INSIDE WVSMA
Editor ’ s Letter
Journal Indexing Application Update
Linda S . Nield , MD
In April 2024 , our application for the West Virginia Medical Journal to the National Library of Medicine ( NLM ) for consideration of indexing in PubMed was submitted . Over the subsequent months , our editorial team and Publications Committee members , including our student volunteers , replied to further inquiries from the NLM Applications Team and the Library of Congress about various issues , such as our ability to complete extensible markup language or XML formatting , the need for an international standard serial number for the online version of the journal , and clarifications about the location of our policies . Unfortunately , we received notice on December 19 , 2024 , that our application was not accepted for this cycle .
The reasons for the indexing rejection are described here . One of the reviewers said there were “ primary concerns about the scientific rigor of articles , the relatively low amount of unsolicited research articles , and the low publication volume ,” in the email correspondence from the Director of User Services and Collection Division of the NLM . It was suggested that increasing the proportion of unsolicited , peer reviewed research articles published would increase the journal ’ s impact . I replied to this critique of the low numbers of original research articles , stating that we are in a catch-22 situation . Potential authors have expressed they will not submit their original research manuscripts to our journal because it is not indexed on PubMed . Our publication team receives several yearly inquiries about PubMed indexing , which is sought so there is more widespread dissemination of one ’ s scholarly work . Even though our journal has not been approved for indexing , in certain instances , authors may be able to self-archive their work so it is more widely available . 1
The rejection notice was disappointing , but our team will move forward and examine each of the reviewers ’ critiques to determine ways to remedy the deficiencies . Be on the lookout for revised manuscript guidelines for authors . The next NLM application cannot be submitted until at least two years from now . However , due to the low numbers of manuscript submissions , limited space in the journal , and limited peer reviewers , an indexing application will not be submitted again in the near future . More information about the NLM ’ s scientific quality review and the LSTRC is available online . 2 , 3
Although we did not have a successful NLM application , it does not undermine the value of the two case reports and observational study appearing in this issue . Our journal received praise for our scope and coverage by one of the reviewers who commented that our publication “ covers a geographic niche , and there is significant need for science around rural medicine in the United States .” Our first case report , by Joyce Foryoung and colleagues , describes a patient with acute esophageal necrosis associated with a SARS-CoV-2 infection . 4 As this month marks the fifth-year anniversary of COVID first reported in West Virginia , physicians continue to learn more about potential sequelae of being infected with this pathogen . Anthony Chen and colleagues present a patient with the rare occurrence of the herniation of the neck of the pancreas into the thoracic cavity in our second case report . 5 For those physicians who mentor pre-medical students , Emily Nease et al provide data about gap year activities experienced between college graduation and medical school application in their observational study . 6
REFERENCES
1 . Goben A , Akers KG . Sharing your work by self-archiving : encouragement from the Journal of the American Library Association . J Med Libr Assoc . 2020 ; 108 ( 1 ); 1-4 .
2 . National Library of Medicine . Journal Selection for MEDLINE . Available at : https :// www . nlm . nih . gov / medline / medline _ journal _ selection . html . Accessed on December 26 , 2024 .
3 . National Library of Medicine . About the Literature Selection Technical Review Committee . Available at : https :// www . nlm . nih . gov / medline / medline _ about _ lstrc . html . Accessed on December 26 , 2024 .
4 . Foryoung J , Chowdhary M , Willard M . Acute esophageal necrosis in a patient with mild SARS-CoV-2 infection . WVMJ . 2025 ; 121 ( 1 ): 14-16 .
5 . Chen A , Makani A , Monnett SW , Bryan RK . Rare Presentation of a Type IV Hiatal Hernia Involving the Neck of the Pancreas . WVMJ . 2025 ; 121 ( 1 ): 18-19 .
6 . Nease EK , Nield LS , Baker CM , Wamsley LM , Lewis AS , Vallejo MC . Experiences During Gap Years Prior to Medical School : An Observational Study . WVMJ . 2025 ; 121 ( 1 ): 20-23 .
6 • www . wvsma . org