I welcome you to the new Journal of Binocular Vision and Ocular Motility (BVOM). I am really excited about being the co-editor of this publication with Kyle Arnoldi, CO as my co-editor. Before I accepted this position, I seriously asked myself. “Does the world really need another strabismus journal?” BVOM is being birthed at a time when everyone involved in patient care seems overloaded with material to read. On any average day, I receive between 10 and 15 solicitations to submit a manuscript to one of the ever increasing number of open-access (often predatory) journals. In addition, there are increasing demands on our time (EMR, endless committee meetings, and increasing regulations). More and more often, busy clinicians (MDs and orthoptists) rely on limiting their reading to the abstracts of papers, because there is just so much to read. In addition, in response to the plethora of good scientific material deserving of publication, many journals have become very formulaic with respect to what they publish in part to conserve space. In order to be published, papers often have to conform to a rigid format (background, methods, results, and conclusion). There are fewer opportunities for creative and innovative ideas that are still in the formative stages to be published in a quality journal. I have often joked, but in a sense really believe, that Einstein would not have been able to get his work published in today’s climate.
So I think the question is not, “does the world need another strabismus journal,” but rather, “does the world need a different kind of strabismus journal,” to which I would say, “yes.” I envision BVOM being just such a journal. I view a major role I can play is facilitating the submission of “must read” papers to BVOM. I plan to regularly invite some of the most respected experts in niche areas of strabismus to write concise, pithy, practical updates on selected topics. In a sense, these will be review articles. Although they may not be exhaustively referenced and encyclopedic in content, these articles will tell busy clinicians everything they need to know about a given topic as of the time they are published—really useful take-home information. I envision BVOM being a welcome harbor for new, creative, innovative theories and ideas that are sound enough to pass our peer review process, yet may still not be sufficiently refined to appear in other major journals. In addition, there are many fine papers presented at international strabismus meetings that never find their way to the printed page other than in meeting transactions, which are not retrievable via online searching. Such papers will be welcomed by BVOM, which is listed in Pubmed/Medline.
In a sense, BVOM is not a totally new journal. It is an outgrowth of the old American Orthoptic Journal. As such, BVOM will publish some of the material that always found a home in the AOJ—specifically the Scobee Lecture, the John Pratt Johnson Lecture, and the AACO-AAPOS annual Sunday Symposium. But in real ways, BVOM is totally new. We are partnered with a forward-looking, innovative, and outstanding publisher, Taylor and Francis. They are staffed by true professionals. In keeping with this eye on the future, BVOM will have a totally innovative publication style. In order to have an absolute minimum time elapse from a paper’s acceptance to publication, there will be four issues of BVOM each year (approximately quarterly), which will be published online. Papers can be available almost immediately after they are accepted and processed. However, in keeping with many people’s desire for hard copy of the articles (I am one such reader), BVOM will publish one paper issue per year which will contain all the previous year’s online content. It is win-win—digital to allow rapid publication and a paper version for those who so prefer.
If you have not yet subscribed to BVOM, I sincerely hope you consider doing so. If you are a subscriber, I hope you continue reading and enjoying BVOM. If you are an author from any part of the world looking for a home for your work, I hope you will consider the new BVOM.