Editorial Message

Website improvement

Despite all the challenges, we are moving forward with the objective of reaching the highest level of excellence. There is no limit to our dreams. We launched our new website last year with a very fresh design and an intuitive navigation system. The new site will enhance the browsing experience for our valued users. In addition to being fully optimized for mobile devices, the XML format contains additional features such as Citation Tools, Info & Metrics, Related Articles, Article Alerts, and others. In addition to the bookmark feature, readers can create a profile folder in which they can store their reading preferences as well.

Withdrawal policy and authorship criteria

As we implement our new withdrawal policy and authorship criteria in accordance with the international standards, we have noticed some ethical concerns. At the final stage of publication, some authors request withdrawing their manuscripts when the peer review process has been completed, or when the manuscript is downgraded to a lower type by the editor. This request is usually unacceptable unless it contains serious errors and unreliable results, since it wastes both time and resources. All of the journal’s efforts were concentrated on completing the process in an efficient and timely manner. The editorial office will study this request, and then will decide if it is appropriate to apply 5 years embargo for all the authors in the manuscript, considering that the authors approved all the withdrawal decision. However, if the editor downgrades an article from original to brief, the author may withdraw it after paying the processing fee.

Authors sometimes request a change in author order after the paper has been accepted or published. Generally, there is no consensus in most publications. The first author is the most valuable and the last author represents the most senior author. As recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics, authors should discuss authorship order before publishing and document their decisions in writing. All authors should be aware of the corresponding author’s role

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Figure 1.

Type of manuscripts received for the year 2021.

Supplement on the Multiple sclerosis

For 2022, we are going to publish themed issue on Multiple sclerosis articles. The purpose of MS special issue is to build a forum of engagement for Neurosciences specialists on the latest research and directions, provide output of a high quality research and promote the journal.

The reasons for rejections

“Publish or perish” is a common statement reflecting the process of peer-review in the scholarly publishers. Neurosciences journal provides a chance for all authors to improve the submitted papers after revision and feedback from reviewers. However, some articles will be rejected from the initial peer review process by the editorial office. Also papers may be rejected after the peer review process if authors fail to adhere to the suggestions and feedback of reviewers.

Google analytic

Our Google analytic results show that more than 28000 users visited our website from January 2021 through December 2021, the top 6 countries where the sessions originated were KSA, USA, India, China, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. Based on our website audience statistics, we found that the medical residents and fellows aged 18 to 34 were our website audience and that they are more aware of the importance of publication even before entering the residency program, this finding was consistent with our other journal “Saudi Medical Journal”. The Journal’s impact factor for the current year is .906, we will continue to work on improving this area with the support of our authors.

In 2021, our average rejection rate is 33%. Reasons for rejection included papers outside the scope of the journal, low scientific quality, not meeting the requirements of the journal, authors failing to submit the revisions and other necessary requirements, and duplicate publication. We published 4 issues in 2021, with a total of 59 articles, which included: 35 originals, 1 editorial, 2 reviews, 12 case reports, 1 case series, 1 clinical image, 3 clinical note, 1 brief communication, 1 correspondences, and 2 systematic review. The average processing time from received to acceptance was 2.6 months, 2.35 months from acceptance to publication months, and 4.9 months from received to publications. However, the process time to publication is going to be significantly lowered with the implementation of the online continuous publications. 61% of the published articles were from Saudi Arabia, 8.5% from Turkey, 12% from China, 5% from Kuwait, and the remaining from Oman, Egypt, Pakistan, Taiwan, Montengo, and Canada.

Gratitude

Our sincere gratitude goes out to the reviewers, advisory boards, and editorial boards for their insightful feedback, useful suggestions, and volunteer efforts to keep the journal’s standards high. Furthermore, we would like to extend our gratitude to our editors for their enthusiasm and energy in promoting the journal both locally and internationally, as well as to our present and previous staff for their dedication and commitment. Further, we cannot forget to express our appreciative thanks to the management of both the Medical Services Department and Prince Sultan Military Medical City for their ongoing assistance and support.