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Scientific Publication Speed of Korean Medical Journals during the COVID-19 Era
Hyeonseok Seo1, Yaechan Kim1, Dongryeong Kim1
1Department of Premedicine, Chosun University College of Medicine, Gwangju, Korea.
Insights
Publication speed in Korean medical journals remained consistent during the COVID-19 pandemic, but COVID-19 research experienced faster review and acceptance times compared to other studies.
Area of Science:
- Medical publishing
- Scholarly communication
Background:
- The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic significantly impacted global research and academic publishing.
- Understanding its effect on publication timelines in medical journals is crucial for assessing research output and integrity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the publication speed of Korean international medical journals before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- To analyze the impact of COVID-19 on journal review and acceptance timelines.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 2,064 papers from 43 Korean international medical journals (2019-2022).
- Assessment of publication speed indicators: submission to revision and submission to publication.
- Examination of variations based on journal and paper characteristics, including COVID-19 relation.
Main Results:
- Overall publication times showed minimal change between 2019 and 2022.
- COVID-19-related studies had significantly shorter times from submission to revision (61.4 days) and acceptance (87.4 days) compared to non-COVID-19 studies (105.1 and 127.1 days, respectively).
- A higher proportion of COVID-19 studies were accepted within 30 or 60 days.
Conclusions:
- The COVID-19 pandemic influenced journal review and publication processes.
- While overall publication speeds were stable, COVID-19 research benefited from expedited timelines.
- Journals must prioritize maintaining the integrity of review and publication processes amidst external pressures.
Objectives:
This study compared the scientific publication speeds of Korean medical journals before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) era.
Methods:
We analyzed 2,064 papers from 43 international Korean medical journals, selecting 12 papers annually from 2019 to 2022. We assessed publication speed indicators, including the time from submission to revision and from submission to publication. Additionally, we examined variations in publication speed based on journal and paper characteristics, including whether the studies were related to COVID-19.
Results:
Among the 43 journals analyzed, 39.5% disclosed the peer review duration from submission to the first decision, and 11.6% reported their acceptance rates. The average time from submission to acceptance was 127.0 days in 2019, 126.1 days in 2020, 124.6 days in 2021, and 126.4 days in 2022. For COVID-19-related studies, the average time from submission to revision was 61.4 days, compared to 105.1 days for non-COVID-19 studies; from submission to acceptance, it was 87.4 days for COVID-19-related studies and 127.1 days for non-COVID-19 studies. All indicators for COVID-19-related studies showed shorter durations than those for non-COVID-19 studies, and the proportion of studies accepted within 30 or 60 days was significantly higher for COVID-19-related studies.
Conclusions:
This study investigated the publication speed of Korean international medical journals before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic influenced journals' review and publication processes, potentially impacting the quality of academic papers. These findings provide insights into publication speeds during the COVID-19 era, suggesting that journals should focus on maintaining the integrity of their publication and review processes.
