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EDITORIAL

Whose journal is this anyway

Rajshekhar Bipeta. MBBS,DPM,DNB,Ex-CPI(ACRP/APPI)
Editor, Andhra Pradesh Journal of Psychological Medicine (AP J Psychol Med); Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Gandhi
Medical College and Hospital; Consultant Psychiatrist, Hyderabad, India

If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants
- Issac Newton
Sadly, this is going to be my last editorial for the journal
which has been so close to my heart. When
Dr Karri Rama Reddy (the founder editor) started this journal
in 1988, he would have faced a lot of challenges. It was during
the era when research was the least priority for medical
professionals. Physicians were content with treating patients
and teaching students, forgetting that research is also their
responsibility. We are now fortunate enough to have
technology and internet to our rescue along with a changed
attitude towards research; thanks to Medical Council of India
which has made publications mandatory.
When I was elected as the editor of AP J Psychol Med in
2010, a head turned in dismay, probably wondering what
this man would do to this journal, does he really deserve
this! Frankly, I had a selfish motive, to add a feather to my
cap, getting appreciated by peers as academically oriented,
etc. I could have stayed there quietly. However, I started
from there; as the days passed by these personal motives
became secondary. I had lot of advantages on my side;
affiliation with a professional society (society’s journal), long
publication history, a ‘not-for-profit’ tag, etc. I realized lot
of things still needed to be done. I worked towards getting
an ISSN number, making it double-blind peer reviewed,
forming an editorial board, seeking membership of various
organizations, etc. Under the able guidance and
encouragement of my society, i.e. Indian Psychiatric Society,
Andhra Pradesh (IPS-AP) state branch, the editorial board
and the reviewers, I went on to strengthen my journal. I
started receiving submissions from other parts of India and
other countries. Scholars from other countries started peer
reviewing. As an editor, I hold reviewers in high regard; they
Address for correspondence: Dr Rajshekhar Bipeta. Associate
Professor of Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Gandhi Medical
College and Hospital, Musheerabad, Secunderabad-500003, Hyderabad,
Telangana, India
Mobile: +919391045080
Email: editor@apjpm.org; editor.apjpm@gmail.com
How to cite this article: Bipeta R. Whose journal is this
anyway? AP J Psychol Med 2014; 15(2): 150-1.
AP J Psychological Medicine Vol. 15 (2) July - Dec. 2014
are basically responsible for the quality of manuscripts. I
consider them the most important ingredient of a successful
journal. This, I realized in the capacity of author, reviewer,
editorial board member and editor. An intelligent editor takes
reviewers’ comments seriously, and he takes the credit. As
the days progressed our article rejection rate increased.
A journal becomes ‘a good quality international journal’
because of the editorial quality; adherence to publication
ethics; involvement of authors, reviewers and editorial board
members from outside the country; etc. Sometimes, a very-
very local journal can attain an international stature because
of these attributes. There are many predatory, so-called
‘international journals’ with questionable quality. Our journal
became ‘truly international’ though the phrase ‘international’
is not reflected anywhere in the name of our journal.
‘Proper editorial conduct’ is paramount to the success of a
journal. When a journal tries to ensure this, it gains reputation
and is revered in the scientific community. Once it reaches
this level it is no more restricted to a particular society or
organization. [1] Hopefully, at AP J Psychol Med we could
put ‘proper editorial conduct’ in place. I am happy to see AP
J Psychol Med having its place in scientific community; it is
considered a good journal. It has moved beyond IPS-AP state
branch.
As our journal continued to progress, I started getting
involved in lots of controversies; the simple reason being I
did not want to compromise on publication ethics.Some
authors caused trouble just because they were not willing to
submit the covering letter or because they did not want to
revise the manuscript as per our journal guidelines.
Thankfully, my editorial board and society stood by my side.
Division of IPS-AP state branch into two societies and
the future of The Andhra Pradesh Journal of Psychological
Medicine (AP J Psychol Med)
As per the Presidential order, the erstwhile united state of
Andhra Pradesh is now divided into Andhra Pradesh state
and Telangana state as on 02 June 2014. [2]
Indian Psychiatric Society is registered under Society
Registration Act. Indian Psychiatric Society, Andhra Pradesh
(IPS-AP), is the official state branch of the national body.
Following continuous deliberations at various levels, few

Bipeta: Whose journal is this
decisions are taken:
• The erstwhile IPS-AP state branch would be divided
into IPS-Andhra Pradesh (IPS-AP) state branch and IPS-
Telangana (IPS-T) state branch. [3]
• The assets of erstwhile IPS-AP state branch would be
divided between the two societies (i.e. IPS-AP state
branch and IPS-T state branch). [4]
• The Andhra Pradesh Journal of Psychological Medicine
(AP J Psychol Med) which is an asset of erstwhile IPS-
AP state branch would be given to IPS-Andhra Pradesh
(IPS-AP) state branch. [4]
• The IPS-Telangana (IPS-T) state branch would be
starting a journal with a different name. However, it
will share the heritage, [4] of The Andhra Pradesh
Journal of Psychological Medicine (AP J Psychol
Med), including its legacy, long publication history,
archives (past issues), listing, indexing, etc. The same
would be mentioned on the mast head of the journal
and the society.
The official confirmation of this decision is pending.
When my society decided to give away the journal, I went
through all the classical stages of bereavement as elucidated
by Kubler Ross, [5] viz denial, anger, bargaining, depression,
and acceptance. I am currently in the phase of resolution
(acceptance). Though, as editor the journal does not belong
to me anymore, I will continue to involve myself and will
contribute to the further growth of this journal.
Acknowledgements: I thank the members of my society,
the IPS-AP state branch for thrice electing me to the esteemed
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post of editor. I express my gratitude to the authors, the
reviewers and the editorial board members for associating
with my journal and elevating it to this level. I express my
sincere thanks to the Committee on Publication Ethics
(COPE), The World Association of Medical Editors
(WAME), The European Association of Science Editors
(EASE) and the International Committee of Medical Journal
Editors (ICMJE) for offering membership to my journal, and
educating me the ethics of publication. I acknowledge Dr
Ashok Reddy K, Professor of psychiatry, Institute of Mental
Health, for the inputs, and Dr Srilakshmi Pingali, Assistant
professor of psychiatry, Institute of Mental Health, Osmania
Medical College, Hyderabad, India, for proof reading this
manuscript.
References:
1. Kassirer JP. Editorial independence. N Engl J Med 1999;
340: 1671-2.
2. Andhra Pradesh reorganisation. AP reorganisation portal.
Reorganisation Act. (cited 2014 December 16) Available
from: http://reorganisation.ap.gov.in/index.jsp
3. Proceedings of the Indian Psychiatric Society Annual
General Body Meeting; 2015 Jan 9; Hyderabad,
Telangana (India).
4. Proceedings of the Indian Psychiatric Society Andhra
Pradesh state branch Executive Council meeting; 2015
Jan 9; Hyderabad, Telangana (India).
5. Kübler-Ross E. On death and dying. New York, NY:
Scribner publishers: 1969.
Conflict of interest: None declared Source(s) of support: Nil
AP J Psychological Medicine Vol. 15 (2) July - Dec. 2014