London, 14 July 2009 - Elsevier, a world-leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, is pleased to announce the formation of a publishing partnership with The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. Under the agreement, Elsevier will assume publication of The Surgeon, the official journal of these prestigious Royal Colleges, from January 2010.
The Surgeon is published for 18,000 Members and Fellows of both Colleges and also the worldwide surgical community. It contains articles from surgery, dentistry and related specialties and aims to educate, entertain, give insight into new techniques and technology, and provide a forum for debate and discussion. With its regular sections including original articles, reviews and debates, The Surgeon is a must-read for senior practitioners and trainees alike.
Professor Austin Leahy, Editor-in-Chief, said: "The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland are excited by the agreement with Elsevier to publish The Surgeon. This will enable the journal to reach a wider audience of surgical specialists across the world, therefore strengthening the reputation of the journal. The journal content will be printed at a faster pace and will also be accessible electronically sooner after acceptance. In addition, the submission and the reviewing of all manuscripts will be web-based, supported by Elsevier's online submission system. This new procedure, which will be implemented shortly, will drastically reduce the reviewing turnaround time and will therefore encourage more authors to submit their best work to the journal."
Henry Spilberg, Senior Publishing Editor for Elsevier's Surgery journals in the UK, commented: "We are delighted to have been selected by the Colleges as the new publisher for The Surgeon. We very much look forward to working with Professor Leahy and the editorial team to develop the journal and ensure it stays at the forefront of surgical research and education, in the UK, Ireland and worldwide. This is a crucial time for the journal as it increases its visibility and relevance to surgeons and other professionals, and we are proud to be in partnership with both Colleges on this venture."
Fellows and Members of both Colleges will continue to be offered their journal in print and online as a benefit of membership. Authors who submit their work to the journal will benefit from the wide range of Elsevier author services, while referees who peer-review the submissions will receive 30 days' complimentary access to SCOPUS, Elsevier's extensive abstracting and indexing database. Other online features for readers will include a comprehensive search engine, allowing users to search The Surgeon alone, or to include hundreds of other Elsevier journals in a single query; options to sign up for e-mail alerts; and more. The journal will be accessible through Elsevier's online platform, ScienceDirect, the world's largest electronic collection of science, technology and medicine full text and bibliographic information.
About the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) is the professional body representing 18,000 surgeons in over 100 countries worldwide.
For over 500 years the RCSEd has been dedicated to the maintenance and promotion of the highest standards of surgical practice. From trainees to senior consultants, the RCSEd promotes excellence at every level of the profession through education, training and rigorous examination. The RCSEd also works to protect standards in patient care by lobbying government in the interests of its 10,000 UK members and through liaison with external medical bodies.
The RCSEd was established in 1505 as the Incorporation of Barber-Surgeons and is among the world's oldest surgical institutions. Today, the RCSEd is widely recognised as a global leader in surgical training and education.
About the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to improving human health through education, research and service. Founded in 1784, originally to train surgeons, today it provides extensive education and training in the healthcare professions at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. The RCSI operates the largest Medical School in Ireland, also providing undergraduate courses in pharmacy and physiotherapy. The College provides an extensive range of postgraduate training and education programmes in the medical sciences, surgery, medical and nursing specialties, international health, tropical medicine and leadership and healthcare management. The College has its headquarters in Dublin and is a recognised College of the National University of Ireland.
About Elsevier
Elsevier is a world-leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. Working in partnership with the global science and health communities, Elsevier's 7,000 employees in over 70 offices worldwide publish more than 2,000 journals and 1,900 new books per year, in addition to offering a suite of innovative electronic products, such as ScienceDirect (http://www.sciencedirect.com/), MD Consult (http://www.mdconsult.com/), Scopus (http://www.info.scopus.com/), bibliographic databases, and online reference works.
Elsevier (http://www.elsevier.com/) is a global business headquartered in Amsterdam, The Netherlands and has offices worldwide. Elsevier is part of Reed Elsevier Group plc (http://www.reedelsevier.com/), a world-leading publisher and information provider. Operating in the science and medical, legal, education and business-to-business sectors, Reed Elsevier provides high-quality and flexible information solutions to users, with increasing emphasis on the Internet as a means of delivery. Reed Elsevier's ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).