the editors must accept
responsibility and ensure correcting the record prominently and promptly.

Media Relations

Definition

Medical research findings are of increasing interest to the print and broadcast media.

Journalists may attend scientific meetings at which preliminary research findings are presented,
leading to their premature publication in the mass media.

Action

1. Authors approached by the media should give as balanced an account of their work as possible,
ensuring that they point out where evidence ends, and speculation begins.

2. Simultaneous publication in the mass media and a peer-reviewed journal is advised, as this
usually means that enough evidence and data have been provided to satisfy informed and
critical readers.
3. Where this is not possible, authors should help journalists to produce accurate reports, but
refrain from supplying additional data.

4. Authors must make all efforts to ensure that they inform all patients, who have helped with the
research, of the results before the mass media, especially if there are clinical implications.

5. Organizers of scientific meetings must advise authors if journalists are attending the meetings.
6. It may be helpful to authors to be advised of any media policies operated by the journal in which
their work is to be published.

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