PubMed Central Inclusion, Quertle Indexing, Outbound Reference Linking, and Editorial Board Successions: Encouraging Developments in the IJTMB's Evolution.

Speaking of this journal’s “evolutionary” developments against the backdrop of its inaugural issue having appeared as recently as August 2008 may seem somewhat paradoxical in nature. Be that as it may, the relatively brief lifespan of the International Journal of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (IJTMB) thus far is marked by four recent encouraging developments that bode quite well for the journal’s readership as well as its progressively expanding list of contributing authors. These encouraging developments include the following: (a) the IJTMB’s recent approval for inclusion in PubMed Central (PMC); (b) a corresponding indexing of the journal in Quertle; (c) the provision of an outbound linking feature to those reference-list citations traceable to journals holding membership in CrossRef, PubMed, and/or PMC; and (d) the start of a staggered succession process regarding the journal’s Editorial Board membership so as to ensure a periodic influx of new ideas, skills, and opportunities to serve. PMC is the free digital archive of full-text articles appearing in the biomedical and life sciences journal literature at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), developed and managed by NIH’s National Center for Biotechnology Information in the National Library of Medicine. The IJTMB’s inclusion in PMC has been approved and its “live” appearance is imminent.* A subset of PMC’s site provides an alphabetized journal list to include the IJTMB, with access to optional search features (within PMC or linked to the IJTMB’s homepage), as well as defining characteristics of this journal’s inclusion. As an illustration of its relevant defining characteristics, the IJTMB’s presence in PMC extends from its inaugural issue of August 2008 through to and including its most current issue. Additionally, its free-access availability is immediate in nature, with no so-called “embargo” that would otherwise define a period of time during which specified issues of the journal would not be available. Furthermore, the IJTMB’s participation level in PMC is declared as full in that all of its content is available without qualifying restrictions. One obvious implication of this PMC development is that of the content of past and current issues of the IJTMB being indexed in PubMed’s database of citations and abstracts, with direct links from PubMed to the full-text articles as included in PMC. Another implication that is perhaps not as obvious is the indexing of the IJTMB in the Quertle database, an automated system connected specifically with PMC’s open-access subset of journals (of which the IJTMB is a member). To elaborate somewhat, Quertle is a semantic search engine for life and chemical science literature that goes beyond the usual keyword searching mechanism to emphasize instead a primary reliance on a search query constructed in the form of a subject-verb-object (SVO) relationship (or any parts of such a relationship) comparable to one asserted by an author in a relevant document. For example, a semantic search query defined as “massage treats headaches” would search the entire content of the Quertle database’s full-text documents—exclusive of the references—with a focus sensitive to comparable SVO relationships embedded in the content of pertinent documents. Such a semantic-based search would locate documents reflective of the designated meaning or content, and in so doing generally identifies fewer—but more pertinent—“hits” than would be the case in a more conventional keyword search. In addition to the journal’s inclusion in PMC and Quertle, another recent development of note is that of a new outbound reference linking feature included in the HTML version of each editorial or article. Specifically, this feature provides a direct outbound link from a referenced citation in an IJTMB article to CrossRef, PubMed, and/or PMC if indeed that cited article in the reference list is included in one or more of the aforementioned databases. For example, the editorial by Findley(1) in the journal’s December 2010 issue includes nine bibliographic citations in the list of references, the fifth of which is a publication by Reed, Liden, and Rubin(2) that is indexed in CrossRef. Accordingly, that bibliographic citation in the references is hyperlinked directly to Reed et al.’s entry in CrossRef, thereby obviously facilitating a reader’s access to that particular work. This type of immediate interfacing between certain referenced citations and one or more databases containing the source so cited can certainly enhance the engagement of a reader and, perhaps, render more functional the value of an author’s conscientious literature review. The fourth and final development acknowledged in this editorial is the start of a staggered succession process relating to the journal’s Editorial Board membership. One of the most critical yet daunting tasks of any journal’s leadership is that of ensuring a periodic influx of new ideas, talents, and commitments to service by way of colleagues completing their “tour of duty” in whatever capacity on an Editorial Board and, thereby, allowing for other colleagues to assume positions of leadership. In this context, effective March 1, 2011, Tom Findley assumed the position of Consulting Editor of the IJTMB as well as the well-deserved status of its Emeritus Founding Editor-in-Chief. Dr Findley’s contributions as Founding Editor-in-Chief that predate the journal’s inaugural issue in August 2008 and continued through the December 2010 issue have been substantial and most appreciated. Of particular note have been his four very erudite editorials, as well as the close mentoring he provided across nine fascia-specific articles published in the IJTMB thus far. Tom’s continued work with the journal in the capacity of a Consulting Editor is enthusiastically welcomed. Replacing Tom in the position of Editor-in-Chief is Paul Finch, the journal’s Founding Education Section Editor. Dr Finch’s stellar work spanning the journal’s 11 issues to date has affected quite significantly not only the Education Section, for which he has been principally responsible, but also the overall progress of the journal. Paul’s continued efforts on behalf of the IJTMB are likewise appreciatively embraced as the journal’s ongoing advancement mandates an even closer coordination of the journal’s two top leadership positions. To complete the current succession of Editorial Board members, effective March 1, 2011, is the welcomed appointment of Whitney Lowe as the journal’s Education Section Editor. Whitney’s contributions to the massage and bodywork professions are indeed internationally recognized by virtue of his prolific publications, as well as his stature as an educator whose workshops and seminars are continually in high demand. Whitney brings to the IJTMB a wealth of experience and knowledge that will be critical to the journal’s mission of continuing to advance the education of massage therapist and bodyworkers in both school settings and continuing education venues. This editorial would be remiss if the past and continued efforts of both Dr Christopher Moyer as Research Section Editor and Karen Boulanger as Practice Section Editor were not duly acknowledged. Chris and Karen have dealt very conscientiously and effectively with some of the more challenging manuscripts from a peer-review perspective that we’ve received since the journal’s launch in August 2008. Their willingness to continue in their respective posts is certainly appreciated and gives cause for continued optimism regarding the future of the IJTMB. As a final observation in this editorial, please note that the IJTMB’s inclusion in PMC and Quertle is in addition to the following six databases in which the journal is already indexed: Directory of Open Access Journals, CrossRef, Healthindex, Index Copernicus, Google Scholar, and Hinari.