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Introducing readers’ comments online Published Online September 11, 2015 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ S1473-3099(15)00325-4 For commenting guidelines see http://www.thelancet.com/pb/ assets/raw/Lancet/laninf/tlidcomment-guidelines.pdf
In an age of instant communications and instant opinions, when every item of news or celebrity indiscretion is liable to be pored over on social media, it seems unfortunate that readers of The Lancet Infectious Diseases have to wait for months to have their views on articles published via the correspondence columns. Recognising this need, we are improving the speed and ease with which readers can express opinions on papers by launching a readers’ comments facility. On the journal’s website (http://www.thelancet.com/journals/ laninf), every item published has a comment box on the right side of the screen. Commenting is open to all registered users of the website. Submitted comments will be moderated by the journal’s editors to ensure that they are relevant, appropriate, and comprehensible. Authors must put their name and those of any coauthors at the bottom of the text of the comment, and give an affiliation for every author. We will aim to post approved comments within 1 business day. Please read the guidelines before posting a comment. We are—we admit—rather late to this party, with the BMJ, for example, having had such a service since the late 1990s. Indeed, some news sites have closed their comments sections recently because they have become
too hard to manage.1,2 Social media has perhaps taken over some of the role of comments sections. However, the 140 character limit of Twitter does not permit much nuance in the scientific debate, and we believe that our online comments section will allow a more immediate connection with the journal’s readership. The comment facility will be open initially for 6 months. If after this period the quality of comments received is poor, the section is little used, or, conversely, its management is beyond our resources, we will reconsider its future. If successful, we would ultimately like to replace correspondence letters with comments received online. However, that is a decision for the future, and for now the journal will continue to publish correspondence in monthly issues. John McConnell The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 125 London Wall, London EC2Y 5AS, UK 1
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Sobel Fitts A. To keep or ditch the comments? Columbia Journalism Review. http://www.cjr.org/behind_the_news/demise_of_comment_sections_ or.php (accessed Sept 4, 2015). Powell A, White N. Is it the beginning of the end for online comments? BBC Trending. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-33963436 (accessed Sept 4, 2015).
Join us at The Lancet Clinic
Published Online October 5, 2015 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ S1473-3099(15)00357-6 For The Lancet Clinic see http://www.thelancet.com/clinic
For The Lancet Commission on liver disease in the UK see http://www.thelancet.com/ commissions/crisis-of-liverdisease-in-the-uk For The Lancet Liver Campaign see http://www.thelancet.com/ campaigns/liver
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On Oct 5, 2015, we launch the first 45 disease-specific pages of a major new online initiative involving all Lancet journals that will bring together an overview Seminar and relevant Reviews, Clinical Series, Commissions, research, Case Reports, and Clinical Pictures. Over the next 18 months or so when The Lancet Clinic is complete, there will be online pages for 135 diseases, which we have identified by a combination of global burden of disease data and clinical practice needs. We hope that The Lancet Clinic will help practising doctors make better informed decisions that ultimately lead to better lives of people worldwide, and help others who want to educate or update themselves keep abreast of the evolving evidence base. Importantly, these pages will be updated at regular intervals. The authors of newly commissioned Seminars have agreed to provide regular summaries of important new evidence for 4 years. Individual clinical
editors will pull together newly published material from across the Lancet journals and post links to these on the page regularly. In addition, we are continuing our regular editorial policies of commissioning more specialised Clinical Reviews and Series across The Lancet Group to provide a more focused and in-depth assessment for key diseases. And beyond providing knowledge and information, we want to encourage academic and practising clinicians to use this knowledge for advocacy and change. In 2014, The Lancet published the first Clinical Commission on liver disease in the UK and in February, 2015, we launched our first Clinical Campaign based on this Commission. A Cancer Campaign as a joint effort between The Lancet and The Lancet Oncology followed in April. Clinical Campaigns aim to effect change based on data, www.thelancet.com/infection Vol 15 November 2015
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knowledge, and expert interpretation in partnership with others. Further Clinical Commissions on asthma, hypertension, dementia, tuberculosis, traumatic brain injury, psychotherapy, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and others are underway across all Lancet journals. With these Clinical Commissions and Campaigns, we hope to extend our goal to publish the best science for better lives to being an active partner in using this science for actual change. Commissions and Campaigns will be part of the disease pages to encourage engagement and actions. The Lancet Clinic invites you to be part of this endeavour.
www.thelancet.com/infection Vol 15 November 2015
*Sabine Kleinert, Richard Horton, Elena Becker-Barroso, Niall Boyce, David Collingridge, Justine Davies, Emma Grainger, Peter Hayward, John McConnell, Zoë Mullan, Lan-Lan Smith
For The Lancet Oncology/ The Lancet Cancer Campaign see http://www.thelancet.com/ campaigns/cancer
The Lancet, London EC2Y 5AS, UK (SK, RH); The Lancet Neurology, London, UK (EB-B); The Lancet Psychiatry, London, UK (NB); The Lancet Oncology, London, UK (DC); The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, London, UK (JD); The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, London, UK (EG); The Lancet HIV, London, UK (PH); The Lancet Infectious Diseases, London, UK (JM); The Lancet Global Health, London, UK (ZM); and The Lancet Haematology, London, UK (L-LS)
[email protected] Copyright © Kleinert et al. Open Access article distributed under the terms of CC BY.
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