The School of Dental Medicine has many faculty members in editorial positions with various health research journals.  As editors and members of editorial boards, these leaders are upholding high standards of quality in research while shaping the current landscape of topics ranging from access to oral healthcare to the genetics of craniofacial disorders.

They serve to disseminate ever-occurring advancements in the study of oral health, inspiring new policy and practice for the future. 

With recent technological developments in the publishing industry, health research journals are capable of near-instantly sharing new research with early online publishing and a completely automated online process for printed editions.  As authors submit their articles online, the articles are automatically key worded and matched to reviewers.  This is the process employed by the Journal of Public Health Dentistry.  The journal’s editor, Dr. Robert Weyant, is then able to review the articles and the assigned reviewers to ensure the match is logical and then approves and sends the articles for review with the touch of a button. Dr. Weyant is professor and chair for the Department of Dental Public Health and Information Management and associate dean for Public Health Outreach at the School of Dental Medicine.  He has been an active member and past president of the American Association of Public Health Dentistry, the sponsoring organization of the journal.

“Being a part of the process of the scientific pipeline from beginning to end where research appears in print is very interesting,” Dr. Weyant said.  “I think there’s an opportunity there to really make a difference in the quality of the science that’s being published to the degree that I can have an impact that will be useful to the profession.”

Aside from attending various meetings throughout the year, Dr. Weyant is able to manage most of his duties as editor from his location in Pittsburgh.  The automated system speeds the publishing process as reviewers are automatically reminded of approaching deadlines or overdue articles.  Once an article is returned, a cover letter is automatically generated including excerpts from the manuscript.  From there, the publisher will copy edit the accepted publication and publish it online complete with a session number for reference.  The advent of early online publishing makes research available between four and six months prior to the distribution of the printed journal.

Dr. Weyant is one of the few people involved with the Journal of Public Health Dentistry who is part of the publishing process from start to finish.  After articles are reviewed, Dr. Weyant is charged with making the final decision on the acceptance of articles that are not unanimously approved by the reviewers.  While the editorial board plays an advisory role, the editor makes the final decision.  Dr. Weyant also pointed out that there is an editorial freedom to make decisions separate from the sponsoring organization.  His role is to maintain the quality of research published and the reputation of the journal.  He said less than a third of the articles submitted to the Journal of Public Health Dentistry are accepted for publication.

Dr. Mary Marazita, professor and chair of the Department of Oral Biology and associate dean for research, and Dr. Mark Mooney, professor and vice chair of the Department of Oral Biology, serve on the editorial board of The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal. Dr. Marazita is section editor of genetics and Dr. Mooney is section editor of anatomy/basic sciences.  Dr. Mooney said the journal also employs an electronic process that is double-blinded from submission through review.  The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal is published internationally and has volunteers who help authors to clarify their manuscripts which are printed in English.

  

The following faculty members serve on editorial boards for various health research journals.  In the Department of Diagnostic Sciences both Dr. James Guggenheimer, professor, and Dr. Kurt Summersgill, assistant professor, serve on the editorial board for Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, Oral Radiology and Endodontology.  Dr. Paul Moore, professor and chair of the Department of Dental Anesthesiology, serves on the editorial board for The Journal of the American Dental Association, the Compendium of Continuing Education in Dentistry, and Anesthesia Progress.  Dr. Dennis N. Ranalli, professor in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry and senior associate dean, is on the editorial board of Dental Traumatology.  Dr. Titus Schleyer, associate professor in the Department of Dental Public Health and Information Management and director of the Center for Dental Informatics, is the associate editor for informatics and technology in The Journal of the American Dental Association.  Dr. Deborah Studen-Pavlovich, professor and chair of the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, is on the editorial board of the Journal of Dentistry for Children and the Pennsylvania Dental Journal.