Editing Practice

Semi-structured peer review for medical journals: A pilot exploration

Qiang Zou — 2025-12-29

The academic quality of scientific journal manuscripts is integral to the peer review system of journals. To qualitatively enhance the review process of submitted medical manuscripts, this pilot study proposes a semi-structured review model that integrates semi-structured interviews based on the manuscript content with the traditional free-form review process. At the initial review, the associate editor should ask targeted questions to the review experts who are expected to respond openly. The findings of this pilot exploration of the semi-structured review model are summarized according to the introduction, methods, results, and discussion sections of the manuscripts. Strengthening the communication between the associate editor's initial review and the expert's peer review enhances the quality of academic review for medical papers. This approach may also serve as a pivotal safeguard against paper mills.

Impact of generative artificial intelligence on scientific paper writing and regulatory pathways

Youdong Wang — 2025-07-31

Generative artificial intelligence (AI), a key branch of natural language processing, is transforming scientific paper writing. This paper examines its technical features, applications, benefits, and risks and suggests regulatory measures. Generative AI enhances writing efficiency but poses challenges to academic integrity. Future development requires a balance among technical, institutional, and ethical approaches.

Analysis of the multiple annotations and improper fund labeling of papers published by medical university journals

Jing Yu — 2025-10-28

Background: To investigate the trend of improper fund labeling and analyze the phenomenon of multiple annotations in one paper. Methods: A systematic sampling method was adopted to select academic papers from 23 medical university journals in the first issue of 2020 and the first issue of 2023. Each paper was screened, and the journal, number of issues, title, keywords, authors' names, their affiliated units, and approval numbers of all funding projects were recorded. Data of various projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) were also extracted: Names, keywords, start and end dates of its projects; names of project leaders and participants; names of the applying units; completion status; and thesis titles. Results: The sampling method yielded 1090 sampled papers, 2014 funding projects, and 916 (84.04%) papers that received funding, with an average of 1.85 funded papers. A total of 392 papers had received support from 507 projects by the NSFC. Among the 2014 funding projects, 73.6% were labeled with appropriate timing, 7.7% had inappropriate timing, and 18.7% required clarification about whether there was any inappropriate timing. Twenty-one funding projects (1.0%) were approved for more than 10 years. The number of improper labeling of funding time in the first period of 2023 significantly decreased since 2020 (2.48 ± 1.44 vs. 4.35 ± 3.13, P < 0.001). Out of the 507 projects of the NFSC, 373 (73.6%) had content annotations that complied with regulations, 114 (22.5%) had no content annotations, 5 (1.0%) had no author annotations, and 15 had annotations that do not exist (2.9%). Conclusion: Improper funding labeling occurs in medical university journals. Relevant departments should take certain measures to curb the chaos in fund labeling. This is of great significance for maintaining academic integrity, clarifying the ownership of intellectual property rights, standardizing the use of funds, and improving the effectiveness of funding.

Reporting quality of participant eligibility criteria in retrospective studies: A cross-sectional investigation of medical journals with high impact factors

Fuxiang Liu — 2025-11-05

Background: The reporting quality of participant eligibility criteria in retrospective studies significantly affects research reproducibility and result interpretation. However, standardized guidelines for writing eligibility criteria in retrospective studies are lacking. We aim to systematically evaluate the quality of eligibility criteria reporting in retrospective studies published in high-impact factor medical journals, develop evidence-based recommendations for standardization, and provide supplementary guidance for relevant reporting guidelines. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of retrospective studies published in the top 40 nonreview medical journals listed in the Journal Citation Reports (JCR) from January 2023 to September 2024. We extracted article characteristics (journal, author, objective, and study type) and eligibility criteria components. Two independent reviewers did the quality assessment of literature, which focused on clarity of retrospective nature (temporal framework), purposefulness (alignment with research objectives), and logical consistency between inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results: Among the top 40 nonreview medical journals in the 2023 JCR rankings, 11 journals contained 78 retrospective studies that were analyzed, of which 2.6% (2/78) demonstrated unclear retrospectivity and purposefulness in eligibility criteria. Logical contradiction between exclusion and inclusion criteria was found in 11.5% (9/78) of articles. Inter-rater reliability for quality assessment was substantial (κ = 0.857). Conclusion: The reporting quality of participant eligibility criteria in retrospective studies published in high-impact factor medical journals was flawed. On the basis of our systematic evaluation, we propose a structured framework for formulating eligibility criteria that emphasizes temporal precision, diagnostic clarity, and logical consistency between inclusion and exclusion criteria to supplement existing research reporting guidelines.

