REC: Interventional Cardiology goes from strength to strength

In June 2023, the first impact factor for REC: Interventional Cardiology was announced. We all received the news with great excitement, those of us who work directly on the journal as well as our authors, reviewers, and readers. The figure added to the numerous indexations already achieved by our journal. Although this was undoubtedly a great accomplishment after years of hard work and dedication, it also marked the beginning of an annual continuous review process, with a load of commitment and expectations. Once a scientific publication enters this dynamic—as it happens with annual distinctions awarded in other professional fields—the expectations on its progress introduce a certain level of anxiety concerning the annual reviews.

The most recent edition of Journal Citation Reports (JCR)1 was released just a few weeks prior to the drafting this “Editor’s page”. In this report, REC: Interventional Cardiology maintains its impact factor level while it escalates the JCR quartile ranking (figure 1) positioning itself in Q3 of a unified list, which increases our visibility and puts all journals under the Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems category into context. This is, obviously, excellent news.

Figure 1. Impact factor and quartile of the latest edition of the Journal Citation Reports, and current indexing of REC: Interventional Cardiology.

The new impact factor (1.2)—which is slightly lower than the year before (1.4)—suggests stability, as it is the result of a more balanced distribution of citations, with several articles generating 1 to 3 citations compared with the large volume of citations generated by a single article2 the previous year. Additionally, there is a slight increase in citable articles (54 vs 52)—a sign of growth—which is why we believe that this new impact factor is more realistic and solid.

More and more of our readers and authors are quoting the journal papers in their publications, which undoubtedly increases its visibility and impact.

While bibliometric impact is very important for a scientific journal, we cannot overlook the utility of our journal in teaching and clinical practice, where the real value of our journal lies.

As we have always pointed out, and will continue to do so, these achievements can be attributed to the entire interventional cardiology community, the Interventional Cardiology Association of the Spanish Society of Cardiology (ACI-SEC) governing boards that have served throughout the years, authors, reviewers, and all team members from the editorial office.

MOST SIGNIFICANT CHANGES

As a result of the continuous process of improvement undergone by our journal, a series of changes have been made. The first one aimed at ensuring not only a deeper scientific review of the manuscripts but also that, regardless of their limitations, their methodology is detailed in a way that facilitates the reproducibility of the studies. To this end, a checklist has been implemented for authors and editors alike so they can review all methodological aspects involved.

Another key aspect has been the rigorous review of the English version of our articles. As part of our commitment to the quality of our publication, additional controls have been implemented to make sure that the quality of the English version of our journal is consistent with the standard set by Revista Española de Cardiología.

Finally, at the end of 2023, the ”Case report” section of our journal was discontinued. Although we had a hard time making this decision given the success of this section, it was mainly triggered by the inherent difficulty of these papers in presenting the proper editorial quality. In fact, this type of articles is absent in higher-tier publications. Moreover, since only one case was being published per issue, the rejection rate was very high, causing frustration among many authors who were submitting genuinely interesting cases. Nonetheless, isolated cases can still be submitted as ”Images in cardiology”, and case series (at least 3) as ”Scientific letters”.

We hope that all these improvements will be positively considered by the indexing agencies.

EDITORIAL ACTIVITY

Since the inception of our journal, all quarterly issues have included original articles (OA), review articles, scientific letters, cases, images, debates, and editorials on topics of special interest. Moreover, ACI-SEC-sponsored consensus documents appear periodically, as well as the compilation of the abstracts presented in its annual congress.

The overall number of published sections illustrated by figure 2 shows how, after the growth experienced throughout the early years, it has remained stable in recent years.

Figure 2. All sections published from 2019 through 2023. Conference abstracts are counted as 1 unit. Each case report is counted as 3 units, as it includes 3 independent articles: Presentation, How would I approach it?, and Resolution.

Our journal is bilingual, and research can be submitted in both Spanish and English. In recent years, there has been an increased number of manuscripts received in English (figure 3).

Figure 3. Original language of the manuscripts received. * Data up to June 30^th, 2024.

Before discussing content by type, we would like to mention that the journal is joining a paperless trend inspired by immediacy and accessibility, environmental commitment, and cost optimization. Therefore, as of 2024, our journal no longer has a print version, only a digital one.

Below, we present statistical data on the different types of articles. Of note that data for 2024 correspond only to the first half of the year.

