What do we publish and promote in AOGS?

AOGS is a general obstetrics and gynecology journal with a broad scope that publishes research related to all aspects of women′s health. This means that we consider manuscripts from every subspecialty within our field, but articles of general interest to all those within our profession and beyond are given first priority. This is important because there are many good subspecialty journals within Obstetrics and Gynecology with a higher impact factor than AOGS, but these are not necessarily widely read by practicing obstetricians and gynecologists world-wide. AOGS has a global readership and it is distributed worldwide, including in developing countries. We believe AOGS is mostly read by practicing clinicians, and that our first responsibility is catering to their needs while promoting clinical research. We prefer to publish clinical research, but high quality basic science studies with clear translational potential are equally welcome, irrespective of whether they are based on human biological material or experimental work on laboratory animals. In our recent editorial board meeting, it was decided that we would also consider publishing evidence-based clinical guidelines occasionally. There are some important aspects of research that we regard highly, such as proper ethical conduct and honesty in reporting. Our trademark is the high Scandinavian quality of research, which eventually determines the outcome of an article submitted to our journal. We value openness, fairness and equal opportunity in reporting, but are also committed to gender equality, protection of women′s reproductive rights and choices, and promoting the wellbeing of women by reducing disparities in women′s healthcare. AOGS is an international journal and we welcome submissions from all around the globe. The proportion of articles submitted to AOGS from different regions and countries is changing rapidly. Traditionally, we have had most submissions from the Nordic countries, Netherlands and Italy. Currently, China and Turkey are at the top of the list, and submissions have also been increasing from South Korea, Africa, South America and a number of Eastern European countries, although the acceptance rates remain very low. Hence, there is an obvious need to improve the quality of research in these countries. However, recently, there has been a surge of submissions by researchers from English speaking countries such as the UK, USA, Canada and Australia, who previously preferred their respective national journals for publishing their work. I believe this is a positive trend indicating that AOGS is gaining momentum and that its reputation is improving in these countries that have been leading cutting edge research in our specialty for decades. A trend that is not quite positive is a substantial increase in the number of low quality review articles that are being submitted recently. Journal metrics consistently show that review articles are downloaded and cited more often compared to original research articles. Therefore, many journals are interested in publishing such articles in order to improve their impact factor. Actively commissioning reviews had been a common practice and some journals may even pay for it. Today, there are several commercial companies that provide paid services to authors performing systematic reviews, which may range from training courses, literature searches and data analysis to report writing. Although getting professional help may sound like a good idea, the validity of systematic reviews addressing issues related to patient care, performed by someone without sufficient knowledge, skill and experience in the related field may be questionable even if methodologically sound. Inappropriately conducted systematic reviews can contribute to the increase of research waste 1 and may even cause harm by presenting false evidence. AOGS does publish good quality reviews, both systematic as well as narrative, but it does not commission paid reviews. We may occasionally invite well-known experts with good clinical acumen and a commendable academic track record to submit review articles related to the areas of their interest and expertise. However, the same rigorous peer-review criteria apply to all review articles submitted to our journal. We would like to improve the popularity of our journal by focusing on the services that we provide to our authors and improving the quality of research that we publish in AOGS rather than through other methods commonly used to improve impact factor. Scientific research is important for the advancement of knowledge in order to improve human health and the wellbeing of our societies. However, it has been estimated that approximately 85% of investment in health research is wasted 2. Despite the policies and safeguards that have been adapted by biomedical journals in recent years, research fraud is not uncommon and still remains difficult to combat. Problems related to peer-review fraud have recently been highlighted, which has led to the retraction of many articles from some high profile journals 3, 4. Therefore, publishing good quality, reliable research is very important, and scientific journals have an important role to play in this regard. We believe that a good medical journal should be a link between the societies, institutions, clinicians and scientists disseminating knowledge, new discoveries, and innovative ideas that help to bridge the gap between available evidence and practice to improve human health.

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