What is the Student Editorial Committee?

The Student Editorial Committee - or the ‘SEC’ as it is usually known - is a group of advisers from all over the world who helps the studentBMJ team to decide what articles will go in the journal. This is done via the web each month, as I will explain later. Occasionally, I have ideas for articles that I need someone to write and I will ask the advisers if they would like to write or know someone who would.

Where do these articles come from?

• Authors send their articles to the studentBMJ via email. They are usually sent to me at: studenteditor@bmj.com or to Rhona, the senior editor at: rmacdonald@bmj.com. These are the articles that are put up on the web for you to vote on.
• We also commission articles. Generally speaking these do not go to the SEC unless we are unsure about them or need a second opinion from you.

What happens to an article after it is submitted?

Before any of the articles are put up on the web for you to vote on, Rhona and I read through them first. We do this to try to minimise the work for the advisers. Sometimes it is obvious that an article isn’t suitable and there is no point you wasting your time reading it, if it’s unfit for publication. However, sometimes an article is excellent and we really want it to go in without putting it up on the web for the advisers to read. (This happens only rarely as we like to have your feedback).

Why might we reject an article before it goes to the SEC?

• There are many reasons for this. It might be that we have already commissioned something about the topic or we have covered it before.
• The article might be libellous. (This is a complex law and we do not expect you to know the finer details.)
• It might also breach consent and confidentiality. The studentBMJ and the BMJ are very strict about this. If a patient is mentioned - even if it is made anonymous - we must receive written consent from the patient agreeing to have information about them published in the journal. Any article that is not accompanied by written consent is automatically rejected.
• The studentBMJ does not publish original research, and we will reject articles on this basis.

How do you vote on the web?

• Each month, we put a collection of articles at a secure web address for you to read and vote on. There are usually between 20-30 articles each month.
• When the articles are ready for you to read, we will email you to tell you. At this point, we also give you a deadline to do it by. It is usually about 10 days.
• On the bottom of a list of options on the homepage (www.studentbmj.com) there is the option ‘Student Advisers’. You click on this to access the articles.
• You then have to enter a username and password. We will send you these each time we email you telling you that the articles are ready for you to read.
• When you enter the site, the titles of the articles are in a list. You click on each title to read the full article.
• At the bottom of each article, there are options to: accept, reject or return the article. There is also a space for you to add your comments and a space for you to write your email address so we know who has written what. These comments are very useful. You don’t have to write one, but it helps to see why you did or didn’t like something. This helps us to commission in the future and it is used as feedback to the author.

What happens after the vote?

• After the deadline for the vote has closed, I read and gather all the results. I have a secure web address that enables us to read the percentage who have voted and how they voted. I am also able to read the comments. I must stress, that it is only me who reads these at this point.
• I then put the results into a spreadsheet together with the comments. Rhona and I read all of this very carefully and make a final decision whether to reject, accept or return the article based on both the results and the comments.
• I notify the authors of the final decision giving them feedback based on what you have said in your comments.
• I then send the final decision plus the comments to all of the advisers in a spreadsheet format.

What do the reject, return and accept options mean?

If you do not think the article is suitable you should click reject. If you think it is suitable, you should accept it. But if you think the article isn’t quite right in its current format and you think it has potential, you should click return. This option gives authors the chance to revise what they have written based on feedback from us.

Dos and don’ts about rejecting, returning or accepting an article?

• DON’T think there are any hard and fast rules about rejecting or accepting an article. Quite often it’s simply a matter of taste. We all like different things, which is what makes editing the journal quite tricky. But that said, there are some things that you can bear in mind.
• DO be the ‘eyes and ears’ of as many students as possible. For example, you might have in depth knowledge of a subject if you are a clinical student, but it might be useful to students who are yet to have clinical attachments.
• DON’T reject an article simply because you disagree with the sentiments expressed. If it is completely inaccurate, that is a reason to reject. But if it’s a case of presenting arguments to you that you do not agree with, then this is not a reason to reject. Don’t forget we are trying to represent the thoughts of different people. (And we do like a controversial topic!)
• DON’T reject an article if the English isn’t perfect. A lot of our authors are not native English speakers and we do not want them to be discouraged from writing. The editing process corrects language mistakes.
• DON’T reject an article just because the subject has been done before. If the article is basically the same as one in an earlier edition, then you may want to reject it. But if the article takes a fresh, new approach and looks at the topic from a different angle, then you may want to accept it.
• DON’T reject an article because it isn’t ‘serious’ enough. We have found that many students like light hearted perspectives on medical topics.
• DO return an article if you like the subject, but don’t think it has been approached in the right way or you want the author to elaborate on certain points.
• DO be quite strict. Think to yourself: "Will someone really want to read this?"
• DO familiarise yourself with our guidelines to authors. This section, which is accessed via our home page, goes into detail about each of the sections of the studentBMJ. This may help you to make decisions about articles.

(Last updated 27/08/04)