Reviewing and writing for InnovAiT

WHAT IS InnovAiT?

In 2007, the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board (PMETB) took over supervision of postgraduate training in the UK. Training for all medical specialties was overhauled. A written GP Curriculum, a system of closer monitoring, and a compulsory exit examination (the new Membership or nMRCGP examination) were developed by the RCGP for all potential GPs undergoing specialist training.

Doctors undertaking specialty training for general practice, whether in hospital posts or working in primary care, are now eligible to register with the RCGP as Associates in Training (AiTs). In order to support AiTs through their specialist training programmes, the RCGP has created a Membership package which includes access to InnovAiT, a monthly journal published on behalf of the RCGP and specifically aimed at AiTs.

InnovAiT aims both to inform and to educate GPs in training. It is also liked by many trained GPs who simply want to refresh their knowledge. It is available in both print and online formats. All AiTs receive InnovAiT automatically. Other Members of the RCGP and GP trainers can subscribe to InnovAiT at a heavily discounted subscription (currently £55 per year for RCGP members and £35 per year for GP trainers).

Each issue has major feature articles covering two clinical and one non-clinical topic. These review articles are on topics that are GP Curriculum based. There is a ‘Crammer’s Corner’ with hints and tips to help trainees through their assessments to become GPs, a ‘News and Views’ section covering hot topics in general practice, a ‘General Interest’ section filled with articles not directly linked to the GP Curriculum but likely to be of interest to GPs, and a section with reflections from people at different stages of their careers — whether AiTs, newly qualified GPs, or GP trainers.

We also publish a selection of monthly Applied Knowledge Test questions in the print version of InnovAiT, with more questions online: readers can use our large database of online AKTs for self-test or revision purposes. Finally, we have a Twitter page where we post interesting articles from the British Journal of General Practice and InnovAiT, news items that might be of interest to GPs, useful links (for example, to new guidelines) and advertisements for RCGP and Deanery events. Our Twitter page is updated daily and can be accessed via: http://twitter.com/RCGP_InnovAiT.

One of the features of InnovAiT is that we encourage new authors to write for us. We provide guidance and support for novice writers and reviewers, and have developed a buddying scheme to make the task less daunting. It is not unusual in InnovAiT for an article from a first-year trainee GP to be published alongside an article by a professor of general practice. Our peer- reviewing process is very vigorous to ensure that having inexperienced authors does not affect the quality of our articles. However, we stress to all reviewers that because we do have a lot of novice authors, the reviewing process should be constructive rather than destructive.

WHAT IS REVIEWING

Every article that is published in InnovAiT is checked by at least two reviewers prior to publication to ensure its accuracy, that it reads well and that it is pitched appropriately for the intended audience. The reviewers are chosen by the editor from our database of reviewers. One of the reviewers for each article tends to be a trainee GP as AiTs are our intended audience and so it is important that we cater for their needs. The other reviewer(s) may be trained GPs and/or secondary care specialists on the topic. We have produced a guide for reviewers with suggestions on how to approach reviewing and what to look for. This is available to download from the InnovAiT website (http://rcgp-innovait.oxfordjournals.org).

Most of our reviewers seem to enjoy reviewing. It makes them think about topics that perhaps they would not address otherwise, and keeps them well informed. If you are not confident to review on particular topics, our database does allow you to specify topics that you would like to review articles about. Although reviewing is unpaid, every reviewer for InnovAiT receives a certificate from the Journal on completion of their review. This certificate can be used for revalidation purposes.

HOW CAN I WRITE FOR InnovAiT

Anyone can write for InnovAiT. As we publish articles in topic-based issues, it is important to consult the editorial office before starting to write (e-mail: innovait.editorialoffice{at}oxfordjournals.org). We have a remit to cover the entire GP Curriculum on a 3-yearly cycle so we cannot publish an article on a topic that has already been covered in that cycle. Furthermore, we have a large number of articles in preparation and in production at any time, so we may have already commissioned an article on the topic that you would like to write about even if it has not been published.

You may suggest an article title, or just tell us which areas that you are interested in so that we can suggest a selection of titles that have not been covered, or need revision, within the current 3-year InnovAiT cycle. Once a title has been agreed, we enter you onto our manuscript system and set a deadline for submission. Please let us know if you would like a buddy to be allocated at that point. Buddies are usually experienced writers who have written a lot for InnovAiT in the past and know what we are looking for. They provide informal peer review and help you to get your article up to a publishable standard before submission.

Deadlines are usually 8 weeks from commissioning, but a longer deadline can be agreed by negotiation. As we publish articles in curriculum topic batches, it is not always possible to accept articles submitted late, however good they are, so it is important to let the editorial office know if you are not able to submit on time so that publication dates can be adjusted to give you more time if possible.

In general, InnovAiT articles should be informative and easy to read. They should cover all the major national guidance on a topic and be as up-to-date as possible. It is important that articles are submitted in journal style as they will be sent back to you without review if they are not. We have produced detailed author instructions about journal style, and also a more general guide to medical publishing. Both can both be downloaded free-of-charge from the InnovAiT website (http://rcgp-innovait.oxfordjournals.org).

INTERESTED

If you are interested in writing or reviewing for InnovAiT, or would just like to find out more, please contact the editorial office (e-mail: innovait.editorialoffice{at}oxfordjournals.org) and we will try to help you as much as possible.