Short communication articles published in BJOMS during 2008-2009-an analysis of types of submission and subject material

We evaluated all 142 short communications published in BJOMS during 2008/2009. Most (87%) were single case reports, and they covered virtually the whole remit of the specialty. There were also 14 formal studies that included two laboratory-based research projects; these were excluded from the analysis. We used established criteria to assess the possible educational value of each publication, and found that 61/128 papers (48%), while interesting and informative, probably added little to existing knowledge. The remaining papers described new or unreported cases, rare or unexpected outcomes, and adverse effects or complications of treatment. We discuss the possible implications of this study for readers of BJOMS and for the journal itself.