Original articles

OAs are the most valuable content of a scientific journal. Attracting high-quality OAs is the top priority for a journal. Receiving enough OAs is the only way to guarantee that the highest-quality ones will be selected for publication. In 2023 we experienced a notable increase in the number of OAs received as shown in figure 4. The current year trend is similar in the number of OAs being published.

Figure 4. Submission of original articles. * Data up to June 30^th, 2024.

As we mentioned before, more OAs are now being received in English, which, to some extent, is indicative of a greater international interest in our journal (figure 5). In fact, a significant proportion of the manuscripts received come from different countries—36 overall—with notable representations from Portugal, Mexico, Italy, Argentina, and the United States.

Figure 5. Submission of original articles by language. * Data up to June 30^th, 2024.

An unquestionable indicator of the quality of a scientific journal—also easily noticeable by the authors—is the speed at which editorial decisions are made. In this regard, we can be very satisfied with our turnaround time (figure 6), which remains very reasonable compared with those of other prestigious journals.

Figure 6. Mean number of days to make a final decision on original articles (OAs). Bars show the mean time it takes to make a decision. Gray line shows the volume of articles on which a decision was made each year. * Data up to June 30^th, 2024.

If we want REC: Interventional Cardiology to establish itself as a highly recognized publication in our field, it is essential that we receive more OAs, which is why we invite the interventional cardiology community to keep on submitting their research articles.

Scientific letters

Scientific letters can be described as brief OAs, sometimes descriptive of small case series. Figure 7 shows the significant peak reached in submissions during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although 2023 was again a very fruitful year, figures for the first half of 2024 indicate a clear decline. The decision to reject isolated cases for review in this format might explain the lower submission rate. However, in some cases, authors have accepted our suggestion to turn initially submitted OAs into scientific letters. We believe that, under proper circumstances, this can be an interesting alternative.

Figure 7. Submission of scientific letters. * Data up to June 30^th, 2024.

Images in cardiology

This section is very popular, which is not surprising since the interventional cardiology field generates an excellent and increasingly varied iconography. But, although images have become an endless source of manuscript production—all of them quite interesting by the way—only a fraction can be published due to editorial space constraints. The excessive stock of images awaiting publication led us to withhold the receipt of new images for a few months last year. In June 2024, however, this section was reinstated (figure 8).

Figure 8. Submission of images in cardiology. * Data up to June 30^th, 2024.

Content transferred from Revista Española de Cardiología

One of the advantages of being part of the same editorial family is the ability to offer the transfer of manuscripts from the lead journal to its sister publications. Revista Española de Cardiología is a well-established international journal with a very high impact factor that draws multiple manuscripts. But, although the rate of rejection is high, many of the articles being rejected are of undeniable interest. However, this offer to go from a higher to a lower-impact journal always runs the risk of being rejected.

As shown in figure 9, 2023 saw an increase in the offer of transfers for OAs. As we predicted last year, authors have been responding more and more positively to this possibility. We are confident that the consolidation of the impact factor and advancement to Q3 will make this option even more appealing to the authors.

Figure 9. Offers to transfer original articles from Revista Española de Cardio­logía and number offers accepted within the same period. * Data up to June 30^th, 2024.

Special contents

As it happens every year, each issue has featured editorials, reviews, consensus articles from ACI-SEC or in collaboration with other SEC associations or scientific societies, and other types of special documents (figure 10).3-6

Figure 10. Sample of some special content published over the past year.3-6

In issue #3 of our journal, as usual, we published the abstracts presented at the ACI-SEC congress held in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain from June 12^th through 14^th, 2024.7 These abstracts became available ahead of print since June 3^rd. From this “Editor’s page”, we encourage their authors to complete the scientific process and submit the OAs of their research to our journal.

In May 2024, a tribute was held for Carlos Macaya on the 30^th anniversary of the Benestent trial,8 and our journal participated with a printed reprint on the history of the stent (figure 11).9

Figure 11. Review article by Macaya-Ten et al.9 presented as part of the tribute paid to Carlos Macaya on May 22^nd, 2024.

This year also saw the unexpected passing of the great master and pioneer of TAVI, Dr. Alain Cribier. Our journal joined the many tributes paid to him by commissioning an editorial to Eulogio García et al.10 (figure 12).

Figure 12. Commemorative editorial article by Eulogio García et al.10 about Alain Cribier.

