Presentation Information
[SY-23-04]The Role of Society Journals in Academic Publishing: The Mission of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences
*Tadafumi Kato (Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine(Japan))
Keywords:
Scientific publishing,Journals,Academic Society
Academic journals serve a critical role in upholding the quality of scientific research through rigorous peer review. At the same time, they are central to the evaluation of researchers’ achievements, making the roles of editors and reviewers especially significant. Researchers often seek validation and visibility by submitting to high-impact journals. However, the repetitive cycle of rejection and resubmission—often needs unproductive format or style adjustments—raises questions about its true value.In recent years, the rise of open access (OA) journals has transformed the publishing landscape. While OA provides broader accessibility, concerns have emerged regarding the quality of peer review in some journals. A structural issue lies in the financial model of publication fee-based OA journals, which may incentivize volume over quality.Both commercial subscription-based journals and OA journals have their respective strengths and challenges. Against this backdrop, society journals such as Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences (PCN) are gaining renewed attention. Operated by the Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology, PCN is committed to maintaining high scientific standards while offering a supportive environment for authors. Through these efforts, PCN achieved a 2024 impact factor of 5.0, placing it in the top quartile (Q1) among 282 journals in the Psychiatry category.This presentation will explore the evolving role of academic journals in scholarly publishing and highlight the initiatives undertaken by Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, the official journal of the Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology.