Making the Peer Review Process Work

Each year in the January issue of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery we acknowledge the many individuals who devote their time and effort to making sure that we can publish the outstanding articles that make such a difference in the care of our patients. Please take the time to review the list of reviewers and, in the front, the members of our Editorial Board and International Advisory Board. All of these people donate their time, without financial compensation, to contribute to our efforts to continually supply our readers and the broader medical communities with information that will help them make a difference in patient care, research, and education.

First and foremost, I would like to thank the many individuals who serve as reviewers for our manuscripts. The strength of a peer-reviewed journal is in the strength of its reviewers. It is no small task to review one article. We receive almost 1000 articles submitted for consideration each year. Each article is reviewed by at least two reviewers and occasionally three. In many cases, the review of a single article may take a significant period of time out of the reviewer's life and practice. The individuals listed in this journal have all done at least three reviews in 2005, and some many more than that. This list does not even include the individuals who have reviewed one or two papers for us. In order to be selected as a reviewer, the individuals are usually leaders in their fields, in clinical practice, and in the development and dissemination of basic science and clinical knowledge. For them to take time from their other important activities to support our journal, with no more fanfare than this one small acknowledgment, is a measure of their significant and genuine contribution to our specialty. It is a privilege to have had them review and evaluate our manuscripts, and to all these people, I give my most sincere thanks.

I have been extremely fortunate to work over the last five years with Louanne Wheeler, our Managing Editor. She is the primary person who is responsible for making sure that manuscripts are processed efficiently and with great care and quality. She is also the person who takes care of the day-to-day operational issues and keeps the journal office running smoothly. Supporting her in the editorial offices at the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) in Alexandria are Jeanne McIntyre, Communications Business Unit Leader; Dain Oswald, Assistant Managing Editor; and Sheila Bodner and Eileen Cavanagh, Editorial Assistants. I would also like to thank Dr. David Nielsen, the Executive Vice President of the Academy; Immediate Past President Dr. Robert Maisel; current President Dr. Ron Cannon; and the Boards of Directors of the Academy, the Foundation, and the American Academy of Otolaryngic Allergy, who have continued to prioritize the activities of the journal while providing sound advice and guidance. Dr. K.J. Lee has graciously assumed the responsibilities of International Editor with enthusiasm and his efforts have strengthened the international outreach of the journal so remarkably built by our former International Editor, Dr. Gene Myers.

I would also like to thank the many professional and conscientious people in the publishing offices at Elsevier. These include Cynthia Baudendistel, the Executive Publisher; Jami Walker, Assistant Publisher; and Michele Wilmunder, Issue Manager. They have worked closely with us to improve the operations of the journal, to improve its appearance and readability, to strengthen the online journal and to assure that the product is what our readers expect and deserve. Their knowledge of publishing processes, experience with multiple peer-reviewed scientific journals, and website expertise are key to the accomplishments that we have experienced in 2005. There are a number of other individuals who have played substantial roles both in the AAO-HNS and at Elsevier who are not mentioned, but their hard work is of utmost importance to our ability to publish Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery.

I would also like to recognize the Associate Editors for their hard work and efforts. With the dramatic increase in submissions that we have experienced over the past few years and with the launch of Editorial Manager, their workload has correspondingly increased. They have taken on this increase in responsibility with diligence and without skipping a beat. Similarly, our full Editorial Board has also responded, prioritizing the work of the journal despite their multiple other responsibilities and commitments. I would particularly like to recognize the members who are completing their terms on the Editorial Board. I am thankful for your years of effort and service. In addition, I would like to recognize the members of our International Advisory Board who have provided so much insight to us as we become more and more global. I would like to welcome Dr. Richard Rosenfeld, the Editor-Elect; the new members of the Editorial Board; and the new members of the International Advisory Board.

Finally, I would like to acknowledge the many authors who have chosen our journal for submission of the fruits of their hard work and study. They have many choices as to where to send their manuscripts, and increasingly they choose to send them to Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. We have worked hard to create a journal that is deserving of their efforts, by improving the quality and visibility of the journal, maintaining high ethical standards, and supporting our sponsoring academies and our many international colleagues. I am grateful for the many excellent submissions, although we cannot publish them all. And last, I want to recognize our subscribers and readers, the people who drive the engine that allows our journal to grow and prosper.

I am looking forward to 2006, my final year as Editor. It is my commitment to you that our Editorial Board, Elsevier, and I will continue to do everything in our power to provide to you a journal that will continue to make an impact in our specialty for improving patient care, for the education of the otolaryngology community, and for stimulating investigators and scientists to develop further studies and investigation.

The Journal could not exist without our many dedicated manuscript reviewers. Between November 1, 2004, and October 31, 2005, a total of 1,461 reviews were performed. The nearly 200 reviewers listed below (including the Associate Editors, in boldface), have all completed three or more reviews. Many others have done one or two. We thank all of them for their participation.

