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IJ-AJIMS Vol.1, No.1, May 2012
[1]
International Journal of A J Institute of Medical Sciences 1 (2012) 1-2
Editorial
Importance of publishing research
Francis N.P. Monteiro,1 P.P. Devan,2 Santhosh T. Soans,3 Ashok Kumar Jeppu4
1Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, A.J. Institute of Medical Sciences, Mangalore, India
2Department of Otorhinolaryngology & Head and Neck Surgery, A.J.Institute of Medical Sciences,
Mangalore, India
3Department of Paediatrics, A.J. Institute of Medical Sciences, Mangalore, India
4Department of Biochemistry, A.J. Institute of Medical Sciences, Mangalore, India
Sir William Osler once quipped, “Medicine is a
science of uncertainty and an art of probability”.
No wonder then, that knowing what is probable,
what is unlikely and what is truly ridiculous
makes one a better diagnostician.1 It is here that
medical journals are a guiding light. Medical
journals are a convergence of medicine, research
and journalism and are expected to blend the
values of all three. The mission of a medical
journal is not only to serve as a portal for the
dissemination of research knowledge in the field
of health science, but also to ensure that vital
information reaches as many students, teachers,
and researchers as possible.
The English novelist Somerset Maugham once
said “We don‟t write because we want to; we
write because we have to”.2 Among the many
duties of medical professionals, the duty to write
is a binding one and importantly, includes the
duty to publish what has been written. Research
on healthcare improvement is incomplete until it
has been published. In fact, we may even go so
far as to say that research completed and not
published is the same as research not done at
all.3 It is not only essential to pursue a research
question with enthusiasm and dedication, but it
is equally important to have the perseverance to
publish those research findings. Publishing
allows authors to share with the world medical
community their original findings, reasoning,
medical breakthroughs, and proposed changes to
standards of practice. The desire to publish also
ensures that the authors keep themselves updated
with the latest research and clinical practices.
This not just helps expand science and improve
patient care, but is also today inextricably linked
with peer recognition, institutional recognition,
career innovation and advancement including
promotions. It also ensures that we leave behind
a documented heritage of our findings and
accomplishments for generations to come.4
While the most important requirement for a
medical college teacher even today remains
aptitude to teach students, he should also be a
skilful practitioner and a fine researcher.5 In the
recent past, duration of service was the only
criterion for academic promotion as per the
Medical Council of India (MCI), the statutory
body with the responsibility of establishing and
maintaining high standards of medical education
in India. Then in July 2009, the gazette
notification by the MCI changed the landscape
for the medical community. Not only was there a
relaxation of the number of years of experience
for academic promotion; but there was a
stipulated number of research publications that
was made mandatory by the MCI, and that too as
the first author in an indexed/national journal.6
[2]
This caused significant displeasure among the
teaching faculty, as unfortunately in India, the
number of PubMed indexed journals is very few.
However, luckily, while reading between the
lines, the MCI has not specified the indexing
agencies/databases in the minimum requirement
for academic promotion of teachers in medical
colleges.6
When we assume that the entire pool of teaching
faculty start doing original research, the
publication of the same may take a very long
duration. Reading into the new directives, we
find that a research paper is actually a
publication of original work, wherein a problem
or hypothesis is analyzed and the materials,
methods and results published after adhering to
all the guidelines of research methodology.7
Naturally, conducting research in this manner
becomes a time consuming process. Another
factor that adds to the time required for eventual
publication is that a standard peer reviewed
indexed journal may have a waiting period of at
least one year for accepted publication. In fact
the peer review process may take more time than
the duration of the research itself. Taking note
of these practical difficulties, the MCI has now
modified these regulations through its
amendments in the years 2009 and 2010 as
follows - for a „Professor‟ post - The
requirement is “Four research papers
accepted/published in index/national journal of
the respective specialties as the first/second
author on cumulative basis. Out of these four
research publications minimum two research
publications must be published during the tenure
of the Associate Professor” and for the
„Associate Professor‟ post - The requirement is
“Two research papers accepted/published in
index/national journal of the respective
specialties as the first/second author during the
tenure of the Assistant Professor”.6
As the regulatory authority of medical education
in India, the MCI is right in enforcing these
modified regulations amongst the teaching
fraternity thus ensuring that the fraternity will
continue to be a premier one. As a consequence
of the MCI‟s „Publish or Perish‟ agenda,
publishing research will not only allow one to
build credibility amongst his fellow colleagues
but it will also ensure that the authors keep
themselves updated with the latest research and
clinical practices as mentioned above. By rising
to the occasion, they will also act as good role
models to their students, thereby inculcating in
them the desire to get involved in quality
research which ultimately helps the society at
large.
References
1. Taylor RB. Essential Medical Facts Every
Clinician Should Know: To Prevent Medical
Errors, Pass Board Examinations, and Provide
Informed Patient Care. New York: Springer,
2011.
2. Gogtay NJ, Sarkar MS. The art and craft of
medical writing: Report on JPGM writecon
2009. J Postgrad Med 2009;55:237-8.
3. Gopikrishna V, Datta K, Nandin S. Journal of
conservative dentistry is now PUBMED indexed.
J Conserv Dent 2010;13:1.
4. Peh WC, Ng KH. Why write? Singapore Med J
2008; 49:433-434.
5. Menezes RG, Kanchan T, Bodhe AV, Rao PPJ,
Lobo SW, Shetty M, et al. Academic
promotions: the dust has not yet settled. Curr Sci
2008;94:699.
6. Teachers eligibility qualifications.
http://mciindia.org/know/rules/teachers.htm
(Accessed on 1 May, 2012)
7. Jagadeesh N, Nagesh KR, Menezes RG, Nithin
MD. Medical college teacher vis-a-vis need for
publications. J South India Medicolegal Assoc
2010;2:1-2.
Corresponding author
Dr. Francis N. P. Monteiro
Associate Professor
Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology
A.J. Institute of Medical Sciences
Mangalore, INDIA
Mobile: +919448327389
E-mail:drfrancis@rediffmail.com
