Dear JMI Community,

As the new Editor-in-Chief, it is my pleasure to welcome you to an exciting era of innovation and growth in our journal. JMI stands as a pivotal platform for converging research at the intersection of imaging, image processing, and medicine. Our mission is to navigate and present technically rigorous content that spans diverse subject areas, fostering interdisciplinary advancement.

Exploring Artificial Intelligence in Science

Over the past year, the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in science has frankly exploded. At JMI, we recognize the need to explore AI in all aspects of scientific research – from design and analysis to interpretation, writing, and even possibly review and publishing. Trust and transparency are paramount in scientific discourse. As such, we encourage our authors to use AI responsibly and disclose its use clearly in their submissions. To lead by example, I acknowledge that AI has assisted in preparing this welcome message, underscoring our commitment to transparency and innovation.

Celebrating JMI’s Milestones

2023 has been a remarkable year for JMI. We achieved our first official impact factor, continued high impact CiteScore, and witnessed record submissions and downloads. These achievements reflect our community’s impact and the high-quality science that JMI attracts and disseminates.

A Focus on Efficient and Fair Peer Review

A key concern for us is the efficiency and fairness of the peer review process. We understand the importance of timely publication for authors and the desire of readers to access cutting-edge research. While we all strive for impactful work, the peer review process is a complex and labor-intensive task. We urge our reviewers to contribute to this crucial process and communicate clear and reasonable timelines for their reviews.

Innovating in Publishing

With less than a month on the job, by far my least favorite task is the editorial desk reject. JMI covers a rich, interdisciplinary area centered around the SPIE Medical Imaging Conference. Nevertheless, JMI has a focus, and I strongly urge authors to review our scope to ensure both that the alignment of target areas and target audience. Before I can recruit associate editors to navigate papers through the review process, I need to ensure that our community members have a strong potential to learn from submitted work. In particular, be sure that (1) the overall study design clearly matches the significant/impactful conclusions, (2) quantitative data are included, and (3) the assumed technical background is in line with our audience. We offer both research and review article types and a variety of special sections, but note that review articles require pre-approval before submission.

As we move forward, we are committed to maintaining and improving JMI’s impact, innovating in AI assessment and validation, and supporting equitable conversations in AI research. I look forward to engaging with our editorial board and partners to offer new ways of interacting with our community. I appreciate your contributions and collaborations as we continue to advance the field of medical imaging.

Thank you for being a part of our journey. Together, let’s make 2024 a landmark year for JMI.

Sincerely,

Bennett A. Landman

Vanderbilt University