There is a dire need for understanding among medical editors and reviewers in the country to ensure standardised research and quality publications. Medical experts discussed these issues during the second national conference, Challenges and Opportunities in Scientific Publishing, at the University of Health Sciences on Saturday.
The conference was organised by the Pakistan Association of Medical Editors in collaboration with Eastern Mediterranean Association of Medical Editors and the Health Research Advisory Board.
Addressing the inaugural session, King Edward Medical College’s former principal Khawaja Sadiq Hussain stressed the importance of including subjects like medical editing and research methodology in the undergraduate medical curriculum. He said courses, seminars and symposia should be held frequently not only for authors but also for reviewers and editors.
He said medical journalism was a tight-knit community of editors, reviewers and writers. He added that it was the responsibility of medical editors to protect the integrity of the scientific record by being knowledgeable, fair and objective.
UHS Board of Governors’ member Justice (r) Amer Raza Khan said medical practice was an ethical matter. He said the government was making an effort to standardise health care across the province.
UHS Vice Chancellor Maj Gen (r) Muhammad Aslam said a South Asian association of medical editors would provide a platform for training them. He said the idea had been discussed with Indian experts at an international conference held in the United States. Aslam said that the conference aimed to promote collaboration and exchange among editors, authors, researchers, librarians and publishers of medical journals. He said it also aimed to upgrade the quality of scholarly publications in medicine and health sciences.
UHS’s first official journal, Biomedica, was also launched on the occasion. EMAME Secretary General Shaukat Ali Jawaid said 68 biomedical journals were being published in Pakistan, as compared to 315 in Iran and 130 in Egypt.
The event featured special sessions on quality publications, authors’ and editors’ rights, medical journalism’s social responsibilities, conflict resolution and open access policy.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 27th, 2014.