The official newsletter of the International Society of Managing and Technical Editors IN THIS ISSUE The Intersection of Humanities and ARTICLES Science • The Intersection of Humanities and by Deborah E. Bowman, MFA Science 1 Managing Editor GIE: Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Deborah E. Bowman [email protected] • What DO Authors want Managing Edwin Land of Polaroid talked hundreds of articles to various Editors to Know 3 about standing at the intersection journals. He writes from the Todd H. Baron of humanities and science and viewpoint of an author, telling us • Membership: A what a great place that was to be. what we can do to make things Reflection and As Editors of scholarly journals, easier for the people who write Update 5 we, too, stand at that intersection, for our journals. He called me Wendy Krank and that means we are expected to to complain about a Managing • What’s On Your know a lot of information and to Editor he was having trouble with; iPad? 7keep up with the latest advances. I said, “I have the perfect place for Deborah Bowman As ISMTE members, we have the you to vent your frustration!” The opportunity to help each other by result is in this issue. • Lies, Damned Lies, sharing our knowledge and the Our Ethics Editor, Ira Salkin, and Statistics 9 obligation to let other Editors frightens us again by telling how Ira Salkin know how helpful the ISMTE authors can manipulate their • Truths Universally is in our quest to stay current. data to make it seem statistically Acknowledged: 1 1 In this month’s issue of EON, significant, even when it isn’t. Meghan McDevitt Board member and Membership Arm yourselves with this important • Whispering in the Chair Wendy Krank talks about information by reading “Lies, Dark 12 the benefits of membership; Damned Lies, and Statistics.” Meghan McDevitt you might be surprised to learn Managing Editors: do you want to some of the great advantages know what your Editorial Assistant MISCELLANEOUS your membership affords you. is really thinking? In this month’s We continue “What I Wish My “Whispering in the Dark,” Meghan • Calendar 14 Managing Editor Knew” this McDevitt, Editorial Assistant for month by hearing from Dr. Todd GIE, tells what it is like to step into Baron, a gastroenterologist from an editorial job fresh out of college Mayo Clinic, who has submitted and how she manages to work for APRIL 2012 Editorial Office News www.ismte.org 1 ARTICLE The Intersection of Humanities and Science an Editor who carries out the job from a remote Our jobs combine science and the humanities in location. a way that makes life interesting and challenging. What apps will you put on your new iPad? This We take scientific information and make sure it month, I talk about some of my favorite apps is organized and readable; we bring humanity to and invite you to share yours. And I hope you science, and that ends up benefitting everyone. will enjoy our new book review feature, “Truths I’m proud of what I do, and I hope all of you are Universally Acknowledged” (taken, of course, proud of your roles, too. Check the calendar listing from the line from Pride and Prejudice and chosen for the dates of the 2012 ISMTE conferences in because books do give us universal truths). We this publication. I hope you all try to come so you kick off the new section with a review of Editing can share your pride and knowledge with Editors for Dummies. from all over the world. The Philosophy of Editing Are You Dangling? One error that I find our authors making frequently (and our copyeditors missing all too often) is dangling constructions. Participial phrases, infinitive phrases, gerund phrases, and elliptical clauses dangle if they are in a position to modify a word that they are not supposed to modify. Some are fairly obvious: To run the mile, your stopwatch must be accurate. This says your stopwatch is running the mile; obviously, that isn’t right. While driving down the road, a deer ran in front of my car. Not only does this deer probably not drive, but he couldn’t be driving a car and running in front of my car at the same time. A recent example I came across in an accepted journal article was this: Using an ultraslim upper endoscope, balloon-guided direct peroral cholangioscopy allows direct visual examination. Cholangioscopy doesn’t use an endoscope; the doctor uses the endoscope. This sentence can be corrected by giving the opening phrase a subject: When physicians use an ultraslim upper endoscope, balloon-guided direct peroral cholangioscopy allows direct visual examination. Check yourself and your authors: make sure nothing is dangling! 2 Editorial Office News www.ismte.org APRIL 2012 ARTICLE What DO Authors Want Managing Editors to Know by Todd H. Baron, MD, FASGE Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN Dear Managing Editors of the world, queue and did not appear to be unsubmitted. I phoned the ME and said I was confused as what This author has been asked to tell all of you to do next, to which the reply was, “Didn’t you what authors need in a Managing Editor (ME) read my email?” I replied that I had and was and what can make our lives easier (and more somewhat confused. The resulting conversation difficult). So, as a representative of all authors, was unpleasant for both of us, and the person said, I’ll do my best to enlighten you. First let me “You were lucky I answered the phone; it’s after provide you with my background. I started out six p.m. here and only just after five p.m. there.” I as an author about 20 years ago, before the era said, “I work very late every evening.” Eventually, of electronic submissions. Since that time I have in frustration, I asked, “Why did it take so long to published more than 350 articles in PubMed and receive the initial response?” The ME informed have served as Associate Editor for two journals. me that she/he (identity to remain anonymous) I peer-review for about 20 journals and submit took a vacation “once in a while,” does not always articles to multiple journals. My role has become check emails when away, and asked if I took one of an overseer to medical students, residents, vacations. When I promptly said no, he/she said, and fellows in training, so I help them navigate “Well, you should.” I responded, “Well, if I did through the maze of authorship and online take vacation I would expect one of my colleagues submissions. to cover for me.” Now that we have introduced ourselves, by After I hung up in total frustration I relayed far and away the most important thing an author this conversation to the journal Editor-in-Chief, wants from an ME is responsiveness. Remember who did not ever respond to me. My thoughts at that most authors are not savvy with the submission that time were this: “The attitude of the journal process and find it all very confusing. So, while the starts at the top.” I reflected on journals that process may seem intuitive to MEs, it is not to were respected and had high impact factors, and most authors. Thus, when an author is confused, realized that the MEs for those journals were he or she reaches out by way of email (some even always responsive, either by email or phone. use phones!) and other forms of communication As my father, a businessman, told me over and (dare I say Facebook and Twitter?). What they again, “The customer is always right.” And we, expect is responsiveness. Recently, I found an as authors, are the customers. Granted we are online submission site particularly confusing in not always right, but need to feel that the ME the instructions to authors section. Nearly one is responsive to our needs, particularly when it month after submission of an article, I received comes to helping guide us through the submission correspondence from the ME saying that my process. To have a manuscript sitting for one article had been “unsubmitted” as it failed to meet month before being told that the instructions the requirements of the journal. I immediately were not adhered to is unacceptable. This should logged on to the authors’ portion of the website be addressed in a clear, concise manner quickly— and found that the manuscript was still in the within days. APRIL 2012 Editorial Office News www.ismte.org 3 ARTICLE What DO Authors want Managing Editors to Know A corollary to the above is the author’s sense of feel the clock ticking from the moment the individualized attention. All of us want to believe manuscript is submitted. Now, I understand that that we are not just a number (like our manuscript turnaround time can be largely out of the ME’s number). Thus, not only is a timely response hands. There are many steps in the process, appreciated, a respectful one is as well. but I would like to think that processing and Also tying in to the scenario outlined above is handling by a ME speeds up turnaround time. that the ME is the real “face of the journal.” Your Whatever you can do to make that happen, actions and professionalism reflect on what the please do. author thinks about the journal. A ME who is I will end with the fact that the ME’s assistance knowledgeable always impresses me. Knowledgeable and “can do” attitude will make an author want about what? Foremost, be knowledgeable about to submit an article to your journal.