Indian Journal of Clinical Anaesthesia (IJCA): A journey form scholar to Scopus

The Indian Journal of Clinical Anaesthesia (IJCA) has progressed significantly since its inception as an open access journal a decade ago. Originally indexed only on Google Scholar, IJCA's gradual inclusion in academic databases like Index Copernicus and Indian Citation Index expanded its reach and readership over the years. Now indexed in SCOPUS, the globally recognized citation database, IJCA has entered an exciting new phase as a leading anaesthesiology research publication from India. Published online and in print, IJCA serves the anaesthesiology community worldwide through open access.

Published quarterly by the Innovative Education and Scientific Research Foundation (IESRF), IJCA furthers IESRF’s broader mission to promote scholarship through publishing, conferences, awards and professional development initiatives as an open access journal under a Creative Commons License, IJCA enables free unrestricted online access to its articles worldwide. This aligns with its aim to accelerate the communication of anaesthesiology research findings for the benefit of clinicians and academics worldwide.

Upholding rigorous peer review and publication ethics has been integral to IJCA’s evolution as a reputable journal. Detailed author instructions outline ethical policies on issues like duplicate publication, plagiarism, patient consent and conflicts of interest. IJCA’s quality assurance processes have also been strengthened over the years to select only the most rigorous and relevant manuscripts. All manuscripts undergo a double-blinded peer review by at least two independent experts. Plagiarism checks through iThenticate further ensure research originality. This rigorous review system has been pivotal in enhancing the quality of published articles.

Since its inception, the Journal's editorial contributions and impact have steadily increased in a linear progression, rather than succumbing to the pressure to publish that is common in the academic era. In the first issue, only 9 articles were published, but this number has constantly grown yearly, with the Journal now covering 25 articles per issue. In line with its goal to focus on evidence-based anaesthesia practice, IJCA's published articles span diverse clinically relevant topics, with a recent content analysis revealing that pharmacology, regional anaesthesia techniques, and patient safety dominated over half of all articles during 2015-2019. Additionally, case reports and clinical trials comprised 65% of papers, providing key practical insights to anaesthesiologists. Further illustrating its commitment to high-quality content, IJCA in 2023 received 321 submissions, of which 92 were ultimately published with a rejection rate of approximately 72%, reflecting a rigorous peer-review process that ensures only the most relevant and impactful research reaches its readers. From a largely India-centric readership initially, website metrics indicate over 35% of IJCA’s article downloads now originate outside India, pointing to expanding global reach.

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As a marker of global recognition of IJCA’s scholarly standards, article submissions to the journal have risen steadily, particularly from outside India, as evidenced by the increasing number of submissions in recent years. This growing international contribution reflects IJCA’s wider visibility and credibility as it attained indexing in SCOPUS, the globally recognized citation database. The journal’s global orientation is further reflected in the diversity of its editorial board and authorship demographics. In 2022, the IJCA editorial board was expanded to include many eminent researchers and clinicians from different countries across Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America. This global representation helps bring diverse perspectives to the journal’s scope, priorities and review processes

IJCA was one of the early adopters of an ahead-of-print publication model, whereby accepted articles are published online soon after acceptance rather than waiting for print publication. By accelerating communication of accepted manuscripts, IJCA facilitates timely access to the latest anaesthesiology scholarship for researchers, clinicians and educators worldwide. To ensure long-term preservation, IJCA has a digital archiving agreement with CLOCKSS (Controlled Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe). Together with ahead-of-print publication, these approaches enhance both the timeliness and longevity of published anaesthesiology research.

The Indian Journal of Clinical Anaesthesia is further committed to upholding the highest standards of ethical behaviour at all stages of publication. The journal strictly adheres to Ethics governing associations such as the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), which set standards and provide guidelines for best practices in order to meet ethical requirements. This ensures integrity and transparency in all aspects of content evaluation, authorship, peer review, and disclosure.

As IJCA stands with the elite SCOPUS database, it has charted strategic goals to further strengthen its position and global impact. Looking ahead, IJCA's roadmap prominently features ambitious goals for the coming years, including attaining an impact factor over 2 by 2025, increasing international authorship to 25%, and securing PubMed Central indexing by 2026. The journal is also diversifying its article types by introducing structured reviews, practice guidelines, clinical communications and national study data. It aims to collaborate with major Indian anaesthesiology networks to improve manuscript flow.

In conclusion, the Indian Journal of Clinical Anaesthesia has come a long way from its modest beginnings a decade ago. Its rising citations and submissions, exacting peer-review, diverse authorship, and thoughtful roadmap are signs of a publication embracing international scholarship. As the journal enters SCOPUS and works towards PubMed indexing, it is well-aligned to serve as an influential global platform for anaesthesiology academics and practice.

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