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Meeting Minutes

Converting good research into scholarly articles: dialogue with Editor-in-Chief and publisher

20 November, 2022

Haikou, Hainan Province, China


On 20th November 2022, Infectious Diseases of Poverty (IDoP, Affiliated with National Institute of Parasitic Diseases at Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention) organised an international forum to discuss how to convert good research into scholarly articles, in the event of The 6th Hainan International Health Industry Expo 2022 at the Hainan International Convention and Exhibition Center in Haikou, Hainan province, China. Over 200 experts and scholars from all over the world participated in this forum.

This forum comprised six thematic lectures and a panel discussion. This forum invited many core members of international academic journals to share the advantages and features of different platforms, including Springer Nature, Elsevier and Cambridge University Press, The Lancet Regional Health-Western Pacific, China CDC Weekly and Infectious Diseases of Poverty.

Miss Joyce Li, Publishing Director of Springer Nature, highlighted the importance of open data sharing and databases in the future. Springer Nature has been a partner of IDoP for many years and would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their help and support over the years.

Ms. Wenyi Zhou, Director of Journal Strategic Partnerships of Elsevier, highlighted five elements to deliver a successful marketing strategy, including data-driven, customer-centric, aligned to your objectives, customized and optimized. Elsevier and Shanghai Jiao Tong University have collaborated on a new journal, Science in One Health, with Professors Xiao-Nong Zhou and Marcel Tanner as its Editors-in-Chief.

Professor Monica Moniz, Publisher & Programme Manager for Research Directions Cambridge University Press, emphasised the important role of interdisciplinarity and shared the advantages of the Research direction. Research Directions disrupt traditional journal publication to better reflect the research lifecycle. Researchers will contribute at different stages, sharing and building on each other’s work.

Dr. Jie Cai, Editor-in-Chief of the Lancet Regional Health- Western Pacific, explained how an article is published from the perspective of an editor. It gives researchers a clearer picture of where they could improve and increase their efficiency.

Ms. Feng Tan, Executive editor of China CDC Weekly, described the development of China CDC Weekly, which focuses on cooperation with international organisations, and the editorial board has conducted many training and international seminars to enable the journal and researchers to grow together.

Professor Xiao-Nong Zhou, Editor-in-Chief of Infectious Diseases of Poverty (IDoP), shared IDoP's achievements and developments over the past ten years, thanks to the efforts of a global team of experts, scholars and editors. IDoP has been one of goal keepers for achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by publishing the key and hot topics, and building the academic community of infectious diseases of poverty.

During the panel discussion, many experts congratulated IDoP on its excellent development last decade and made several recommendations.

(a) Open access and open data are essential to interdisciplinary research;

(b) Collaborative exchanges with international organisations and other journals, and more interdisciplinary communication is key to achieving more SDG goals;

(c) The thematic series based on real world needs and the article type of Scoping Review and Policy Brief are worthwhile for translating research into policy.

(d) Regular IDEA forum and social media promotion and exposure of articles are important initiatives for IDoP to maintain its academic influence, and could be enhanced to keep the leading role of the journal in global health;

(e) Calling for young scientist to publish their first papers in IDoP and creating a sustainable platform for talent cultivation so that foster the youth as the driving force of the further development of the journal.

Professor Xiao-Nong Zhou and professor Jürg Utzinger summarized in the end of the meeting. It has been noted that the development of IDoP has been accelerated by an open access publishing model, rigorous peer review and capacity building. Promotion of achieving SDGs will always be the way forward for IDoP by improving of the journal’s impact, encouraging of innovative research, and coordinating of interdisciplinary collaboration.