Junuary  2003   VOLUME 56: Number 1 Veterinary Ireland Journal Page CONTENTS Peer review articles are available in full as  Acrobat PDF files You will need to download the Acrobat reader    which can be got free at this web site

EDITORIAL   

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For the profession, by the profession

There are over 2,100 veterinarians registered in Ireland. Many work in private practice, some work in academia, some in industry, others in the state services. One can only guess how many cases those veterinarians see, how many experiments they carry out, how much knowledge they assimilate in the course of their daily engagement with patients, clients and the general public in all its many roles. What one can be sure of is that each veterinarian, irrespective of current employment, is trained to observe, compare, collate, infer and make judgements on matters relating to animal health and public health. It is unfortunate that undergraduate training in veterinary medicine does not inculcate a commitment to publish the products of those cognitive processes; by-and-large, the treasure-trove of experiential knowledge remains the private property of the perceptive veterinarian (perhaps, shared with some close colleagues and friends) rather than the public property it should become were it recorded in the annals of science.

The journalists who work in the editorial offices from which the Irish Veterinary Journal emerges every month are constantly amazed that so few Irish veterinarians submit scientific papers (either for peer-review or for the continuing education section) … and they bemoan the fact that there is so much untapped talent out there going to waste. They suspect that potential contributors have not been given enough encouragement; perhaps, the punter has been deterred by the forbidding pomposity of academic editors. Take note: all is changed, changed utterly. Now, we have an editorial team that is determined to extend a sympathetic hand to any contributor who has a worthwhile item to offer.

So, why are you still waiting? Perhaps as a veterinarian working in practice you feel that that your keyboard has become a bit ‘rusty’? In this month’s journal you will find ‘Advice to Authors’ which is a guide for authors of peer-reviewed papers. This advice is also useful for those submitting continuing education articles. If in doubt, simply look at some recent issues of the Irish Veterinary Journal. And, help is at hand; if your paper isn’t exactly ‘up to scratch’ members of our editorial team will provide advice. Don’t be upset if your article is sent back to you for revision; it is part of the process and ensures the high quality product to which our editorial and design teams are committed.

The team at the Irish Veterinary Journal continues to strive to produce a journal that is up-to-date: to this end we publish reports from the Regional Laboratories, from the meetings of the Irish Region of the Association of Veterinary Teachers and Research Workers and from current conferences; in this issue we have launched a series on Veterinary Nursing. We also wish to tap into the more inaccessible nuggets within the treasure-trove of experiential knowledge to which we alluded above. We know that there are many practitioners (and others) who have special bits and pieces of useful information that can be recorded in a concise paragraph or two; we want them to know that we will not consider any contribution too short provided it has a coherent message and it does not breach legal, scientific or ethical norms. Contributors to the vet-list (Vet.ie-list@tcd.ie) regularly send out messages that would fall into this category. Why not contribute to a wider, more international readership?

Why publish in the Irish Veterinary Journal? It is understandable that in certain specialities one must publish in the relevant journal. However, it should be remembered that the Irish Veterinary Journal is an internationally recognised journal; we publish articles that are refereed by people who scrutinise articles for other international journals. World-class scientists review our peer-reviewed papers.

From a practical point of view ‘papers make points’; recently, a Continuing Veterinary Education (CVE) points system was introduced by the Veterinary Council under the governance of its CVE Committee. This system is voluntary at present but it is likely to become mandatory in the future. Publishing a peer reviewed article in the Irish Veterinary Journal earns its first author 15 CVE points and second and subsequent authors eight points - a significant contribution to the 20 points required per year. Projects, clinical case reports, epidemiological field investigations and/or veterinary public health reports earn 10 points. Although these can be submitted directly to the Veterinary Council, why not benefit from our expertise in presenting a scrutinised report, as published in the Irish Veterinary Journal?

A problem we frequently encounter in the editorial office is the lack of a decent image to illustrate articles. While digital cameras may be very useful for taking shots on the spot, only the images from the most expensive digital cameras are of sufficient quality for print. We prefer a good quality print or transparency. It is worth bearing this in mind when writing a case study. And no, we can’t ‘deblur’ pictures. If you must send digital images contact our office before you take the picture to save frustrations further down the line.

We also welcome your ideas for focus and business articles. What, in your opinion, are the most important issues facing the veterinary profession in Ireland today? Let us know.

Make a New Year’s resolution to submit an article to the Irish Veterinary Journal 

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