Transcript Publishing and the MCH Journal

Writing and Publishing
“Best MCH Practices”
Milton Kotelchuck, PhD, MPH
September 30, 2002
CityMatCH
Los Angeles, California
Objectives
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
To understand a professional journal’s functions and
missions and how it relates to the MCH field’s broader
dissemination activities
To understand the broad steps of the editorial process by
which a submitted article is reviewed, improved and
published
To understand the special challenges and opportunities of
publishing practice-based articles in the MCH Journal
To appreciate the characteristics of successful and nonsuccessful submission
To have an opportunity ask questions about the MCH
Journal editorial process and procedures
To have an opportunity to discuss potential manuscript
submissions from CityMatCH members
Why might you want to publish
a Journal article about the
“Best MCH Practices”?
Reasons to Publish
 Share your experiences
 Inform colleagues of a new program
 Gain positive publicity
 Validate a program’s success
 Advance practice or scientific knowledge
 Personal reward/advancement
 Enjoy writing
 Job requirement
 And lots of other motivations
Barriers to Publish
 Not rewarded for publishing
 Don’t have experience
 Don’t have an advanced academic degree
 Don’t know the “Rules”
 Don’t have the time
 Hard to get practice articles published
 Afraid to try
 And lots of others
Why are MCH-focused Journals
critical to our field?
Why is CityMatCH a co-sponsor
of the Maternal and Child Health
Journal?
Why was there no MCH Journal
until 1997?
 MCH is politically and professionally a
“weak” field
 No consensus about the unifying basis of
the MCH field
 MCH has no traditional of publications
 The MCH (Title V) developed before
current focus on accountability and MCH
epidemiology
Need for MCH Journal
 To advance the MCH field professionally
 To better help define the MCH field
 Be a common forum for discourse across
the entire MCH field
 Capture our advancing MCH practice,
research and policy knowledge
 To be an advocate for MCH community
Maternal and Child Health Journal
was initiated in 1997 after several
years of planning and negotiations
Founding Sponsors of the
MCH Journal
 CityMatCH
 AMCHP
 ATMCH
 MCH Section APHA (unofficial)
Maternal and Child Health Journal
Five Key Areas of Focus
1. MCH epidemiology, demography and
2.
3.
4.
5.
health status assessment
Innovative MCH service initiatives
Implementation of MCH programs
MCH policy analysis and advocacy
MCH professional development
Maternal and Child Health
Types of Articles
 Full Articles
 Brief Reports
 Methodological Notes
 Notes from the Field
 News from the Field
 Letters to the Editor
 Editorials
 Special Issues
Professional Journals Are/Should
Be Only One Part of a Project’s
Dissemination Strategy
 A good dissemination strategy should define
specific audiences and target them with
specific messages
 Multiple venues exist for dissemination
– Brochures, Websites, NCEMCH, Newsletters,
Conference Presentations,…
 Professional Journal’s are only one site for
presenting information about a project
Positive Features of
Professional Journals
 Peer reviewed
 Prestigious/part of scientific coin of the realm
 On MEDLINE and other computer-based
bibliographic data retrieval systems
 Archived/not part of gray literature
 Disseminates our experiences, minimizes
reinventing wheel
 Reaches larger audiences
 Creates professional community linkages
 Empowers our field
Negative Features of
Professional Journals
 Often less interested in practice; more
narrowly research-focused; more
quantitatively rigorous
 Small audiences/wrong readership
 Formats are too constrained/less interesting
style of writings
 Often linked to professional groups, who
may be more institutionally conservative
CityMatCH experiences/projects
should be published!
Editorial Process in MCH (and
Most Other) Journals
Overview of Steps
 Preparation of the article
 Submission
 Review and initial decision
 Improvement and final decision
 Publication
Preparation and Planning
 Decide to write an article
– Before, During, After Project Completion
 Develop a dissemination plan
– But don’t plan too many articles – or none get done
 Decide on each article’s message or goals
 Decide who should write the article
– Authorship, Single or Multiple Writers, …
 Decide on a target Journal
– Read the Journal’s Guidelines!!
– If unsure of appropriateness, contact the editor
 Create time/space for writing
Writing
The Hardest Step is the First Step
 The first draft is the hardest
 The second draft is the hardest
 The final draft is the hardest
 If possible have a non-project member read
the article for its editorial style and content
A Good Manuscript Tells
a Good Story
 An introduction that tells why this article is
needed (what’s new, what is its contribution)
 Clearly stated objectives and aims
 A design or approach that can address the
objectives
 A fully presented methodology
(with critical variables defined clearly, and a
(statistical) analysis section showing how the
objectives will be met)
A Good Manuscript Tells
a Good Story (cont’d)
 A result section (that was logically guided by
the prior methods/statistics section; with noirrelevant analyses included)
 And a discussion section which
answers/discusses the original aims, plus
includes sections on limitations and linkages
to MCH practice
 There should be a coherence structure and
flow to the manuscript
 Tell only one story per article
Submission
 Submit clean carefully proofed manuscripts
– Form implies substance
 Cover letter to editor
– Short, note any special concerns, suggest
reviewer’s/non-reviewers, …
 Submission logged into computer tracking
system/expect acknowledgement
Initial Review and Decision
Process
1.
2.
3.
Editor (or associate editor/editorial committee)
will initially decide if manuscript is appropriate
(in content and quality) for further journal
review
Appropriate external reviewers will be selected
(using reviewer database, prior authors,
suggested reviewers, COS, new people, …)
The article will then be sent (blinded) to three or
more external reviewers
Initial Review and Decision
Process (cont’d)
4.
5.
After nudging (using internal tracking system)
receive reviewer forms will be reviewed, and an
editorial review package for editor will be
prepared
Initial editor review
 Manuscript decision (accept, accept with minor
changes, revise and resubmit (minor/major), reject)
 Disagreement among reviewers
 Decision on article type
 Initial communication with author (timing, variation
among journals, content, …)
 Appeals to editor for reconsideration
Article Improvement
(Revision Process)
 The revision process varies by journal
 In the MCH Journal, it is a critical stage; MK is an activist




