PNWMSRJ Editorial Staff
On behalf of the Editorial Staff of the Pacific Northwest Medical Student Research Journal (PNWMSRJ), we thank you for taking the time to read our inaugural issue. We intend for this journal to become a thriving and highly sought-after publication for medical trainees in the Pacific Northwest. We have done everything in our power to ensure this journal has a lasting impact on medical education in the Pacific Northwest. With the hard work and enthusiasm of our authors and readers, this journal will become an integral part of the medical community at large.
In designing and creating a new student medical research journal, we spent a significant amount of time reflecting on the needs of the osteopathic students and trainees this journal will serve. There are already countless research journals, including four medical student specific journals located in the United States.1 Of these four journals, however, all are located on the east coast and all are associated with allopathic medical schools. Our goal was to create a medical research journal catering to trainees in the Pacific Northwest, and while not specifically an osteopathic journal, we wanted to ensure osteopathic students and trainees had a desirable and credible journal to publish and showcase their work.
A survey of over 800 first-year osteopathic medical students found that they viewed research as a valuable experience that was beneficial to their future careers.2 According to the 2018 Charting Outcomes in the Match, graduating Osteopathic Seniors averaged 1.7 research experiences and 2.3 deliverables (abstracts, presentations, publications). That same year, US Allopathic Seniors reported an average of 3.2 research experiences and 5.7 deliverables.3 These data indicate that in the US medical education system, research is an essential component of the student and trainee experience. With recent developments such as the combined residency match, and USMLE moving towards a pass/fail grading system, it is likely that research experience will become even more valuable in the future.
The publication process for medical students can be disheartening. As authors, most of us have received the dreaded rejection letter more than once. Faculty members at medical schools are often overworked and have a myriad of attention-demanding responsibilities to include mentoring students on research. This may lead to students who wish to publish having to navigate the often rigorous academic peer-review process on their own, with little feedback from overextended mentors. With the growing importance of research in applying to residency programs, students often do not have the luxury of time on their side to rewrite and revise their manuscripts for multiple submissions before residency applications are due.
A 2013 study found that studies published in biomedicine journals on average take 9-10 months from submission to publication.4 While there is no data officially published, the turnaround time for submission to publication estimates for student-run journals is substantially shorter with an average of 4-5 months.5,6 This abbreviated turnaround time benefits students who may only have a short window to work on their publication as they balance a heavy course load mixed with board preparation and extracurricular volunteer activities.
Medical student research journals also face their fair share of challenges. These journals are often viewed as “student-friendly” (i.e. a lax or no peer-review process) that publish subpar research. When this journal was initially pitched to faculty members at our own institution, several voiced their concern about the creation of a “pseudo-journal” that did not have a rigorous peer-review and publication process.
Our journal is committed to following the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) Recommendations. There are currently only two student-run journals in the United States committed to following the ICMJE’s recommendations. We are proud to say that the PNWMSRJ is one of those two. Submitted articles will go through a peer-review process by clinicians or scientists who work in the Pacific Northwest. These reviewers consist of some of the brightest physicians, pharmacists, and PhD’s in the Pacific Northwest who are dedicated to advancing the medical education of students. To avoid conflicts of interest, faculty that serve as peer-reviewers will be unable to review submissions by students at their own or previous institutions. Furthermore, extensive measures have been put in place to keep the anonymity of the authors protected.
Upstart medical student research journals often dissolve after only a few years of publication. Reasons for this include, but are not limited to: a lack of enthusiasm on the student’s part, inadequate faculty support, and poor funding.1 Given all these obstacles, one might question why a group of Osteopathic Medical Students from the Pacific Northwest would dare attempt to ‘launch their boat’ into the uncertain waters of academic medicine?
We acknowledge that while the odds may be stacked against us, we are ready to face these challenges head on. We believe that it is necessary for medical students to feel supported all along their journey into academic medicine. Future Student Editors will gain valuable experience with what it takes to run an academic journal as well as how the peer-review process works. Peer-reviewers have been selected from throughout the Pacific Northwest and are acknowledged for their valuable time and effort. Submitting to PNWMSRJ will not be an “easy” or “free pass” publication. Not all articles will be accepted. However, rather than giving a simple disheartening rejection letter, Student Editors will work with those seeking to publish (if we believe the research has value) to improve their manuscripts for resubmission when the appropriate edits have been made.
Viewership is key when publishing a medical journal. What value does your publication have if no one can find or read it? Our long-term goal is to become the second medical student journal to be MEDLINE® indexed in the United States. Short term, however, we plan to work with both the Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons of Oregon (OPSO) as well as the Oregon Medical Association (OMA), to distribute our journal to its members across the state of Oregon. We plan in the near future to reach out to the Medical Associations of Alaska, California, Washington, Montana, Idaho, and Utah to have our journal distributed to their members as well.
The mission of the PNWMSRJ is threefold. First, we aim to provide an opportunity for students to develop their understanding of the research publication process and build critical analysis skills. Second, we provide students the ability to showcase their work by publishing their findings in a peer-reviewed journal. Finally, we aim to provide a platform for osteopathic medical students to continue to forge ahead and make an immediate impact in the research community. As the journal grows, the mission and goals of the journal will change as necessary to better suit the needs of the students and medical trainees it serves.
With your help and support, the PNWMSRJ will become a highly sought-after publication for medical students and trainees across the Pacific Northwest. This journal’s success depends on suggestions for further improvement from readers like you. We value each submission and will take the time to ensure its full and complete review. We strongly encourage students and trainees to further their education and contribute to the medical literature by participating in research. We hope that at the conclusion of your research, you will consider the Pacific Northwest Medical Student Research Journal as your top choice to showcase your research.
Signed,
PNWMSRJ Editorial Staff
References:
- Alamri Y. How do medical student journals fare? A global survey of journals run by medical students. Educ Health 2016;29:136-41.
- Nguyen V, Kaneshiro K, Nallamala H, Kirby C, Cho T, Messer K, Zahl S, Hum J, Modrzakowski M, Atchley D, Ziegler D, Pipitone O, Lowery JW, Kisby G. Assessment of the Research Interests and Perceptions of First-Year Medical Students at 4 Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine. J Am Osteopath Assoc 2020;120(4):236–244. doi: https://doi.org/10.7556/jaoa.2020.040.
- National Resident Matching Program, Charting Outcomes in the Match, 2018. National Resident Matching Program, Washington, DC 2018.
- Björk, Bo-Christer, and David Solomon. “The publishing delay in scholarly peer-reviewed journals.” Journal of informetrics 7.4 (2013): 914-923.
- Harvard Medical Student Review Author’s Manual. Harvard Medical Student Review website. https://www.hmsreview.org/s/2018-HMSR-Authors-Manual-Final.pdf. Updated May 2018. Accessed May 17, 2020.
- Editorial policies – Peer review process. American Medical Student Research Journal. https://www.amsrj.org/index.php?journal=amsrj&page=about&op=editorialPolicies. Accessed May 17, 2020.