Leprosy Mailing List – December 24, 2019
Ref.: (LML) The right place for putting forward views?
From: Ruth Butlin, London, UK
Dear Readers,
The editor said in a recent posting that "LML is an open forum and anyone, also those not directly involved in research settings, may offer his/her weighted opinion, based on sound argumentation ..... All voices should be heard....." (LML 24.10.19).
Personally, I really appreciate the contribution to exchange of opinions and ideas and information that LML has made over many years by serving as an easily accessible forum for discussions conerning diverse aspects of leprosy. The wide variety of contributors is one of its strengths. The range of topics covered has been amazing. I agree wth Geoff Warne (LML 9.10.19), who said "I find LML a good venue for the sharing of opinions on leprosy related topics…"
Some contributors apparently test out their ideas by an LML posting, then write up a formal paper for submission to a journal, taking into account helpful feedback from readers of LML. This can work well, and may be of especial value to those working in more isolated situations who lack specialist colleagues with whom to have serious technical discussions face to face.
Although the content is moderated, LML remains in effect a Discussion Group for those who chose to join. Any really important results or proposals or well-founded opinions need to be published in a recognised journal if they are to carry weight in scientific circles. The advantages of such publication are as follows:
1.
Peer-review. Having been peer-reviewed, the article which is accepted for publication has a priori some extra credibility. A reputable journal will enlist as reviewers experienced people who have carried out their own studies and had papers published in a similar area of work, who are able to consider the manuscript impartially, and offer advice to the editor on its merits or faults as well as its suitability for that particular journal. So, people reading the journal can have confidence in
the quality of published papers.
For the authors the other advantage of peer-review is that, often, answering the points raised by reviewers helps them to improve their paper.
2.
Citability and retrievability. Once a paper has been published in a journal it is possible to cite it in other writing, knowing that the original can be found in the public domain and checked. When someone else is doing a formal literature review using a search engine such as PUBMED or MEDLINE, he or she should be able to trace and obtain the paper, in order to utilise its message.
Articles in LML, like free papers presented at conferences, would not normally appear in a literature search and may not be accepted by every journal as citations in the reference list of a scientific paper. Similarly, when applying for a research grant (or a job) one may need to list Publications to demonstrate one's ability. For such purposes, papers published in scientific journals will be of more value than contributions (however good) to a discussion group or a conference.
3.
Availability in libraries. Academic libraries will hold permanent collections of scientific journals which are considered to be of good quality.
I would like to appeal to respected fellow contributors to LML to consider also subsequently submitting their articles to any of the peer-reviewed journals. Similarly, all those who contributed good posters and oral presentations at the recent ILC, please write up your studies for Journals if you have not yet done so! Thus (as Geoff Warne put it, LML 9.10.19) your "views move beyond one person's professional opinion to becoming part of the scientific body of literature".
Not everything which is suitable for LML is relevant for a journal, sometimes people are disseminating news (eg about forthcoming meetings, or recent publications) or asking questions or seeking advice on specific clinical problems.
In conclusion, LML is valuable but it is not a Journal: "Leprosy Mailing List is a free moderated email list that allows all persons interested in this theme to share ideas, information, experiences, questions". (from LML website, quoted Pieter Schreuder, LML 24.10.19 )
C Ruth Butlin
Author credentials: Having worked as a clinician managing leprosy in
endemic countries for over 25 years, I have also been involved in research and in
leprosy-related teaching for health workers.
Conflict of interest declaration: I am a member of the Editorial Board
of Leprosy Review.
LML - S Deepak, B Naafs, S Noto and P Schreuder
LML blog link: http://leprosymailinglist.blogspot.it/
Contact: Dr Pieter Schreuder << editorlml@gmail.com
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