Practices and strategies for enhancing knowledge services in academic journals: A multicase study

Jiajia Zhang — 2025-10-28

Background: In the era of digitization, academic journals face the challenge of transforming from content providers to knowledge service providers. Academic journals play an important role in promoting scholarly communication and popularizing scientific knowledge. Methods: This paper reports a multicase study of four leading Chinese academic journals in science. Through in-depth interviews and content analysis, we investigated their practices and strategies for enhancing knowledge services. Results: Successful journals employ these approaches: (1) content customization, requiring a clear definition of target audiences and tailored service portfolios; (2) cultivation of authors to build professional communities that sustain scholarly excellence; and (3) development of integrated academic platforms to facilitate knowledge exchange. However, challenges still exist, including limited technical capacities, resource allocation imbalances, and traditional editorial mindsets. Conclusion: This research provides actionable insights for academic publishers seeking to enhance their knowledge service capabilities, including embracing digital transformation, adopting user-centric service models, and redefining the role of editors as knowledge curators rather than gatekeepers.

Progress and practice in physics journal publishing: Trends toward open access, interdisciplinarity, and cluster development

Dan Guo — 2025-12-29

Background: The international publishing landscape of physics journals is undergoing a significant transformation that is driven by the rapid growth of open access (OA) models, increasing interdisciplinary integration, and the trend toward cluster-based development. This shift reflects evolving modes of scholarly communication and responses to the growing need for multidisciplinary collaboration in addressing frontier scientific challenges. Methods: This study utilized bibliometric data from Clarivate's Journal Citation Reports (JCR) between 2022 and 2024, complemented by case analyses of major international publishers and initiatives such as the Sponsoring Consortium for Open Access Publishing in Particle Physics (SCOAP³). Comparative and trend analyses were used to examine the development of OA journals, interdisciplinary integration, and publisher clustering in physics. Results: The number of gold OA physics journals indexed in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) increased by 23% from 2022 to 2024, significantly surpassing the overall growth rate of physics journals. Interdisciplinary journals constitute 94.6% of the physics group and generally exhibit higher impact factors than traditional single-discipline journals. Publisher clustering is prominent, with the top five publishing groups accounting for nearly 46% of physics journals by 2024. Initiatives like SCOAP³ have further advanced global OA cooperation. Conclusion: The physics journal publishing ecosystem is evolving toward enhanced openness, interdisciplinarity, and concentration. Although these trends enhance the efficiency and reach of scientific communication, they pose challenges related to financial sustainability, editorial fairness, and market diversity. Strategic efforts in OA adoption, interdisciplinary capacity building, and cluster development are essential for advancing physics publishing, particularly in the context of developing world-class journals with Chinese characteristics.

Investigation and analysis of the current situation and learning willingness of science and technology journal editors on generative artificial intelligence

Yuemin Hong — 2025-07-31

Background: This study aims to investigate the cognitive status and willingness to learn about generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) of science and technology (sci-tech) journal editors, and to propose corresponding training strategies to enhance their core competitiveness and promote the development of sci-tech journals in the artificial intelligence (AI) era. Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted among editors of Chinese sci-tech journals, focusing on the respondents' understanding and attitudes towards GenAI and its usage boundaries, their willingness to learn GenAI technology, preferences for learning methods, and choices for improving learning outcomes and interest. Results: A total of 238 valid questionnaires were collected. The respondents were primarily female editors aged 31-50 with editorial or associate editor titles. Editors, 98.74% of whom had varying degrees of knowledge about GenAI, and 88.66% of whom believed that GenAI would partially replace their work in the future. Only 10.92% of the editors had a clear understanding of the usage boundaries of GenAI in academic publishing, while 84.87% considered it essential to learn GenAI technology. In terms of learning needs for GenAI technology, the most requested knowledge content was methods, techniques, examples of use and policy regulations, followed by technical theories and historical development processes. The preferred learning formats were on-site centralized training, online expert lectures, watching educational videos, regular training at work units, self-study and practice, and live exchanges with experts. The methods to enhance learning effectiveness and interest, in order of priority, include: establishing a learning communication group for constant updates, applying for relevant research projects, formulating incentive policies by the workplace, forming study groups with colleagues or like-minded peers at work, participating in competitions and awards organized by educational training institutions, and writing academic papers. Conclusion: Sci-tech journal editors have a high level of awareness regarding GenAI but lack knowledge of policy guidelines. They have an urgent need to learn GenAI technology, and it is essential to adopt diversified and practical learning strategies along with personalized learning formats to improve learning efficiency. Encouraging the editorial and publishing societies to lead professional and standardized GenAI training programs, and increasing incentives from relevant organizations and institutions to boost editors' enthusiasm for learning, while emphasizing international training is crucial.

