Editorial 2020: A Year in Review

Of course, any discussion of 2020 must begin with an acknowledgement of the impact of the COVID virus on all of us. It has disrupted and changed much of our clinical work and complicated the research process. We have lost valued colleagues, friends, and family members. The lock down has impacted both research and clinical work and disrupted schools and teaching. At the same time, and amidst all these changes, authors seemed to have more time to write therefore our number of submissions this past year, 1478, was a major increase from the year before (1147 in 2019). To put all these numbers in context, in my first year as Editor of the Journal in 2007 we had a grand total of 329 new submissions! This dramatic upsurge has been a tribute to the productiveness of the field even in the face of all the complexities and disruptions caused by the world-wide pandemic. Of the papers received last year only 1% were accepted after initial review, 12% were accepted after a first revision, and 18% after a 2nd or 3rd revision. About 60% of all papers were ultimately rejected after review with the remainder rejected without review or transferred to another Journal. We particularly appreciate the patience and persistence of reviewers who were often asked to review one or more manuscript revisions. While clearly not perfect our process of double blinded peer review does help us maintain a high standard for what we publish! …