This is the time of the year when we typically receive an accounting of our country from the president, our state from the governor and from other stewards of our future. Two years ago we published the state-of-the-journal with the then current data. Now the rest of the 2009 articles are in the pipeline, which represents the end of 10 years of my stewardship of the Angle Orthodontist. Here I report some interesting events.
It comes as no surprise that the electronic version of the journal has continued to lead in popularity. As our senior readers retire, their places are being taken by new orthodontists who are largely the products of this digital age. Many of these newcomers prefer to read online and are electronically savvy far beyond the aspirations of many of the more senior members of the profession. This, of course, is not unique to us. Because of financial difficulties, printed newspapers are folding or in trouble in many cities, and advertising dollars have begun a major shift from the newsprint media to the Internet. We have already had more than a half million hits on our website this year.
An unanticipated byproduct of the digital evolution has been the rapid rise in the number of manuscripts submitted. These numbers have increased every year, and in the first two months of 2009, we have already received 118 manuscripts. Extrapolated out, this puts us on track to receive more than 700 this year. We have nearly maxed out the potential for our six annual issues to get any larger. This leads to the obvious conclusion that our acceptance rate will continue to decline. Thus, many good articles that are submitted will not be published in our journal, but we will encourage the authors to submit their findings to another journal for their consideration. Decisions will largely be a result of the peer review process, but will also reflect how well the articles fit reader interest. This is simply the result of the increased number of articles submitted. The increase comes as a welcome endorsement of our direction. However, in making it easier for authors to submit manuscripts, the inevitable down side is making it harder for authors to get published.
The question has been raised often: Is the electronic version of the journal only so popular because it's Open Access? Our printer, who does several hundred professional journals, tells me that our journal is feeling the effects of the digital revolution the same as all other journals. Our digital readers have not been stolen from readers of the printed page, but are additional users of our journal's information. The Angle Foundation Board has committed us to the intended goals of a foundation as opposed to the ends of a profit-earning publisher. We believe science that can enhance patient care needs to be available to everyone everywhere. A foundation is not meant to create some sort of tax dodge—a foundation is for the purpose of doing good, and the Angle Society has been a leader in this area. The obvious catch is the economics of the situation.
Again, Angle Society members have stepped up and most recently have pledged more than $1,000,000 to an endowment fund, the Heritage Campaign, which was established to help support the cost of the journal. Rick McLaughlin ([email protected]) has led this drive and has given unselfishly of his time and talent to bring us this far. Steve Lindauer is chairing a committee created to explore what options are viable for us to continue our 10-year-old practice of open access to our website. I expect there will be more advertising in the future and a continued effort to gain another million dollars for the Heritage Campaign in spite of the current unfavorable economic conditions. Look for our open-access site to offer more opportunities for users to donate while still maintaining its current accessibility.
Clearly, being an Angle Society member has real meaning for our profession. Our members work for the good of the patients through the Society and its publication. Many professional organizations spend most of their resources and efforts in working for the good of their profession, but this good is often more narrowly defined. The Angle Society is dedicated to true altruistic efforts that are focused solely on the best possible patient care all over the globe without concern for personal gain. The rewards for the contributors to this Society are the good feelings you get when you know you have affected many other people's lives in a positive and meaningful way. This is consistent with the true definition of a professional.
