The Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology has established several new article types which provide better context and organization for journal readers. These formats expand publishing options beyond traditional categories like original research or case reports, giving authors more ways to share important work.
Study Protocol Design
This type is for authors who want to share the design of a clinical study or trial that is starting or already enrolling patients. The goal is to increase awareness, get feedback, and potentially boost participation.
“Most trials find challenges in enrolling appropriate patients,” said Daniel Y. Sze, MD, FSIR, editor-in-chief of JVIR. “Publicizing a trial may allow colleagues to refer appropriate patients to sites where the trials are taking place.”
In addition, distribution of protocols may help to avoid redundancy of efforts and may promote multicenter collaboration, according to Dr. Sze, as well as increasing participation and awareness among the laypublic.
“The process of designing, finalizing and publishing a trial protocol forces the investigators to focus on rigor and comprehensiveness, and elevates the quality of evidence produced,” he said.
Articles are under 700 words with a focus on the study setup, goals, and methods. It’s a good fit for studies funded by groups like SIR Foundation or the National Institutes of Health.
Strategic Review
Formerly known as “Research Consensus Panels,” these overview-style pieces involve disciplinary review of the status of a topic, including a review of existing literature, leading to planning for future research.
“As such, they are in fact review articles, not systematic reviews (for which there is a defined rigorous methodology) and not narrative reviews (which are more like educational book chapters), but reviews defining future strategy for progress in research on the topic,” Dr. Sze said.
Currently, JVIR is soliciting and publishing 5-year follow-up articles, which provide research and status updates on topics covered by previous Research Consensus Panels.
Policy, Economics, and Education
This category highlights research focused on big-picture issues in interventional radiology, like healthcare policy, economic factors or how training and education are evolving. It’s a great fit for authors who want to explore how systems and decisions impact IR in real-world ways.
“With IR being its own specialty with its own political, economic and educational missions, tailored analyses are needed to continue to define and to grow the field,” said Dr. Sze. “Many of these issues are still shared with the field of diagnostic radiology, but some are divergent, and some may even be conflicting. Although IR is still in the house of Radiology and appreciates the aegis of the ACR, we also need our own voice for advocacy and strategy.”
Lessons in IR/M&M series
According to Dr. Sze, this series was created in response to feedback, especially from trainees and early career IRS seeking educational materials that focused less on the research stratosphere and more on “standard” care.
“These articles leverage the popularity of M&M case presentation sessions at meetings, which are always well-attended and instructive,” Dr. Sze said. “They also help to offset the unavoidable publication bias inherent to all of medical communication, since all of us prefer to showcase successes over failures.”
To view these articles, visit jvir.org.