REVIEWERS

Reviewers deserve special recognition in the editorial process of a scientific journal. Without their contribution, it would be nearly impossible to ensure the publication of high-quality, properly reviewed content. They perform this work anonymously, selflessly, and altruistically, dedicating part of their valuable time to reviewing and improving the quality of the manuscripts assigned to them. Thanks to their competence and efficiency, we have been able to maintain excellent review deadlines in our journal, which have remained optimal throughout the years. There has been a slight increase this past year though (figure 13). This spike may be related to a certain overload effect. The number of medical reports in our specialty, as well as their frequency, has increased, and we have probably been over-relying on the same group of reviewers—those who most frequently accept to review and do so most effectively. We believe it is crucial to start adding new reviewers, combining different profiles for the same manuscript, thus giving the more experienced ones a break while bringing in younger reviewers.

Figure 13. A: mean review time within the first half of 2024 (general and for original articles). B: Mean review time from submission to first decision for original articles. * Data for 2024 up to June 30^th.

Table 1 lists all reviewers who worked on manuscripts for REC: Interventional Cardiology from July 1^st, 2023 through June 30^th, 2024. Table 2 shows those who, in 2023, were named elite reviewers based on the number, speed, and quality of their reviews.

Table 1. Reviewers of REC: Interventional Cardiology who conducted reviews from July 1^st, 2023 through June 30^th, 2024

Table 2. Elite reviewers in 2023

DISSEMINATION

At the recent ACI-SEC congress, awards were given to the best articles published in REC: Interventional Cardiology for an overall prize of €2500 (€1500 for 1^st prize and €1000 for 2^nd)11,12 (figure 14).

Figure 14. Original articles from REC: Interventional Cardiology awarded at the Interventional Cardiology Association of the Spanish Society of Cardiology annual congress11,12 held in June 2024.

OAs, review and special articles are the most visited sections on our website. In this regard, and as I am writing these lines, the OAs that have gained the most interest among those published throughout last year are “Angina or ischemia with no obstructed coronary arteries: a specific diagnostic and therapeutic protocol”, by Rinaldi et al.,13 and “Initial experience with the new percutaneous pulmonary self- expandable Venus P-valve”, by Álvarez-Fuente et al.14

The consensus article on the diagnosis and treatment of patients with ANOCA by Escobar et al.3—a product of the collaboration among 4 SEC scientific associations—has been the most consulted special content of all.

Spain is the country where our journal is read the most, followed by Mexico, the United States, Argentina, and Colombia. Most visitors arrive at our website through keyword searches on search engines (57 378 sessions in the past 12 months), direct publication searches (11 711), and the social media (3000), especially X,15 where we have more than 22 000 followers.

In issue #1 of 2024 we published our last ”Editor’s video”.16 Although this format where the author of a highlighted article from each issue briefly explained the most interesting aspects of their research was very well-received, it has been discontinued across all REC Publications so our budgetary efforts can go to other publication areas.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

As Editor-in-chief, I would like to once again express my deepest gratitude to the entire team of associate editors: Fernando Alfonso, Raúl Moreno, Soledad Ojeda, Armando Pérez de Prado, and Rafael Romaguera (figure 15). They truly are a winning team.

Figure 15. REC: Interventional Cardiology editorial team. From right to left: José M. de la Torre-Hernández, Fernando Alfonso, Armando Pérez de Prado, Soledad Ojeda, Raúl Moreno, and Rafael Romaguera.

Being the official journal of ACI-SEC is one of the most notable virtues of REC: Interventional Cardiology. Perhaps the most significant and one which would explain its exemplary trajectory since its inception. Most journals are not backed by a professional association of this caliber, which is a truly remarkable asset. The former original board of directors of ACI-SEC and the most recently elected one have unconditionally supported this great project since day one.

In line with the financial sustainability of the journal, it is worth noting that the SEC has decided to contribute by covering 50% of the costs required to fund the editorial office.

However, this project came to fruition, continues to grow, and will continue to do so due to the invaluable and generous financial support from companies from the interventional cardiology sector. We are truly grateful to all of them.

As always, we would like to especially highlight the excellent work and dedication of the staff involved with the editorial office of REC Publications (Iria del Río, Eva M. Cardenal, Belén Juan, María González Nogal, Helena Gómez Lobo, and Javier Esquinas), our IT consultant (Juan Quiles), the departments at Casa del Corazón, and the entire team at Publicidad Permanyer S.L.

“It’s not so much how you start, but how you grow and remain on top.”

JULIO DE LA TORRE

FUNDING

None declared.

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

None declared.

REFERENCES