JEBDP editors to offer continuing education units for its reviewers

Sep 28 2009

1 of the first US dental journals to link peer review to continuing education

Elsevier, a leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical information products and services announced today, that the Editors of Journal of Evidence-Based Dental Practice (JEBDP), the foremost publication of information about evidence-based dental practice, will begin offering continuing education units (CEUs) to its recognized experts and valued peer reviewers.

With this new policy, JEBDP (http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jebdp) becomes one of the first U.S. dental journals, and the first publication in the burgeoning area of evidence-based dentistry, to award CEUs to reviewers. "We view this as a tangible way of rewarding and expressing appreciation to our dedicated peer reviewers," commented Michael G. Newman, D.D.S., Professor Emeritus at the UCLA School of Dentistry and Editor-in-Chief of JEBDP. "Granting CEUs also recognizes the unique role played by reviewers for JEBDP in developing the authoritative content included in our journal."

Under the new program, reviewers will be entitled to claim up to 15 CEUs per year for their work in evaluating and developing content for JEBDP. Credits will be awarded by the Continuing Dental Education Program at the UCLA School of Dentistry. "We think this approach will help further expand our lineup of top-notch dental reviewers," commented Bruce A. Dye, D.D.S., M.P.H., Senior Associate Editor of JEBDP and USPHS Dental Epidemiology Officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics.

"Awarding CEUs is especially appropriate in light of our journal's unique Article Analysis and Evaluations (AAEs)," Dr. Dye added. The AAEs are 'mini' articles in which the reviewer actually creates authoritative analysis on topics of clinical importance, providing concise, structured summaries of new articles of interest. Reviews are accompanied by ratings of levels of evidence, commentaries, and recommendations, with an emphasis on objectivity. The AAEs are indexed in Medline by the name of the author/reviewer.

Billed as "The Clinical Connection to Evidence and Innovation," JEBDP is designed to close the gap between the best research evidence and translate it to benefit the practice of dentistry. Each quarterly issue also offers Feature Articles and Clinical Opinion pieces on key issues affecting dental practice and oral health, highlighting and evaluating the current clinical research.

Dr. Newman cites the policies of the American Medical Association and the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education as models for change in continuing dental education. "Our program is consistent with the approach recommended in those models, awarding CEUs based on learning across a wide range of settings and activities."

The program is consistent with Elsevier's commitment to supporting the research community in the fundamentally important task of peer review and scientific publication. "Elsevier, like all scientific publishers, relies on expert reviewers to uphold the quality and validity of individual articles as well as the overall integrity of the journals we publish," noted Glen P. Campbell, Executive VP. GMR Journals Publishing in Elsevier's Health Sciences Division. "With 300,000 reviewers producing a million reviews a year, we are deeply appreciative of the contributions our reviewers make to Elsevier journals on a daily basis."

Source: Elsevier