Impact with conviction.

03Original abstract

There can be little doubt that the processes of publishing and accessing research have been buffeted by diverse and rapidly evolving influences over the last decade. Online access, combined with digital copy and efficient search engines, has markedly increased the availability of research papers beyond the traditional readership in academic and clinical institutions. This availability is not constrained by borders with growth in demand internationally for journal access accompanied by journal submissions from an increasing number of countries. Impact factor, rightly or wrongly, has become an important metric for researchers when planning submission of articles. These changes have taken place alongside the much vaunted trend towards adopting evidence-based practice. In combination, these factors have driven increasing production and consumption of research and this has increased the demand on journals, and thus editors, editorial boards and reviewers, to monitor the quality, importance and ethical standards of published research. The last decade has therefore been challenging for journal editors who are tasked with overseeing the publication process from submission to publication and at the same time shaping their field by their choice of focus on established and emerging topics and the boundaries they set for a journal. During this period the Editor in Chief of the Journal of Intellectual Disability Research (JIDR) has been Prof. Tony Holland from the University of Cambridge who took over from Prof. Bill Fraser in January 2004 and Tony is now standing down from this role. In his first editorial (Holland 2004) he wrote about continuing impact, picking up the theme from Bill's outgoing editorial on increasing impact (Fraser 2003). In his editorial, Bill had written, somewhat presciently, about the influence of impact factor on publishing and academic life and also the emergent growth in online access. [Bill also recounted his early experience of submitting to JIDR thus: ‘My next paper in 1969 was read by Jack Tizard and was immediately rejected (I thought I detected a footprint on it.)’ but that is a story for a different time]. Tony recognised these two issues as likely to prove important over the coming years but also sought to broaden the notion of impact to encompass beneficence to ‘those whom the research serves’, ‘wider international issues that often touch on human rights’ and reflection of ‘relevant and significant concerns for those with intellectual disabilities and their families’. He also wrote about the importance of high ethical standards, the need to reach a wider audience and cut across disciplines and shape the agenda for research. In doing so he stated clearly his vision for the coming years. A review of the last 10 years of publications in JIDR and metrics of journal access and broad impact show that Tony was able to steer the journal through this period without compromising on the value of research to people with intellectual disability (ID) or the breadth of the agenda he set. The number of downloads grew from 25 000 in 2002 to approaching 400 000 in 2011 and international access increased with 78% of downloads and 76% of online traffic coming from outside of the UK by 2011. Clearly, the reach of the journal expanded significantly. The impact factor increased steadily to 1.88 and the journal is now ranked 6/37 in the ISI category Special Education even though the number of editions increased to 12 a year. The scope of the journal also broadened with special editions dedicated to human rights, for example, sitting comfortably alongside those on behavioural phenotypes. Tony had recognised the importance of JIDR reflecting the remarkable diversity of issues that confront practitioners and researchers in their work and was not daunted by bringing these together within and across editions or within papers (see for example Holland and Clare's 2003 paper: The Human Genome Project: considerations for people with intellectual disabilities). This endeavour was undoubtedly aided by his own scholarship that includes over 100 peer-reviewed publications on topics as diverse as molecular and clinical genetics, Prader–Willi and Down syndromes, neuroimaging, decision-making, capacity for consent, offending behaviour, sterilisation and the participation of people with ID in the 2005 general election. First-hand experience of this range of issues gave him broad vision as an editor that was reflected in the topics of papers published and the constituency of the Editorial Board. The message for the future is to build on the inter-agency and interdisciplinary networks and expertise that exist, to be willing to explore new ideas and research technologies developed elsewhere and to bring them into this field, and to be clear how new knowledge derived through research is targeted and is to be integrated with existing knowledge in a manner that advances understanding and may lead to informed change in policy and practice. Tony's contribution to the field of ID research via his editorship of JIDR has been substantial and his valuable legacy is recorded on its pages. On a more personal note I and others learned a great deal from Tony during his time as Editor in Chief. His diplomacy in the face of unwarranted criticism following a rejected manuscript was a sight to behold and his encouragement of less experienced researchers ensured their enthusiasm was sustained. He was modest and self-effacing (the incident when he asked the daughter of a colleague whether she thought he looked like Richard Gere notwithstanding) and he had an uncanny ability to find common ground in a debate. His leadership and wisdom will be missed at JIDR but his number is on speed dial and we know where he lives.

Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2013 · doi:10.1111/jir.12039