Short communication articles published in BJOMS during 2008-2009--an analysis of types of submission and subject material.

The British Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (BJOMS) accepts many types of papers that include leading articles, reviews, full length articles, and short communications. Many of the latter are isolated case reports of rare or interesting pathology, or personal experience of a difficult or unexpected complication. Case reports are considered to have a relatively low value in the advancement of medical knowledge, and with increasing pressure for space in paper publications, many journals now limit them to online publication only. We evaluated all 142 short communications published in BJOMS during 2008/2009. Most (87%) were single case reports, and they covered virtually the whole remit of the specialty. There were also 14 formal studies that included two laboratory-based research projects; these were excluded from the analysis. We used established criteria to assess the possible educational value of each publication, and found that 61/128 papers (48%), while interesting and informative, probably added little to existing knowledge. The remaining papers described new or unreported cases, rare or unexpected outcomes, and adverse effects or complications of treatment. We discuss the possible implications of this study for readers of BJOMS and for the journal itself.