Dear colleagues,
This issue of the Hellenic Journal of Companion Animal Medicine (H.J.C.A.M.) is the first one of 2019, with the new Editors. About six months ago, the Board of the H.C.A.V.S. unanimously decided to propose me as Editor of the journal from January 1st, 2019. I have cordially accepted the proposal and chosen Dr. Kiriaki Pavlidou, DVM, PhD, post-doctoral fellow at the Companion Animal Clinic, Scholl of Veterinary Medicine, of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, as Co-Editor.
First of all, we would like to thank the past Editors, Katerina Adamama-Moraitou and Dimitra Pardali, for their invaluable contribution. They had been working with great effort for the inauguration and the development of the journal. We believe that the journal has maintained a decent level of quality, it is widely recognised among the companion animal practitioners, and it has substantially contributed to the continuing education in our country.
After ten years of continuing presence of the H.C.A.V.S. in the Greek veterinary life, it seems the time has come for a radical renewal and upgrade of its journal. We proceed with structural changes of the journal guided solely by our vision to create a modern scientific journal, based on the European standards, which will be standing equally among internationally renowned journals. These are our priorities:
- As you can see, the design of the journal has changed to a template, which allows for the side-by-side reading of the Greek and the English document. Moreover, the cover page has changed and it will remain as such, so that the journal will maintain a familiar and recognisable frontpage over time.
- The process to assign an impact factor has been initiated. The process will be long-lasting (at least two years) and it must be mentioned that it is of imperative importance to collect citations to our journal, from other publications. The number of citations will determine the impact factor.
- The instructions to authors have been updated and they will apply strictly, in an attempt to upgrade the level of the published manuscripts. For this purpose, we invite all the colleagues involved in companion animal medicine to submit original articles, preferably clinical studies and systematic reviews, and less narrative reviews and case reports, in order to increase the level of evidence of the journal.
- From out side and for the benefit of the new scientists, we are committed to organise seminars on the design, the performance, the writing and the submission of scientific studies.
- There is a new manuscript submission website, which will facilitate the authors, as well the reviewers, with the process of submission and reviewing of the manuscripts.
- ΕIf necessary, the submitted manuscripts will be checked for plagiarism.
- All the manuscripts will be scrutinised for their level of statistical analysis.
The effort of all the colleagues is required to upgrade and maintain a decent level of our H.J.C.A.M. We invite all the people to embrace the journal, to keep supporting it by submitting manuscripts, citing its publications, and contribute by all honest means to its development. The Editors will be here to support and help each and any new scientist, who needs a forum to present her/his scientific work during her/his first steps in the wonderful world of Science, as well as each and any acknowledged colleague, who would like to show her/his experience.
We believe that the colleagues will cordially and actively respond to our effort for a new beginning of the journal and we anticipate the H.J.C.A.M. to meet the expectations of the veterinary family.
With best regards,
Ioannis Savvas
Kiriaki Pavlidou
