|
 
 |
| GUEST EDITORIAL |
|
| Year : 2021 | Volume
: 13
| Issue : 1 | Page : 1-2 |
|
Social Accountability of Research Publications in Journals
Arvind Babu Santosh Rajendra
Research Coordinator, School of Dentistry, Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica, West Indies
| Date of Submission | 04-Mar-2021 |
| Date of Acceptance | 24-May-2021 |
| Date of Web Publication | 06-Aug-2021 |
Correspondence Address:
Arvind Babu Santosh Rajendra
Oral and Maxillofacial Pathologist, Research Coordinator, School of Dentistry, Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica
West Indies
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/jofs.jofs_58_21
The aim of all journals is to publish high-quality evidence-based research. The research mainly focuses on scientific impact on fields and professions. Thus, a journal is an indicator of scientific advancement in the society, in academia, and in professionals, and should be able to connect with the common man. As journals continue to publish, they need to demonstrate greater alignment with being socially accountable .
Keywords: Journal, professionals, public, publications, research, social accountability
How to cite this article:
Rajendra AS. Social Accountability of Research Publications in Journals. J Orofac Sci 2021;13:1-2 |
The aim of all journals is to publish high-quality evidence-based research. The research mainly focuses on scientific impact on fields and professions. Thus, a journal is an indicator of scientific advancement in the society, in academia, and in professionals, and should be able to connect with the common man.[1] As journals continue to publish, they need to demonstrate greater commitment with health needs of society.[2]
Socially accountable research focuses on research that addresses priority health concerns in a community or nation. Socially accountable research is the one that engages with community-oriented studies which can assist in the promotion of health awareness or strengthen policy-making decision through scientific findings to enable the government and other stakeholders about health needs of public.[3] Here, I refer to “Social accountability of research publications in journals” as specific efforts taken by an author and/or journal to communicate their scientific findings in a socially responsible manner which will engage policy makers, societies, global citizens, academic institutions, or fellow researchers/clinicians and have a social impact. Policy makers, academic institutions, researchers, and clinicians usually subscribe to various journals, to keep updated on the latest information, and having more socially accountable journals would support the development of more socially accountable policies and curricula. The main objective of writing this editorial is to stimulate thought on how scientific journals can be connected to the common man so as to improve knowledge and awareness of health-related topics.
I encourage editors to create a YouTube channel for their journals. Editors should encourage their authors to submit a Vodcast document (maximum of 15 minutes in length) upon acceptance of their manuscript. The suggested content areas of the Vodcast presentation are: title, authors of the research, Digital Object Identifier (DOI) code of their manuscript, background and rationale, aims and objectives, methods, key results, discussion, patient/general audience education, conclusion, and references. Vodcasts will increase the visibility of their findings by policy makers, societies, academic institutions, fellow researchers and clinicians.
Case report publications easily convey socially accountable messages. I suggest that editors encourage their authors, upon acceptance of their manuscripts, to submit Podcasts files (maximum 5 minutes in length) that focus on patient education associated with their case. Podcasts have proven the perfect tool to share knowledge and information.[4],[5] These Podcasts are to maintain patient confidentiality. The message identified in the Podcast is to focus on educating the common man about the disease presented in their case report. Editors should collaborate with local, regional, national, or international broadcast houses/organizations as audio partners for sharing these patient education Podcasts.Both the Podcast and Vodcast contents are to be reviewed similarly to the peer-review process for submitted manuscripts. The quality of the content must adhere to ethical and professional principles and the protection of the privacy of patients must be self-evident.
To conclude, my aim is not to redirect or restrict socially accountable research from being published in a journal but every published article should provide socially accountable messages derived from their publication. I trust that Podcasts and Vodcasts will serve as essential tools to connect research publications with the common man.
Acknowledgment
The author thanks Dr Thaon Jones, Director of School of Dentistry, Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies.
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
| References | |  |
| 1. | Babu A. Emergent areas to visualize by the journal strategy holders. J Contemp Dent Pract 2013;14:i-ii.  |
| 2. | Dharamsi S, Ho A, Spadafora SM, Woollard R. The physician as health advocate: translating the quest for social responsibility into medical education and practice. Acad Med 2011;86:1108-13. |
| 3. | Buchman S, Woollard R, Meili R, Goel R. Practising social accountability: from theory to action. Can Fam Physician 2016;62:15-18. |
| 4. | Frary M. Power to the podcast: podcasting is bringing a whole new audience to radio and giving investigative journalism a boost. Plus, our handy guide to making your own podcasts. Index on Censorship 2017;46:24-27. |
| 5. | Thoma B, Murray H, Huang SYM et al. The impact of social media promotion with infographics and podcasts on research dissemination and readership. CJEM 2018;20:300-6. |
|
Search Pubmed for