亚洲超声医学与生物学联合会官方杂志

亚洲超声医学与生物学联合会AFSUMB官方杂志：

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Report from Journal Editors

An Official Medical Ultrasound Journal for Asia:

Near Future Expectations

Journal Editor: Yi-Hong Chou, M.D.

Associate Editors: Yoshihide Chiba, M.D.,

Byung-Ihn Choi, M.D. 

It is my great honor to be writing this editorial on behalf of myself and Editors from Chinese Taipei Society of Ultrasound in Medicine (CTSUM), Dr. Por-Tying Hung and Dr. San-Kan Lee. Since its cooperation between Asian Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology (AFSUMB) and CTSUM 8 years ago, Journal of Medical Ultrasound (JMU) has been the premier international publication outlet for medical ultrasound. For this reason, our primary goal will be to maintain and build on its achievement, so that the clinical researchers in Asia will continue to consider JMU their first choice for their best work. To attain these goals, we will take as our models the journal’s previous Editors in-Chief, Dr. Fon-Jou Hsieh, Dr. Por-Tying Hung, Dr. San-Kan Lee, Regional Editors, Dr. Yoshihide Chiba, Dr. Byung-Ihn Choi, and their associate editors, Dr. Tsung-Hong Chiu, Dr. Fong-Ming Chang, Dr. Pei-Ming Yang, Dr. Chiau-Suong Liau, and Dr. Hong-Jen Chiou. The journal has benefited enormously from their hard work, high standards, objectivity, fair-mindedness, and commitment to furthering the clinical study of medical ultrasound. There is no strong reason to change the direction of the journal in any major way, but that does not mean that we will stand still. We are committed to advancing JMU’s stature by seeking out and publishing innovative, cutting-edge works, on a broad range of topics and more comprehensive issues that are of interest to clinical experts and ultrasound imaging researchers, and residents as well. This goal is particularly important to us because diversity of contents have been always a hallmark of this journal since the beginning of the sincere cooperation between AFSUMB and CTSUM. The journal’s original mission is to publish reports of research on more clinical aspects. Given the continual addition of more educational and experimental researchers, it is essential for the journal to be more inclusive while maintaining high standards consistent with good science and careful investigation. 

To promote the manuscript submission, the editorial colleagues and I have already taken a number of actions to faster diversity of submissions to the journal and to ensure that all manuscripts receive equitable treatment. First, we decided to invite several associate editors well known for their scientific reputation in Asian region. Second, we invited the presidents of the affiliated member societies of AFSUMB who would also broadly represent expertise of different areas in ultrasound education and research, and Dr. Choi, the current president of AFSUMB, and I feel extremely grateful that some highly respected professors / experts with considerable editorial experience (Drs. Kouichi Itoh, Fuminori Moriyasu, Michiya Natori, Kirk K Shung, Kanu G. Bala, Chander V Vanjani and Chintana C. Wilde) have agreed to serve with us, for free, of course. Third, to cover a variety of topics of medical ultrasound, we will invite the well known experts in Asian region, mostly from the affiliated member societies, to submit review articles on various hot or educational topics. Forth, the Editorial Board we have selected includes prominent scholars whose expertise spans the areas and methodologies we hope to include in the journal. Fifth, we have begun to lay out plans for a series of special sections or issues that will highlight the basic utility and advances that have been underrepresented in the journal in the past few years. Among these, urological ultrasound can be a very important section. Fortunately, Dr. Seung-Hyup Kim, the current Treasurer of AFSUMB, Professor of Radiology, Seoul National University Hospital, has agreed to submit a series of review articles to JMU. Previously underrepresented areas we hope to feature include research on pediatric neurology and peripheral vessels. One of the education sections will be labeled Pictorial Essay, modeled after those published in the American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR) for many years, and intended to provide clinicians and residents with a succinct and objective update of the specific clinical topic which will be presented in a format easier for them to read. Another education section will be “The Resident Corner” which we are now working on. We encourage readers to submit their suggestions for future special sections and issues.

 In regards to the editorial process, we believe that to maintain a steady flow of strong manuscripts, we need to make the editorial process as efficient and fair as possible. The manuscripts are judged scientifically, yet are intended to be useful to clinicians and residents too. To encourage more manuscripts from the societies with less academic activities, the editorial board will be enthusiastic and responsible for the possible correction and giving more constructive comments to make the submitted manuscript more acceptable. 

In the coming years, we will see a dramatic growth of utility of medical ultrasound in health care in Asian region. Improvements of basic ultrasound imaging and some of the most exciting research in ultrasound technology are expected to take place in this particular field. We would like the JMU to be at the forefront of publishing the anticipated revolutionary advances in the understanding, management, and prevention of varieties of disorders in human being.

 We plan to go on-line within two years, Ms. Candy Chen, the managing editor of JMU, will be working upon this, and hopefully increase the frequency of publication of the journal to bimonthly within 5 years. The web-based manuscript-handling system will eliminate mail delays, and most referees will be responsive to reminders initiated through this system. We are committed to being open to differing theoretical positions and methodological approaches and to judging manuscripts on objective criteria such as methodological soundness, empirical contribution, novelty of ideas, and clarity of writing, but not on the basis of particular viewpoint adopted by the authors. In sum, we will build on JMU’s strong legacy as a journal that publishes the best educational, clinical articles, and basic research on medical ultrasound. We urge our colleagues to send us their best work, and we hope to see the journal become even stronger in the year ahead. 

Yi-Hong Chou, M.D.

Journal Editor

Asian Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology