FYI Research:
Faculty take on challenge of editing journals

Three times Harald Heymann, professor of operative dentistry, was offered the position of editor in chief of the "Journal of Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry." And three times he turned down the opportunity, believing the position would be too onerous of a task.

But after the fourth offer came in 1999, Heymann relented. And today, like a number of Carolina faculty members, Heymann serves as the editor in chief of a major scholarly journal and contributes to research by influencing what gets published and what doesn't.

"It's a labor of love," Heymann said. "There's the frustration to produce at the highest level of quality on a deadline; there's the revising of manuscripts, the quality of illustrations, and sometimes having to say no to folks you know on a professional and personal level. But the rewards outweigh the frustrations."

Carol Pardun, associate professor of journalism and mass communication and the editor of Mass Communication & Society, offers a similar litany of frustrations and benefits.

"I've met very few people who, after serving as an editor once, are eager to get right back into it," said Pardun, who will conclude her fifth and final year as editor of "Mass Communication & Society" at the end of this year. "But down the road, I imagine myself returning to serve as an editor of some journal because I'm really honored and happy to have done it. I really enjoy seeing the current research; it's interesting to read what researchers are currently writing about."

Though Heymann, Pardun and R. Balfour Sartor, professor of medicine and senior associate editor of "Gastroenterology," serve in different disciplines, they recite a similar checklist of points they and their editorial boards consider when deciding what materials to accept for publication. Foremost, they consider the novelty of the research and its relevancy to the journals' audience. Second, they consider the quality of the presentation of the research and the evidentiary support.

With many journals, such as "Gastroenterology" and "Mass Communication & Society," which have an acceptance rate of about 15 percent, the selection process can be an especially time-consuming and wrenching task.

"With such an exclusive journal, you create some enemies," said Sartor, who oversees a weekly, two-hour meeting in which the "Gastroenterology" editorial board discusses submissions. "Sooner or later, you turn everybody down. So sooner or later, you end up antagonizing your friends."

Because publication plays a vital role in tenure and promotion, the editors said, the value of serving as an editor of a major scholarly journal is multifaceted.

"There is the personal benefit of being recognized as an expert in a particular field," Heymann said. "It also raises the visibility of the department and the university as a whole. But, even more important than that, it gives the faculty and graduate students in the department the opportunity to witness the publication process. By doing so, they better position themselves in their own publication endeavors."

The editors of the journals also better position themselves in publishing pursuits.

"I have undoubtedly become a better writer," Sartor said. "After you look at 40 or 50 submissions a week, you learn how to present information more effectively."

Provided by Research and Economic Development.
Editor: Neil Caudle. Writer: Cherry Crayton.

Technology transfer update

The Office of Technology Development helps Carolina faculty, students and staff develop and commercialize patentable inventions resulting from their research. In June 2004, the University executed two license agreements and had one U.S. patent issued.

A patent is a legal document granting inventors the exclusive right to prevent others from making, using or selling an invention for a number of years. A license agreement is a written contract granting permission for a person or company to use an invention under certain terms. For more information about OTD, go to research.unc.edu/otd.