editor
In general, articles under revision not yet been officially
accepted
Initial comments of Editor may reflect publication type,
content analysis, and editorial/stylistic suggestions
Comments of external peer-reviewers provided
Revision of Articles
– Decide if willing/capable of making revision
– Make acceptable changes (literally and in spirit)
– Right to disagree with proposed suggestions
 Cover letter to Editor, with resubmission
 The goal is to improve the article to better enhance its
scientific and practice value to MCH field
Second Review and
Decision Process
 Editor re-reviews revised manuscript
– internal and/or external review
 Second decision process
 Further rounds/cycles of revision
– This can be a lengthy process
– Deadlines maybe imposed
– Major initial revision usually results in another round of
revision
– Many practice articles also require several revisions
 The further into process the more likely to be
published (but not yet assured)
Acceptance Rate
Year
Accepted
Open
(R&R)
Rejected/
Inactive
To Be
Decided
Total
1996
12
0
17
0
29
1997
28
0
28
0
56
1998
37
3
40
0
80
1999
43
16
24
0
83
2000
36
16
24
0
77
2001
26
14
28
0
68
Percent
46
13
41
Publication (Author Acceptance)
 Acceptance letter
 Finalization of article in journal style
 Preparation of final package (3 copies,
computer disk, transfer of copyright)
 CELEBRATE!!!
Publication (Editorial Office)
 Preparation of issue (four issues per
volume/year)
 Editorials requested
 Communication with publisher
 Submission of issue
Publication (Publisher Issues)




Receipt and acknowledgement of issue
Copy editing
Type setting
Pre-publication galleys sent to author and editor for
their review
–
–
–
–
Usually 6 weeks after issue submitted
Minor changes permitted
Check accuracy, especially of tables!
Purchase pre-prints
 Publication
– 6 weeks later
 Automatically added to MEDLINE
 Prepare PR/news stories, if desired
 REJOYCE!!!
And Then Start
Your Next Article!
Challenges and Opportunities in
Writing “Best MCH Practices”
Challenges and Opportunities in
Writing “Best MCH Practices”
 The MCH field needs them
 MCH Journal wants them
 CityMatCH (and others) are the source of
the best and most current MCH practices
 There are numerous excellent examples of
MCH practice articles
 But practice articles are hard to write
 And most have been rejected
Reasons Why Practice-Based
Articles Are Rejected








Description only
No effort to show how they contribute to the advancement
of MCH field and MCH literature
It is repetitive of other articles, nothing new is presented
No evidence to support claim of their effectiveness
Written as brochure/PR piece – only positives mentioned
It is replication of government report – with no further
analyses
Absence of thoughtful analysis of pro’s and con’s of its
implementation (write manuscript for other MCH
practitioners)
Lessons learned in its implementation are not discussed
CityMatCH Support for
Community-based
“Best MCH Practice” Articles
CityMatCH Special Issue(s)
1. Urban MCH Data Use Institute
2. Perinatal Periods of Risk National Practice
Collaborative
3. Perinatal HIV Prevention Urban Learning
Clusters
NACCHO and CityMatCH
2001 Local Health
Department Survey
1. Eliminating racial and ethnic disparities
2. Women’s health
3. Data capacity and epidemiology
The MCH Journal would
welcome more articles from
CityMatCH to strengthen our
Journal and our field
Journal Publishing in
st
21 Century
 Dramatic changes in works
– Instantaneous electronic publication
– Automatic linkages to references (CrossRef)
– Inclusion of instruments, appendices
– Inclusion of sound, films, etc.
– Electronic access
– Customized journals, text books, course packets
 Improved interactive website
– For subscription
– For submission
– For review and editorial functions
– For enhanced communication
MCH Journal is available Online
 By typing “Maternal and Child Health
Journal” in your browser you will be
directed to Journal’s website
or
 You can go directly to
– http://www.kluweronline.com/issn/1092-7875
Special Challenge of Writing
Articles in Public Agencies
Create Writer Support Group
Journal as Pedogogic Resource
 To expose students to exciting topics in the
field
 To model writing for students
Summary