Theodore T Miller MD 2001 Eyler Editorial Fellow

I applied for the RSNA Editorial Fellowship because I wanted to gain an understanding of and appreciation for the process of bringing an issue of Radiology to publication, including editorial processes such as reviewing manuscripts and deciding to accept, reject, or reconsider a manuscript, as well as publication processes such as manuscript editing, design and layout of the journal, and printing of the journal itself. My interest in these areas arose from the fact that I am a researcher and author, as well as an active reviewer for several journals, and wanted to know what goes on "behind the scenes."

I think that the prospective fellow should have a strong interest in the editorial process, though someone with a primary interest in publishing could also find the fellowship rewarding because issues of electronic publishing and copyright transfer are relevant. Nonetheless, I do not think that this fellowship is for someone who is an occasional manuscript reviewer or who does not have a strong interest in the editorial process, since the majority of the fellowship is spent at the Radiology Editorial Office.

The published announcement of the fellowship does not go into detail about the responsibilities of the fellow. When I applied, I assumed that I would be acting as the editor's apprentice, which was true at the Radiology Editorial Office; the fellow has a very active and involved role in the editorial process during the visit to Richmond, Va. The experiences in Oak Brook, Ill, and Bethesda, Md, are as enriching and informative as that in Richmond, but they are more passive since the Fellow observes the various stages of manuscript preparation while visiting the RSNA Publications Office in Oak Brook and discusses issues of electronic communications and continuing medical education at the RadioGraphics Editorial Office in Bethesda.

I do not think that the visits to the three offices need to be completed back-to-back, but they should be scheduled fairly close to one another in order to provide some continuity of information. Although it is not crucial, I also recommend that the fellowship begin in Oak Brook (I believe I am the only fellow who did it that way) because the fellow gains an overview of the entire publication process there, and staff at the editorial offices often refer to people at and processes that take place in "the home office."

Theodore T. Miller, MD Associate Professor of Clinical Radiology North Shore University Hospital

Theodore T. Miller, MD: 2001 Eyler Editorial Fellow