This is the first ever issue of the European Journal of Medical Case Reports (EJMCR). I feel honored to write its first editorial, the first page of the nascent periodical. Being an Editor of a journal is no doubt an honor and a privilege but it is coupled with a huge sum of responsibilities. I knew that accepting this offer means agreeing to do lots of work in addition to routine clinics at home institution. We hope this small effort will help to gain and spread knowledge that will consequently be applicable for the well-being of mankind. This idea surely is enough to bring pleasant euphoria.
The Editorial Office welcomes all the members of editorial board from different regions and different countries of the world. I earnestly hope we will work together to make this journal as a marvelous forum to discuss unique findings of individual cases or series of cases. Meta analyses and literature review related to the submitted cases will strengthen the evidence for scientific opinions.
Case reports, in general, get a lower place on the priority list made by editors to publish regular issues of a journal. Editors try to accommodate only few case reports if they concede to. Consequently, less than 10% case reports are accepted in journals. On the contrary, case reports are not unpopular among professionals. Case reports and discussion bring details of an individual case. Data are not overshadowed by statistical analyses as in research papers. In a way, it is a qualitative research that leads to new ideas for quantitative research (the classical prevailing research in medical sciences). Information and knowledge gained from a single case or case series can be applied to similar cases encountered by practitioners of the specialty.
EJMCR will serve a good forum to exchange bits of experience based on case discussions. It will serve as virtual bedside teaching and training of medical professionals on all the cadres. This nascent journal will accept, as you can see in the first issue, case reports from all the specialties. Readers will get a good flavor of all types of cases with case discussion like a clinicopathological conference focusing on each case individually.
EJMCR will have a reasonably fast processing time. Peer review process will be completed in 3-4 weeks. The peer review process will be handled in a professional way and authors will be able to check the progress of their manuscripts any time during the process. Publication at present is free and petty expenses are being born by founder members of the journal. Management in future may not agree to bear running expenditure. Minimal fee may be charged on each manuscript. These charges will only be used to defray the cost of publication. However, we are very much clear that article processing charges are in no way a barrier to good case report publication. Total waive off may be granted to quality case reports from authors with limited funding. We will work hard to gain good authorship and will bring appeasing bits of knowledge for our readership.
Once a pre-requisite publishing period is completed, EJMCR will be processed for indexation in preferred indices including PubMed Central and Google Scholar for a free access to all the published material.
I hope a continued support and patronage from all of you, the editorial and management teams, contributing authors and readership to bring our dream of preeminent periodical of medical case reports a true reality. We are starting our journey with slogan of Solicit, Standard, and Quality. We will soon reach the level of Read, Respected, Referred, and Quoted.