The Indian Journal of Pediatrics (IJP) is entering into the 91st year of its publication. It was first published in 1933 by the great visionary, Dr K. C. Chaudhuri. It was started when Pediatrics was not recognized as a specialty of medicine. The Journal was the first specialty journal of Southeast Asia. Publication continued despite a small number of pediatricians in the beginning and limited finances. Unlike current advances in electronic media, printing of a journal 90 years ago was a big task and continuing it with restricted resources and technology was a big achievement.

Editors

The Journal was initially managed by Dr Chaudhuri (from 1933 to 1955); it was continued by Dr Amala Chaudhuri from 1956 to 1980 [1]. Subsequently, it was published under the editorship of Professor I. C. Verma from 1981 to 2020 [2]. Then, Professor Sushil Kabra took over.

Evolution of Publication of the Journal Over 9 Decades

In the beginning, there were 4 issues annually, increased to 6 per annum and currently there are 12 issues per year along with 1–2 special supplements every year. The Journal was published by the traditional printing process till 2000. It included, submission of manuscripts by post, manual screening by the editorial team, sending it to the reviewers, getting comments of the reviewers, returning to authors for modifications, getting it rereviewed, and then acceptance. Printing involved sending hard copies to the press, proofreading by authors and editors, and then the final publication. Hard copies of the Journal were despatched by post to the subscribers. The process of submission to printing took a long time. With limited resources, the workload of editor was significant and tiresome. Additional task for editor was to generate funds from industry without compromising the unbiased publications.

From year 2007, the Journal entered into an agreement with Springer. Major gains from this collaboration included digitalization of all issues since beginning in 1933, and its availability online, which led to greater international recognition.

The Journal is administratively managed by the trustees of Dr K. C. Chaudhuri Foundation since 1993. Under this, the whole process of publication has evolved from online submission, review process, and transfer to press, like any other international journal. The Journal has a strong editorial board, which includes national and international experts with an Editor and an editor-in-chief. With increasing knowledge and multiplication of superspecialties in Pediatrics, the editorial board has been expanded to include section editors to improve and speed up the review process, reduce time for acceptance and publication.

Basic Aim

The basic aim of the Journal remains to disseminate knowledge/information for pediatricians and physicians taking care of children with a focus on the develo** countries. This is achieved by selecting research that is relevant to improve the care of the children in India. The editorial board tries to publish review articles and guidelines that are relevant for resource-limited settings.

Journal Metrics

Various parameters of Journal metrics have shown striking improvement over past few decades. In 2008, its impact factor was 0.5, and now in 2021 it has jumped to 5.319, making it one of the top medical journals in India. The mean time from submission to first response has progressively improved and currently in 2022 it is 11 days. Total downloads in 2021 were 794,310, a steep jump.

Currently, the Journal receives about 1200–2000 submissions per annum from all over world (about 80 countries). Types of manuscripts published include: editorials, editorial commentaries, original research articles, clinical briefs, scientific letters, pictures of the month, correspondence, book reviews, notes and news, etc.

Financial Status

For sustainability of publication, financial security is an important element. The whole process of submission, review, and final decision by editorial board of the Journal are online. Springer is responsible for website for hosting the Journal, and also marketing the Journal internationally. All matters regarding publication and distribution are handled in India by the journal office. All ethical principles are followed in accepting advertisements from various agencies. Thus, editorial board is free to take independent decisions on publication of manuscripts without any bias.

There are no publication fees; for publishing open access, fees are charged by Springer. Editorials and editorial commentaries are open access.

Effect of the COVID Pandemic and How the Journal Contributed to Dissemination of Knowledge

The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 affected the functioning of the Journal due to lockdown, as it did for other publications. There was increase in submission of manuscripts from 1200 per annum to > 2500 in 2020. However, all its staff worked from home to maintain the timeline for publication of the Journal. All the processing of the manuscripts was online, from submission, review and preparation of manuscripts for publication. Sending hard copies of the journal to the subscribers by post was delayed due to slowing of work at the post office from April 2020 onwards, but we could catch up with our schedule once regular postal services were restored. All was possible with cooperation of staff working in the Journal.

Editorial board decided to disseminate information on COVID-19 infection. Proactively, review articles on the COVID pandemic, pathogenesis and why children have less common and less severe illness, clinical manifestations, and evidence-based management, etc. were published online and in print. It was supported by Springer by making all COVID-related articles open access without any fee. Additionally, we sent periodically list of articles published in the Journal by email.

Activities of the Journal to Promote Pediatrics

The main aim of the Journal is to disseminate knowledge generated by research relevant to India and other develo** countries. The trustees of Dr K. C. Chaudhuri decided to extend its activities beyond publication of the Journal. Various activities that are part of the Trust include: support pediatricians and nurses who work in rural area by providing financial assistance to organize free health camps for children. To encourage research in Pediatrics, the Journal provides monetary help for laboratory tests or other logistic support to students doing MD/DNB thesis. Annually, the Journal invites students to submit their research work for the best thesis award, and those shortlisted are invited along with their guides to present their work in the annual function of the IJP. The submission and presentations are judged by independent experts and the best three theses are given awards. Recently, another category for theses by DM/DrNB students has been initiated. Additionally, students are encouraged to submit their thesis as manuscripts to IJP for publication on a preferential basis. To develop teachers and leaders in Pediatrics, annually post-MD students are invited to compete in theme-based clinical grand rounds. These give them an opportunity to make presentations and gain confidence.

To encourage young researchers, an award was instituted 10 years ago—Dr I. C. Verma Excellence in Research Award. Nominations are invited every year and one young pediatrician below the age of 50 years is selected for the award. The awardee presents his/her research in the annual function of IJP. To recognize services of senior pediatricians, an award—Dr K. C. Chaudhuri Lifetime Achievement Award was instituted 15 years ago. Nominations are invited every year and one person is selected based on the CV for this prestigious award.

To encourage capacity building of the Pediatric superspecialties, the Foundation provides financial support to young pediatricians for short-term training in tertiary care centers in India. Financial support is also provided to institutions who want to call a specialist as visiting professor to promote development of superspecialities in Pediatrics. Additionally, the Foundation also provides support to students/pediatricians to present their research work in various conferences in India.

As it is evident, the Indian Journal of Pediatrics is one of the leading journals publishing and disseminating knowledge generated by research that helps in improving child survival around the world. It is also involved in multiple activities to promote Pediatrics by supporting and honoring pediatricians who are promoting child health. The outstanding success of the Journal is due to the faith that pediatricians across the world have in the Journal, the various investigators who submit their research for publication, support from the reviewers, editors and editorial board members along with the hard work put in by staff of the Journal office. We hope the Journal will expand its activities in the future to help more children and the doctors who look after them.