What are our aims at CMI?
Authors: L. Leibovici
Journal: Clinical Microbiology and Infection (2018)

CMI publishes original articles, reviews, and commentaries on clinical microbiology and infectious diseases. We are in the unique position to serve two communities, clinical microbiologists and infectious disease specialists, as well as the broader community of clinicians and researchers interested in infection by communicating research results to clinicians while conveying the clinicians' questions and problems to researchers. We are interested in infection control and antibiotic stewardship. We believe that working these interfaces we can have a unique and true impact. To achieve this mission, on the eve of the New Year we took some time to define our specific aims at CMI. The first draft was written by Leonard Leibovici, the Editor-in-Chief, and improved by the Editors and members of the Scientific Board. The principles are given in the Box 1. The principles may be self-evident, but they are important, as they drive our editorial decisions. Their order is important too and has practical implications for us.Box 1CMI aims.•Publish material that is helpful to our readers, thought provoking, and interesting.•Publish innovative and rigorous research.•Apply and encourage high standards of scientific reporting.•Apply and promote ethical standards of research and scientific publication.•Be helpful and friendly to our authors and peer reviewers.•Engage our readers and contributors in a lively and meaningful dialogue.•Assist with the achievement of ESCMID aims. •Publish material that is helpful to our readers, thought provoking, and interesting.•Publish innovative and rigorous research.•Apply and encourage high standards of scientific reporting.•Apply and promote ethical standards of research and scientific publication.•Be helpful and friendly to our authors and peer reviewers.•Engage our readers and contributors in a lively and meaningful dialogue.•Assist with the achievement of ESCMID aims. We see this as the main function of the journal. With that said, we have to think who our readers are. They are mainly practitioners in clinical microbiology and infectious diseases, some in training and some more experienced [[1]Leibovici L. Macnab F. Pereira-Moreira R. CMI readers’ survey.Clin Microbiol Infect. 2017; 23: 587-589Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (8) Google Scholar]. For people in training, we should provide materials that advance them in their professional growth. We hope that the theme issues, reviews, and original research articles are fulfilling this purpose and are also of interest to the more experienced practitioners. Together with other stakeholders we plan to examine in depth how CMI can contribute to a greater extent for people in training. For all our readers, in training and experienced, systematic reviews, ‘How to …’ reviews, guidelines, and position papers are meant to improve daily practice. Commentaries help put research into context. Hopefully many of our readers do research, whether wet-bench or using clinical research methods. We publish papers on research methods, and we hope that a careful description of the methods in our original articles will help other researchers. Ideally, publishing research results should not be the business of medical journals. Assuming that the researcher will only ask relevant questions, that the methods of research were perfect, and that the reporting of results no less so, the editorial work of the journal should have little to add to the article. Unfortunately, research methods and reporting standards are not yet perfect, and journals still have a role. We still need to consider whether the research question has relevancy, to assess if the methods were appropriate, and improve on the presentation of the results. We require the use of reporting guidelines: CONSORT for randomized controlled trials; STROBE for observational studies (including its extensions, STROME-ID for reporting of molecular epidemiology for infectious diseases, and STROBE-AMS for reporting epidemiological studies on antimicrobial resistance); PRISMA for systematic reviews and meta-analysis; STARD for diagnostic studies; CHEERS for economic evaluations; and ORION for outbreak reports and interventional, non-randomized studies of nosocomial infections. The appropriate checklist should be submitted at the time of the article submission (please see CMI Guide for Authors: https://www.elsevier.com/journals/clinical-microbiology-and-infection/1198-743x/guide-for-authors). In addition we have tried to clarify our editorial policies in several Editorial Notes: on systematic reviews [2Leibovici L. Paul M. The CMI welcomes systematic reviews.Clin Microbiol Infect. 