The Stop-Publish-Stop Cycle – A Confession, a Diagnosis, and a Prescription for Editorial Sustainability

Abstract

PART I: WHY WE PUBLISH
Medical journals have been around since the 1600s. They are not just places to store facts. They are the foundation of modern medicine. For doctors and researchers, publishing is not about ego. It shows honesty in your work. It is a gift to the medical community. It saves lives. Publishing separates those who just read from those who create. In our hospitals and universities, publications decide who gets promoted, who gets research money, who gets recognized as a specialist, and even the global reputation of our schools. To publish is to join the world’s conversation about healing. But here is the strange thing. The very tools that carry this conversation - our own medical journals - are often the weakest and most ignored parts of our institutions. We treat them like decorations, not necessities. We assume they run by themselves. But they depend entirely on the unpaid, unseen, and exhausting work of a few dedicated people. This is the first and biggest problem we must face.........