Dear Friends and Colleagues in WFITN,
As I’m sure many of you know, Interventional Neuroradiology, the official journal of the WFITN, holds a storied place in the history of our field. Founded in 1995 by the global pioneers in neurointervention, it was the first journal specifically dedicated to our specialty and, as such, helped define the field as a distinct discipline rather than a subset of other specialties. The journal is home to many of the foundational papers in our field, and has been closely intertwined with the growth of the WFITN as a vibrant organization.
At our General Assembly in Val d’Isère in January, I informed you that the Executive Committee has been working with Sage, the publisher of INR, to address concerns that arose regarding editorial and peer-review practices in a number of instances. These concerns relate to a limited subset of papers that were accepted and published. To be clear – there are no current concerns regarding the data integrity or scientific content of these papers or regarding their authors; rather, the issue pertains entirely to particular elements of the review process.
Following a thorough process of discussion, including consultation with experts from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), we are moving forward with Sage to address the situation. Specifically, each affected paper will have a posted Expression of Concern (EoC) attached. These papers will undergo review in the coming weeks under the oversight of the new Editor-in-Chief. If no concerns are identified during this process, the EoC will be removed. Sage has issued a Publisher’s Note on the journal website outlining this process, and all affected authors have been notified in advance:
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/15910199261444849
Although this has been a challenging period, on behalf of the WFITN Excom I want to reiterate our deep commitment to the future of the journal. Our goal is to ensure that INR remains a premier destination for work that advances our field and improves patient care.
We will be working closely with Sage and the new Editor-in-Chief to ensure a strong and positive path forward for INR.
Sincerely,
Darren Orbach
President
