2025 Vol. I JISAKOS Editor in Chief's Message

Olufemi R. Ayeni, MD, PhD, MSc, FRCSC, CANADA

ISAKOS eNewsletters   Current Perspective 2025   Not yet rated

Since stepping into the Editor-in-Chief position 18 months ago, my team and I have successfully implemented several initiatives. These include streamlining the editorial process, increasing diversity and opportunities for both reviewers and authors, and growing our social media presence.

We have streamlined editorial operations to improve both the speed and quality of the Journal of ISAKOS’s publishing process. In the last 6 months, we have increased the number of “Elite Reviewers” - international content experts with high-level research and peer-review experience who review at least 20 manuscripts per year, each within a 2-week timeframe. We also updated our Guide for Authors (sciencedirect.com/journal/journal-of-isakos/publish/guide-for-authors) to improve transparency and offer clear instruction regarding the content and formatting requirements for each article type, thus reducing the amount of revisions required during the peer-review process.

We further aim to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion wherever possible in the editorial process. Working with the ISAKOS Gender and Diversity Task Force, we distributed an invitation for female ISAKOS members to become reviewers and Elite Reviewers for the Journal of ISAKOS and are encouraged by the response. The Excellence in Authorship Program is well underway, as well. The goal of this program is to build capacity with researchers in low- to middle-income countries (LMICs) to promote diversity, inclusion, and global perspectives for papers submitted and published with JISAKOS. Program awardees from LMICs participated in an introductory call in July 2024 to meet their dedicated mentors as well as an interactive research methods and publishing webinar in September 2024. So far, feedback has been highly favorable, with mentors and mentees alike highlighting the program's unprecedented value and effectiveness. We are planning a dedicated session for awardees to present their work at the 2025 ISAKOS Congress in Munich.

Finally, our social media presence is expanding, supported by a revamped portfolio and templates designed to deliver top-quality content to our audience. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X, and now TikTok (@J_ISAKOS) for the latest publications, updates, and insights! Again, we encourage all authors to enhance their published articles by providing their social media handles and a summary video for use in reels. Currently in the works, Dr. Vikas Khanduja (Associate Editor-in-Chief) is putting together several 90-second videos and podcasts with authors from our latest issue to help promote their research findings and reach a broader academic and patient audience.

These initiatives were implemented with the aim of broadening the understanding of our research across diverse audiences and empowering authors to amplify the reach and impact of their work.

Please note: ISAKOS Newsletter Current Perspectives are not peer-reviewed articles. For peer-reviewed articles, please visit the Journal of ISAKOS at jisakos.com.