It gives me great pleasure to write this Editorial to the first Australian Society of Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery (ASOHNS) Supplement to The Journal of Laryngology & Otology (JLO).
The ASOHNS has always been keen to have a medium whereby research from Australia could be published in some form of national journal. The original Australian Journal of Oto-rhinolaryngology was successful in so many ways but never managed to achieve a formal impact factor and relied on the individual efforts of the editor, Dr Dean Beaumont, who kept it going for so many years.
When the proposal to consider moving the Journal ‘off-shore’ as a supplement to Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery was first raised, there were certainly mixed feelings within the ASOHNS community. Our joint venture with the White Journal was successful in proving that content from Australian ENT departments could be published in a format which would not only allow Medline listing and an impact factor, but would also allow readers from the rest of the world to access our papers in an online format. Nevertheless, the requirements of the main journal editors and the ASOHNS were slightly different and, although attempts were made to reach agreement, an amicable separation occurred in 2011.
There were many within the ASOHNS who felt now was the time simply to accept that an Australian journal was not viable and to concentrate our efforts elsewhere. This did not sit well with many of us for a large number of reasons. After making some initial enquiries, the enthusiasm we received from the JLO was so overwhelming that the ASOHNS Council and the Supplement Editorial Board were completely unanimous in deciding to move the Australian journal to become a Supplement to the JLO. I would like to personally thank Guy Kenyon, Edward Fisher, Robin Youngs and Rosamund Greensted of the JLO, Dan Edwards and colleagues at Cambridge University Press, Michael Jay, Vince Cousins and Mark Carmichael of the ASOHNS, and the Editorial Board, who all remain committed and excited about this new venture.
The Australian Supplements, published twice a year, are now the official publishing vehicle of the ASOHNS and its members. We remain reliant on consultant and junior staff submitting their research to keep the Supplements viable. Whilst good quality research will always have a place, we will need to apologise in advance for any articles which may fall short of the required standards for publication.
We hope you enjoy this first Supplement, and I look forward to receiving more articles for the second and third Supplements which are already in preparation.