Research on capacity building for high-quality development of Chinese medical journals: A comprehensive study of the journal China Oncology

Ming Ni — 2025-07-31

Background: High-quality development and enhancement of global reputation are important for Chinese biomedical journals. This study analyzed the high-quality development status and strategies of China Oncology since the establishment of the Fifth Editorial Board, aiming to provide a reference for the high-quality development of biomedical journals in China. Methods: This study summarized all strategies adopted from 2020 to 2024 to enhance the competitiveness of China Oncology, including expanding the editorial board members, establishing policies, improving writing quality (following the Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency Of health Research [EQUATOR] Network guidelines), performing the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, and applying for inclusion in international databases. In addition, GraphPad Prism 10.0 was used for graphical analysis. Results: China Oncology enhanced global influence and contributed to the improvement of cancer prevention and treatment. China Oncology has strengthened various capacity building through multidimensional development and has achieved significant results in all aspects, including expanding the editorial board members and establishing a youth editorial board, strictly controlling the academic quality of journals, promoting journal transparency, carrying out an open-access (OA) publishing model with Creative Commons (CC) license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, expanding inclusion in international databases (indexed by Scopus, Directory of Open Access Journals [DOAJ], Excerpta Medica Database [Embase], EBSCO, Japan Science and Technology [JST], and Index Copernicus), and enhancing content quality by following the EQUATOR Network guidelines. Conclusion: By applying for inclusion in renowned international databases, enhancing academic influence and international visibility by expanding the members of the editorial board, strictly following the EQUATOR Network guidelines and Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, strengthening publishing ethics, focusing on oncology hotspot studies, and improving the scientific and editorial quality of the manuscripts, Chinese medical journals can achieve high-quality development.

Typical cases and implications of enhanced publishing on chemistry publishing platforms

Wenjie Dong — 2025-10-28

In the digital age, enhanced publishing has become an increasingly important innovation in academic communication. This study investigates the enhanced publishing strategies adopted by three major chemistry publishing platforms: The American Chemical Society (ACS), the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), and Wiley. Through case analysis, this paper highlights how these platforms utilize technologies such as three-dimensional (3D) molecular visualization, semantic enrichment, interactive databases, and multimedia embedding to support open science and improve research dissemination. The findings provide valuable references for enhancing the publishing capabilities of Chinese academic journals in the field of chemistry.

Responsible peer review in the artificial intelligence era: Bridging global standards with local realities

Maryam Sayab — 2025-11-05

Current situation and prevention strategies of paper mills

Tian Zhang — 2025-05-29

In recent years, there has been a sharp increase in the retraction of academic papers due to issue of "paper mills". Multiple pieces of evidence indicate that papers produced by paper mills have infiltrated academic papers, posing a huge challenge to academic publishing integrity. This article summarizes the definition and specific manifestations of paper mills, the harm they cause, as well as the preventive and response strategies carried out by stakeholders. In addition, it puts forward suggestions and areas for improvement for the Chinese academic community in preventing paper mill issues. It provides a reference for strengthening the awareness and attention of researchers and journal editors to the problems of paper mills, promoting the implementation of more effective countermeasures, and maintaining research integrity.

Expanding the blueprint: A commentary on strengthening high-quality development of Chinese english-language scientific and technological journals through insights from the journal Light: Science & Applications

Siqiu Guo — 2025-07-31

Omissions in STM Trends 2028: Reflections from China

Xiaogeng Wu — 2025-02-25