LETTERA DEL DIRETTORE

In nearly three decades to the direction of the journal Annali Italiani di Chirurgia I could add to my personal experiences as surgeon and University Professor of Surgery, those very special in the rather different field of scientific literature from the specific point of view of Chief Editor - English term that identifies the "Director" of a scientific journal. The original wish to enhance and promote the qualities of researches and professional activity of Italian surgery within the journal, after an initial phase of normal management has expanded ambitiously, and over the last decade has been taken new editorial strategic decisions to promote more and more the cultural value and the diffusion of the magazine, for the benefit of its subscribers and its readers. Therefore, since 2007 the preferential adoption of English was introduced, then it became the exclusive language from 2010. Later in 2008 there was the authoritative introduction of the magazine in the "informatics network" with the activation of a "web site" to constitute the parallel Digital Edition of Annali Italiani di Chirurgia, ISSN credited with the CNR, to constitute a large interactive library where there are nowadays collected in free reading all articles published in press from 2000 up to those published in the first half of 2015 - with subsequent to follow. In parallel it was inaugurated the section reserved to the individual "Clinical cases", published exclusively online in the same Digital Edition, with preservation of iconography colors. The own search motor of the "site" (www.annitalchir.com) enables the identification of all articles published in the Digital Edition, whether published in print or exclusively online, proceeding by title, by author, by keyword, and of course by date of publication. The functionality of the purchase mechanism of each article with the procedure of "e-commerce" right from the site and the possibility for all readers to interactively express the own evaluation of published articles, has transformed the site into a "portal" constantly updated, and this has led to the growing number of foreign authors asking access with their papers to the magazine, especially from the Mediterranean area and Eastern Europe. Considering the variety and quality of the studies performed not only in Italy but also in such a vast geographical and cultural area, evident in the articles already published, it seems appropriate not only the substantial analysis by the Scientific Committee of the articles received to be published, but also to underline the care of the formal aspects of those proposed to the press, and to express a series of suggestions, to urge the Authors to improve the formal aspects in the preparation and exposure for their articles, to benefit of their image of Authors and for prestige of the magazine in an international perspective. This is the meaning of the Leading Article of this first issue 2016. I conclude by listing the qualitative preferences adopted for accepting articles to be published, provided that the individual clinical cases - the surgical "chronicle" - have a privileged place in the Digital Edition of Annali Italiani di Chirurgia, preserving the colors of the iconography, but that only exceptionally will be published in the printed issues. IDEAL TYPES OF PAPER to be submitted for publication in Annali Italiani di Chirurgia 1. Results of original research on a topical issue; 2. Update on a theme with contributions of personal experiences; 3. Analysis of personal case histories of prospective studies; 4. Evaluation of case studies personal accompanied by extensive and comprehensive bibliographic revisions; 5. setups on the individual, with the formulation of opinions by the Authors; 6. Proposals for new surgical techniques; 7. Technological innovations; ACCEPTABLE TYPES OF PAPER to be submitted for publication in the Annals of Surgery Italian a) Editorial updating or development to the work of a single author; b) Description of unusual clinical cases (exclusively for online e-publish in www.annitalchir.com); c) Reviews of multicenter studies.