Ann Blair Kennedy, LMT, BCTMB, DrPH
Interim Executive Editor, IJTMB
University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville, Greenville, SC, USAIt is an honor and a privilege to be appointed the Interim Executive Editor for the IJTMB; I am lucky to have some initiatives that were already in development by the previous editorial team that I hope to bring to fruition over the next few months. First, I hope to increase the Journal’s Internet presence through social media to expand readership and encourage new submitters. The second initiative is a mentoring program to assist writers with their submissions to the Journal. Finally, I, and the rest of the editorial staff, will continue to evaluate the process, procedures, and forms used in peer review. I hope to move these initiatives forward and by doing so, bring in new readers, submitters, and reviewers to the Journal.
It is an honor and a privilege to be appointed the Interim Executive Editor for the IJTMB and I cannot thank Antony Porcino, my predecessor, enough for his assistance in helping me to understand the duties and processes that the position of Executive Editor must fulfill. I am lucky to have some initiatives that were already in development by the previous editorial team that I hope to bring to fruition over the next few months.
First, I hope to increase the Journal’s Internet presence to expand readership and encourage new submitters. Social media accounts have now been created for the Journal and I hope you will consider following them on both Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/IJTMB.org) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/IJTMB_org). Many scientists are using social media to gain visibility for their research making IJTMB’s entry into this realm both current and important.(1) Additionally, Cosco found that a medical journal’s impact factor was strongly connected with its number of Twitter followers.(2) With this in mind, I hope you will, follow, share, and like the IJTMB’s tweets and posts.
The second initiative that I hope to roll out is a mentoring program to assist writers with their submissions to the Journal. The IJTMB receives a broad range of manuscripts from first-time authors, who may be unclear on scientific writing, all the way up to seasoned researchers who have extensive writing experience. The IJTMB recognizes this gap in experience and aims to maintain a group list that the Executive Editor and/or Editor-in-Chief can use to connect mentors and authors for those who need or desire assistance. Writing mentors will have a history of publishing in peer-reviewed journals and will offer a range of support, depending on manuscript needs, such as simple guidance and proof-reading to more indepth revisions. In recognition for their contribution, mentors may receive acknowledgment or authorship in the manuscript or financial compensation for their time. All financial and authorship negotiations will be between the mentors and the authors, and those negotiations will not be guided or managed by either the IJTMB or the Massage Therapy Foundation (MTF). As mentioned above, this program is currently in development and a more formal announcement will be made soon. If you would like to participate as a mentor or are looking for a mentor, please let me know at the e-mail address below.
Next, I, and the rest of the editorial staff, will continue to evaluate the process, procedures, and forms used in peer review. We recognize that the current process for reviewers and editors can be cumbersome and we will be updating it in the near future. We are always looking for people interested in assisting the Journal by participating as a peer reviewer; if you are interested or want more information about what this entails, please contact me.
Finally, some thank-yous. I want to thank all of those who were confident that I could fulfill this position, including the MTF Board of Trustees, staff, and specifically Jerrilyn Cambron, PhD, the President of the Foundation. Next I need to thank all of the editorial staff — I could not do this without you. So, thank you to:
Albert Moraska, PhD; Research Section Editor
Grant J. Rich, PhD, BCTMB, LMT, LSW; Practice & Education Section Editor
Glenn M. Hymel, EdD, LMT; Senior Consulting Editor; and Emeritus Founding Executive Editor
Thomas W. Findley, MD, PhD; Consulting Editor; and Emeritus Founding Editor-in-Chief
Heather M Bush, PhD; Consulting Biostatistician
Amanda Shand; Editorial Assistant
Thank you to the peer reviewers. The time you give to this process is a gift to the profession and to the Journal. Lastly, thank you to our readers and manuscript submitters. I hope to move these initiatives forward and by doing so, bring new readers, submitters, and reviewers to the Journal. If you have questions, please contact me at: eeijtmb@gmail.com.
1. Rinaldi A. Spinning the web of open science: Social networks for scientists and data sharing, together with open access, promise to change the way research is conducted and communicated. EMBO Rep. 2014;15(4):342–346.
2. Cosco TD. Medical journals, impact and social media: an ecological study of the Twittersphere. CMAJ. 2015;187(18): 1353–1357.
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INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE AND BODYWORK, VOLUME 9, NUMBER 4, DECEMBER 2016