Now with Elsevier

After working long and hard, we have managed to publish our first issue with Elsevier, an arduous process but well worth the effort for our readers. The issue was not produced entirely with Elsevier, since the transition process can take some time and will require several issues to complete. Readers will notice several changes, including a change in format. Elsevier has carried out the work of copyediting, revising the translations and formatting the journal, all of which has enhanced the journal’s quality. I wish to thank the authors who have patiently accepted and carried out the various corrections and modifications of their articles proposed by the peer reviewers, the editorial board, and the publisher, a process that has enriched the journal. These tasks are only a small part of an entire process that, although complex, will pave the way to better indexing of Revista Urología Colombiana in the not too distant future, since our journal cannot depart from the global trend among all scientific publications of enjoying the active support of a publishing company, due to the need for quality enhancement.

Starting with this issue, the journal can be accessed directly on Elsevier’s website: http://ees.elsevier.com/uroco/. This should boost the dissemination of our articles, which will perhaps increase our readership and expand our scientific activities, spurring us on to ever-higher quality, which will involve greater time and effort in each of the journal’s sections and will make the publication process increasingly complex and demanding.

In general, the process of writing and printing a journal requires a series of skills and abilities that are only acquired with experience. The publisher plays a major role in this process. Thus, the staff involved in the publication of the journal have been receiving training, with the support of Elsevier and the Colombian Society of Urology.

Statistically, journals reject a large percentage of the articles submitted for publication. Consequently, we are making a call to all members of the society to submit their research articles to our journal in order to increase the number of manuscripts received that meet Elsevier’s quality requirements.

For this reason, and following the suggestions of some of our colleagues, we intend to provide virtual courses and, subsequently, face-to-face courses, which will be available to any members of the society wishing to take advantage of this opportunity. Our aim is firstly to encourage the performance of scientific studies and secondly to enhance the design and publication of scientific articles, since the greatest reward for any physician undertaking research is the publication, dissemination and application of that research in the various settings of scientific activity.

Many urologists from distinct regions of Colombia are interested in publishing their research and have received suggestions on the steps to be followed to progressively enhance the scientific quality of research studies. Little by little, we will be implementing some of these suggestions as we make progress in the transition to the new publishing company.

Finally, readers should be aware that the production schedule will change after the next issue, as agreed with Elsevier. This process aims to guarantee compliance with editorial activities and to achieve and maintain timely and high-quality publication of the journal. Peer-review times will be stricter, the database of peer-reviewers will be enlarged, and the number of editors will be increased to improve the quality of the process; we are confident that these strategies will place our beloved journal in a highly favorable position in the near future.