Medical Editors annual short course

Update

Following the hugely successful transition of the Oxford course to a virtual environment in 2020, and bearing in mind the ongoing global prevalence of COVID-19, the 2021 course will run again in a virtual environment. See further details about this course here.

The dates for the 2021 course will be set shortly, but in the meantime if you are interestd to participate, please email me.

"The workshop I attended two years ago was very useful, informative and educational, and it was also a golden opportunity to meet other editors. I would recommend it very highly." Prof Bernard M Y Cheung, Postgraduate Medical Journal

Editors must ensure that their journals satisfy their owners, their authors, and their readers: however most editors are full-time scientists and clinicians and have had little formal training in the management of a journal. Despite this, they are expected to provide leadership and manage a complex and time-consuming system of quality control and journal development. This two-day course, which has been held annually for over 10 years and trained almost 500 medical editors, looks at the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to run a successful publication.

The focus on the course is on strategies for developing a medical journal, paying special attention to:

1. How to publish better content 
   1. ​Working with authors, attracting higher quality submissions
   2. Working with reviewers, improving quality control
2. How to increase impact
   1. ​Thinking of readers, what to publish, and how
   2. Thinking of promotion, how editors can raise awareness

Throughout the course there is discussion of ethical behaviours (and problems) and how to ensure international standards are met.

By the end of the course participants will be able to…

1. understand the roles of editor and how to  maximise the effectiveness of editorial boards,

2. identify strategies for improving the quality of content by attracting good articles,

3. identify and deal with ethical issues to ensure the integrity of their journal,

4. ensure that the journal meets the needs of the readers,

5. improve visibility and impact of the journal, and 

6. have a clear action plan for the coming year.

The workshop is endorsed and supported by the BMJ group, Wiley, and EASE.