TY - JOUR
T1 - The effect of encouragement on submission rates and journal selection
AU - Wendling, Andrea
AU - Brocato, Joseph
PY - 2014/6
Y1 - 2014/6
N2 - Background and objectives: Mentorship within academic institutions influences research productivity; no published studies have addressed whether encouragement on a national level would have similar effects. We studied whether contact by a journal's editorial board members would affect submission rates or journal selection by authors. Methods: Authors of potentially publishable conference materials presented at national conferences sponsored by the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine were randomized to receive an invitation to submit work to Family Medicine or to receive no contact. After 2 years, we surveyed authors regarding whether a manuscript had been attempted and, if completed, where it had been submitted and eventually published. Results: A total of 345 submissions were reviewed, 72 met inclusion criteria, and 41 authors responded to the survey (57%). There were no differences in demographics, scholarly activity in general, or faculty status between study groups. There was no significant difference in whether manuscripts based on targeted projects had been written, completed, submitted, or published. There was a significant difference in where manuscripts were submitted with the inviting journal receiving proportionately more submissions from the group of authors that had been contacted (90% Contacted group, 43% No-Contact). Conclusions: Simple encouragement from editorial board members of a national peer-reviewed journal in the form of a single e-mail invitation did not increase the scholarly production of authors. Encouragement may, however, increase the likelihood that completed works are submitted to the inviting journal, which is a useful finding for journals interested in soliciting scholarly works of interest.
AB - Background and objectives: Mentorship within academic institutions influences research productivity; no published studies have addressed whether encouragement on a national level would have similar effects. We studied whether contact by a journal's editorial board members would affect submission rates or journal selection by authors. Methods: Authors of potentially publishable conference materials presented at national conferences sponsored by the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine were randomized to receive an invitation to submit work to Family Medicine or to receive no contact. After 2 years, we surveyed authors regarding whether a manuscript had been attempted and, if completed, where it had been submitted and eventually published. Results: A total of 345 submissions were reviewed, 72 met inclusion criteria, and 41 authors responded to the survey (57%). There were no differences in demographics, scholarly activity in general, or faculty status between study groups. There was no significant difference in whether manuscripts based on targeted projects had been written, completed, submitted, or published. There was a significant difference in where manuscripts were submitted with the inviting journal receiving proportionately more submissions from the group of authors that had been contacted (90% Contacted group, 43% No-Contact). Conclusions: Simple encouragement from editorial board members of a national peer-reviewed journal in the form of a single e-mail invitation did not increase the scholarly production of authors. Encouragement may, however, increase the likelihood that completed works are submitted to the inviting journal, which is a useful finding for journals interested in soliciting scholarly works of interest.
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M3 - Article
C2 - 24911301
AN - SCOPUS:84902280061
SN - 0742-3225
VL - 46
SP - 454
EP - 458
JO - Family medicine
JF - Family medicine
IS - 6
ER -