Orthodontics is universal language at International Orthodontic Editors' Symposium; editors learn from each other

In a historic first meeting, orthodontic journal editors from around the world met Friday, April 28 to determine how to best serve readers while looking to the future and remaining on the cutting edge of technology. The results of the gathering were so positive the editors decided to meet again next year during the 101st American Association of Orthodontists Annual Session in Toronto, Canada.

"The level of enthusiasm was remarkable," said Dr. Orhan Tuncay (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA), chair of the symposium's planning committee and editor-in-chief of Clinical Orthodontics and Research and Progress in Orthodontics. "Everyone thought this was a superb session, and they look forward to more interaction like this in the future. We all have the same problems (as editors) and similar issues, yet we had never talked about them."

The International Orthodontic Journal Editors' Symposium, part of the 2nd meeting of the World Federation of Orthodontists, was attended by about 25 editors from 17 countries, including Argentina, Australia, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Mexico, Poland, Turkey, United Kingdom and the United States. The morning and afternoon discussions - "Article Submission and Notification of Authors," "Journalism on the Internet" and "Impact Factor" - proved a lively forum for sharing ideas and establishing common ground.

"In unification, we can gain power," said Dr. Rainer-Reginald Miethke (Berlin, Germany), a member of the symposium planning committee and editor of the German Orthodontic Society journal Kieferorthopadie, in his concluding remarks. "That's very important for the future."

The key to the unification, the editors decided, is creating a common Web site for all orthodontic journal editors. Without dissent, Dr. Miethke was chosen to organize the site. The Web site should be created "within this year," Dr. Miethke said.

"It's just a starting point," he said. "Improvements will follow. But the first step should be accomplished very soon."

Dr. Miethke acknowledged it might be challenging to create a Web site that will satisfy a group of editors, all of whom have individual perspectives, backgrounds and ideas. But he anticipates no long-term difficulties.

"As soon as you realize a problem is existing, you can work on it," he said. "We came together with the idea to get closer. So, we will also learn that we have to make compromises."

Dr. Miethke said the spirit of togetherness demonstrated at the symposium is promising.

"They would not have come if they had not felt that there is a certain necessity to meet and exchange ideas and problems and perspectives," he said. "... I think we all learned from this meeting, things to do immediately for our journals, and in the future. It was a really useful meeting for all of us."

The editors agreed that online orthodontic journals are useful tools for communicating information to readers.

"We cannot avoid the Internet," Dr. Miethke said. "It is there and it is our future, and, therefore, we should make the best of it."

The editors said quality control is equally important in printed and online journals. The group also discussed the difficulty of balancing the blend of basic science and clinical articles in orthodontic journals. The blend, it was concluded, is important to maintain appeal for all readers. Each journal, it was proposed, should determine the balance based on who they want to reach with the articles.

"It's a question of scientific democracy," Dr. Miethke said. "We have to serve the majority."

The editors also indicated a need to publish articles in a timely fashion and to establish common submission guidelines among orthodontic journals. In addition, they indicated concern for the content and accuracy of journal submissions.

"Clearly, we are not only the grammar police, we are also the scientific affairs police," Dr. Tuncay said.

In the end, the editors were grateful for the support and efforts of Dr. William DeKock, who was WFO president at the time.

"This would never have taken place without him - he was a real catalyst," Dr. Tuncay said.