David Lockington

Consultant Ophthalmologist with subspecialty interest in cataract and cornea, Tennent Institute of Ophthalmology, NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, Scotland, UK

What industry trends are catching your attention right now?

As editor of Eye News magazine in the UK, I note an ever-increasing stream of submissions from keen young clinicians looking for a free and agile platform to share their research, often following rejection from traditional journals. This is mirrored by the growth of online “pay to publish” predatory journals. In the internet era, physically browsing journals is rare, replaced by direct article searches. The traditional journal model may become unsustainable if it remains costly to access, with minimal or poorly understood reviewer benefits and often negative authorship experiences (reformatting/long delays/rejection with sparse feedback, and so on). Social media and magazines may be the future for medical communication for busy clinicians with a story to share, with peer-review occurring via engagement after publication.