2016; 22: 397Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (6) Google Scholar, 3Leeflang M.M.G. Kraaijpoel N. Systematic reviews of diagnostic test accuracy in CMI.Clin Microbiol Infect. 2018; 24: 1115-1116Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (11) Google Scholar]; randomized controlled trials [[4]Leibovici L. Paul M. Randomized controlled trials in CMI.Clin Microbiol Infect. 2018; 24: 1031-1032Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (5) Google Scholar]; observational studies addressing interventions [[5]Paul M. Leibovici L. Observational studies examining patient management in infectious diseases.Clin Microbiol Infect. 2017; 23: 127-128Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (12) Google Scholar]; surveys [[6]Pulcini C. Leibovici L. CMI guidance for authors of surveys.Clin Microbiol Infect. 2016; 22: 901-902Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (25) Google Scholar]; and antimicrobial stewardship research [[7]Pulcini C. Huttner A. CMI policy on antimicrobial stewardship research.Clin Microbiol Infect. 2018; 24: 91-92Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (10) Google Scholar]. They are all available on our site: https://www.clinicalmicrobiologyandinfection.com/content/collection-editorial-policies. Here we reinforce our commitment to ethical research and ethics in scientific publishing [[8]Leibovici L. Ethical considerations in research published in the CMI.Clin Microbiol Infect. 2016; 22: 957Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (4) Google Scholar]. We have a duty to publish only ethical research. The studies we publish should comply with the Helsinki Declaration (http://www.wma.net/en/30publications/10policies/b3/index.html). They should also observe local (or European when applicable) ethical standards for conducting research in humans. We are also committed to ethical practices of publishing. We emphasize our policy on conflict of interests [[9]Raoult D. Hope W. Kahlmeter G. Guidelines need controls.Clin Microbiol Infect. 2015; 21: 1043-1044Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (9) Google Scholar]. There are several ways in which we can do that. We have decreased the mean number of days from submission to first decision in papers that are sent for peer review from 41 days in 2015 to 25 days in 2018. The spread is still too large and we shall try to reduce it. The mean time from acceptance to appearance online was reduced from 40 days to 15 days. We encourage pre-submission queries. You can send an email with an abstract or an article to the Editor-in-Chief asking whether it is suitable for CMI. We have an appeal process. If the authors do not agree with an editorial decision they can appeal to the Editor-in-Chief. Appeals are forwarded to two additional editors, and the final decision reached by consensus of the four editors (including the original one). We try and respond to an appeal within 2–3 weeks. Our office manager, Julia Friedman ([email protected]), is answering queries addressed to her within 1–2 days. All of us (editorial office, publisher, and editors) make an effort to be helpful and polite. We tell our peer reviewers we appreciate their efforts. A rapid peer review grants the reviewer free access to all CMI articles for a year. We send letters of recognition to our best peer reviewers and encourage them to use the letters for their career advancement. The best peer reviewers are waived their participation fee at ECCMID, and we are honoured to host them at the annual CMI dinner. If you can suggest ways in which we can improve our approach to authors and peer reviewers please let us know. Write to Julia at [email protected] CMI is the official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. The stated aim of ESCMID is to ‘… promote research and education in the prevention, diagnosis and therapy of infections …’. Looking at the ESCMID activities, especially the educational ones, and at the focus of ESCMID activities in Europe as well as outside of it, CMI identifies with and is committed to promoting the ESCMID aims. We can identify both with the published aims of the ESCMID and its actions. With that said, both as a declaration and in practice CMI enjoys full editorial independence. We hope that explicitly defining our aims will help us in the editorial work and aid our authors, reviewers, and readers. To accomplish the sixth aim, Engage our readers and contributors in a lively and meaningful dialogue, we need your participation. Please write Letters to the Editor about articles that we have published; Hot Topics; send us Commentaries with your opinions on topics that matter to us all; and write directly to Leonard Leibovici, Editor-in-Chief ([email protected]) with any suggestions and comments you would care to make, including comments on the CMI aims.