IJDVL International Awards

M Ramam

 Department of Dermatology and Venereology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India

Correspondence Address:
M Ramam
Editor-in-chief, Department of Dermatology and Venereology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi - 110 029
India

What makes a journal international? The simplest answer is geography. Any journal published beyond the borders of your country is an international journal. So if you live on a small sovereign island that does not publish any medical journals, all your scientific work will be published in international journals. And you will be quickly eligible for promotion and awards that stipulate a certain number of "international" publications! While this may sound frivolous, some job application and assessment forms continue to ask for publications to be divided into Indian and international. A division that led some people (including me) to publish papers in the Pakistan Journal of Dermatology and the African Journal of Dermatology, to name two non-Indian journals, in our quest for "international" papers. When submission and publication was free, the Journal of Dermatology published in Japan attracted several contributors from India, perhaps for the same reason. The chances that articles in these journals would be read was low, but that did not seem to matter to people who were publishing not to be read, but to be published.

Apart from geography, what makes a journal international? If the journal is the official publication of an international association or society, it can legitimately claim to be international. But caveats are in order, and exceptions exist. One could argue that the journals of small international bodies with small circulations that are read by a handful of people in a few countries do not truly qualify for the label. Besides, in some cases, the name of the journal may not reflect its ownership or its reach, for example, the official publication of the International Society of Dermatopathology is called the American Journal of Dermatopathology, while the official publication of the American Society of Dermatopathology has the less geographically circumscribed title of Journal of Cutaneous Pathology. Conversely, the New England Journal of Medicine is an example of a journal whose name provides no indication of its wide circulation and high standing.

That a journal calls itself international is certainly no qualification. In these days of author fees for publication, we are systematically bombarded by invitations to publish in the World Journal of Whatever, or the Global Journal of Something Else. In the not-too-distant future, we may be invited to contribute to the Milky Way Journal, the Intergalactic Archives or the Universal Annals, no doubt after we pay an astronomical publication fee.

In sum, a journal that attracts contributions from around the world and is read by several people in different countries should be considered an international journal. By those criteria, our Journal would qualify. Nearly half the manuscripts submitted to our journal in 2014 came from outside India. Of the articles that were published, 30-40% in different categories were submitted by international authors. Our reviewers are also drawn from across the globe. Journal articles are viewed and downloaded in several countries and it is not uncommon to find our articles cited in presentations at conferences around the world. I think the Journal policy of free publication and free online access contributed, in large measure, to the development of our global audience. Our Association can take credit for this farsightedness, rising above the desire to hide articles behind payment walls in order to generate revenue.

For some time now, our Journal has conferred awards for the best paper submitted by Indian authors in different categories. Though there are good reasons for having awards for Indian authors, it seems unfair to exclude our international contributors from the process. We have hit upon a way around this dilemma. Beginning this year, the Journal will have a set of awards for international (non-Indian) papers. We are delighted to announce the first set of awards in different categories.

Best Original Article

The effectiveness of finasteride and dutasteride used for 3 years in women with androgenetic alopecia. Ids H. Boersma, Arnold P. Oranje, Ramon Grimalt, Matilde Iorizzo, Bianca M. Piraccini and Emiel H. Verdonschot, Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol 2014; 80:521-5.

Best Case Report

Paraneoplastic autoimmune multiorgan syndrome (paraneoplastic pemphigus) with unusual manifestations and without detectable autoantibodies. Jimena Sanz-Bueno, Daniella Cullen, Carlos Zarco, Francisco Vanaclocha, Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol 2014; 80:328-30.

Best Letter to Editor (2 Awards)

1. Narrow-band ultraviolet B home phototherapy in vitiligo. Xiaofeng Shan, Changliang Wang, Hongqing Tian, Baoqi Yang, Furen Zhang, Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol 2014; 80:336-8.
2. Recurrent blisters in a case of resolving Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis. Yao-Nien Chuang, Yin-Yu Ho, Tsu-Man Chiu, Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol 2014; 80:546-7.

Best Image in Clinical Practice

Rhinophyma-like cutaneous leishmaniasis. Monia Youssef, Yosra Soua, Hichem Belhadjali, Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol 2014; 80:537-8.

Congratulations to the winners, and to all our international contributors.