The editors' labours: separating the wheat from the chaff

From the author's standpoint, the editor is viewed as 'one who separates the wheat from the chaff and then prints the chaff'! Since its inception, Pediatric Neurosurgery has tried to provide the reader with the guarantee that only the 'wheat' is published. This paper will examine the policies of the journal's Editorial Board and in particular outline the review process for submitted manuscripts. In addition to certain operational items, the paper will consider how the 'peer' in 'peer review' is identified, the grading instruments for paper acceptance, the likelihood that the readers and peer reviewers agree on manuscript quality, and how authors should view failure. The Society is firmly committed to our journal. Our individual responsibilities begin with paper preparation and then its presentation at the annual meeting. Thereafter, it is important for the membership to appreciate that their participation, as either author and/or reviewer, is critical for the continued success of our journal.