Publication requirement: Mind the gap

I read with interest the article by Chhavi et al. and find the extensive research efforts of the authors commendable¹

I would like to add a few recommendations to the excellent suggestions by the authors of creating a depository of preprints. The latest promotion criteria of the National Medical Commission (NMC) stipulate original articles, systematic reviews, meta-analyses and case-series for promotion.^2,3 Many indexed journals have a category of Brief or Short communication, Short Paper, Brief research. Unfortunately, this category is not considered by the NMC in the publication criteria. According to guidelines for authors of journals listing this category, a brief research article is ‘brief reports of original studies’, ‘Original research manuscripts containing well-defined study design and sample size, but limited parameters analysed’, ‘concise reports of preliminary findings, or epidemiological studies with narrowly focused or limited findings’, ‘articles with limited but original data and having the same format as Original Article’.^4–9 So maybe the NMC can consider including this category in the eligibility for promotion.

The timeline from submission to acceptance to publication in indexed reputed journals is a long one, as stated in their submission guidelines. Sometimes authors wait for over a year for their manuscript to see the light of the day. The interval between acceptance to publication is the critical one for those eligible for promotion. Eligibility of accepted manuscripts (with concerned journal article processing criteria fulfilled), could also be a recommendation to NMC for promotion criteria.

As the authors have wisely stated the purpose of publications and research methodology workshop as promotion criteria laid down by the NMC is to increase research aptitude and knowledge and thus the quality of biomedical research from India.¹ This can be better achieved through specialized research training and workshops and faculty development programmes to blossom research aptitude. With more stringent promotion norms and limited options the only winners are predatory journals egging on faculty to churn out substandard research.¹