The Journal Editorial Staff

Kedar K. Adour, MD

Kenneth W. Altman, MD

Ronald G. Amedee, MD

Milan R. Amin, MD

Vinod K. Anand, MD

Peter E. Andersen, MD

Jack B. Anon, MD

Patrick J. Antonelli, MD

Sanford M. Archer, MD

Moises A. Arriaga, MD

Thomas J. Balkany, MD

Ben J. Balough, MD

David M. Barrs, MD

Pete S. Batra, MD

Peter C. Belafsky, MD

Michael S. Benninger, MD

Brandon G. Bentz, MD

Joel M. Bernstein, MD

Neil Bhattacharyya, MD

Steven A. Bielamowicz, MD

Keith Blackwell, MD

Brian W. Blakley, MD

David C. Bloom, MD

Dennis I. Bojrab, MD

Edgar M. Boyd, MD

J. Dale Browne, MD

Craig A. Buchman, MD

Jeffrey M. Bumpous, MD

Lawrence P. Burgess, MD

David D. Caldarelli, MD

Karen H. Calhoun, MD

Jeffrey D. Carron, MD

Roy R. Casiano, MD

Kay W. Chang, MD

Alexander G. Chiu, MD

Martin J. Citardi, MD

Keith F. Clark, MD

James I. Cohen, MD

Jacquelynne Corey, MD

Robin T. Cotton, MD

Christopher J. Danner, MD

Terence M. Davidson, MD

John M. DelGaudio, MD

M. Jennifer Derebery, MD

Daniel G. Deschler, MD

H. Smith Dixon, MD

H. Peter Doble, MD

John L. Dornhoffer, MD

Karen J. Doyle, MD

Jason T. Dria, MD

James A. Duncavage, MD

David E. Eibling, MD

David W. Eisele, MD

Lee D. Eisenberg, MD

Adel K. El-Naggar, MD

Fred G. Fedok, MD

Berrylin J. Ferguson, MD

Ramon A. Franco, MD

Douglas K. Frank, MD

Jeremy Freeman, MD

Marvin P. Fried, MD

Ellen M. Friedman, MD

Michael Friedman, MD

Rick A. Friedman, MD

Neal D. Futran, MD

Glendon M. Gardner, MD

Eric Genden, MD

Carol Roberts Gerson, MD

Marion Boyd Gillespie, MD

George S. Goding, MD

Andrew N. Goldberg, MD

Nira A. Goldstein, MD

Suman Golla, MD

Bruce R. Gordon, MD

Christine G. Gourin, MD

Jennifer R. Grandis, MD

Gregory A. Grillone, MD

Anil Gungor, MD

James A. Hadley, MD

Steven D. Handler, MD

Gady Har-El, MD

Keith S. Heller, MD

Michael E. Hoffer, MD

John R. Houck, MD

John W. House, MD

Darrell H. Hunsaker, MD

Jennifer L. Hunt, MD

Glenn C. Isaacson, MD

Bruce W. Jafek, MD

Jack J. Jiang, MD

Michael M. Johns, MD

Terence E. Johnson, MD

D. Richard Kang, MD

Jack M. Kartush, MD

Jan L. Kasperbauer, MD

William M. Keane, MD

Michael A. Keefe, MD

Margaret A. Kenna, MD

Thomas L. Kennedy, MD

Robert C. Kern, MD

Joseph E. Kerschner, MD

Matthew A. Kienstra, MD

Hung J. Kim, MD

Todd T. Kingdom, MD

Arnold Komisar, MD

Charles F. Koopmann, MD

Dennis H. Kraus, MD

John H. Krouse, MD

Ronald B. Kuppersmith, MD

Pierre Lavertu, MD

Rande H. Lazar, MD

Richard A. Lebowitz, MD

Kelvin C. Lee, MD

Nancy Y. Lee, MD

John P. Leonetti, MD

Samuel C. Levine, MD

Steven B. Levine, MD

Oscar Lin, MD

Fred W. Lindsay, MD

Todd A. Loehrl, MD

Rodney Lusk, MD

William Lydiatt, MD

Carol J. MacArthur, MD

Eric A. Mair, MD

Scott C. Manning, MD

Steven C. Marks, MD

Douglas E. Mattox, MD

James S. McMurray, MD

Cliff A. Megerian, MD

Albert L. Merati, MD

Saumil N. Merchant, MD

Ernest E. Mhoon, MD

Suzette K. Mikula, MD

James W. Mims, MD

Joseph Mirante, MD

Ron B. Mitchell, MD

Edwin M. Monsell, MD

Andrew H. Murr, MD

Eugene N. Myers, MD

David Myssiorek, MD

Lionel M. Nelson, MD

Richard R. Orlandi, MD

J. David Osguthorpe, MD

Robert H. Ossoff, MD

Steven M. Parnes, MD

Kepal Patel, MD

Snehal G. Patel, MD

Jay F. Piccirillo, MD

Karen T. Pitman, MD

Randall L. Plant, MD

Jens U. Ponikau, MD

Gregory N. Postma, MD

Anna M. Pou, MD

Hassan H. Ramadan, MD

Christopher H. Rassekh, MD

K. Thomas Robbins, MD

David W. Roberson, MD

Peter S. Roland, MD

John T. Roland, Jr., MD

Richard M. Rosenfeld, MD

Barry M. Schaitkin, MD

Rodney J. Schlosser, MD

John M. Schweinfurth, MD

Allen M. Seiden, MD

Michael D. Seidman, MD

Samuel H. Selesnick, MD

Brent A. Senior, MD

Michael Setzen, MD

Ashok R. Shaha, MD

Terry Y. Shibuya, MD

Alfred A. Simental, MD

C. Blake Simpson, MD

Aristides Sismanis, MD

Raymond G. Slavin, MD

Richard V. Smith, MD

Carl H. Snyderman, MD

Robert A. Sofferman, MD

Brendan C. Stack, Jr., MD

James A. Stankiewicz, MD

Alexander E. Stewart, MD

Michael G. Stewart, MD

Scott P. Stringer, MD

David J. Terris, MD

J. Regan Thomas, MD

Michael A. Vaiman, MD

Marilene B. Wang, MD

Robert C. Wang, MD

Mark K. Wax, MD

Jack Wazen, MD

Edward M. Weaver, MD

Mark C. Weissler, MD

Samuel B. Welch, MD

Barry Wenig, MD

Ralph F. Wetmore, MD

Robert L. Witt, MD

Gayle E. Woodson, MD

Kathleen Yaremchuk, MD

George H. Zalzal, MD