Implementation of the Action Plan of the WPA Secretary for Publications

Abstract

Following the principles of the WPA Action Plan 2017-20201, 2 and the specific Action Plan of the WPA Secretary for Publications3, progress has been made in the past few months around two main axes: a) the dissemination of evidence- and value-based knowledge and good practices in psychiatry and mental health, and b) the promotion of WPA publications. Concerning the first axis, the implementation of the new WPA website4 will allow us to provide an online open access to the books of the series Anthologies in Psychiatry, and particularly to those for which we have been requested to allow a reprint or a translation. Various steps have been taken to refine the WPA policy concerning these publications. Additionally, the decision has been made to link up our website with journals of partner institutions and ask them for reciprocity. Preliminary contacts have also been established to foster the online publication of commissioned manuals and textbooks on topics relevant to psychiatry and mental health. Colleagues interested in this project have been approached and are ready to accept the collaboration of WPA components to select topics and editors for future manuals and textbooks in already existing series. Through our Secretary for Sections, preliminary contacts have also been taken with a well-established scientific journal (the British Journal of Psychiatry) to allow WPA to commission one or more annual reviews on current issues and new findings in psychiatry and mental health. WPA Sections will certainly be a major source for these reviews5. The WPA Secretary for Publications is actively looking for ways to increase the visibility of research from colleagues who, for personal or contextual reasons, cannot have access yet to the most prestigious journals but deserve to be supported. Specially targeted here are the young and promising investigators of less resourced research teams and those working in less favored scientific environments (e.g., in low- and middle-income countries). To reach this objective, the idea has emerged to propose to selected regional psychiatric journals (e.g., one from each continent) to publish regularly (e.g., annually) a WPA appointed thematic supplement. This project is now entering its first phase. Contacts have been initiated with fully indexed regional journals produced in English which are likely to be interested to accept this project, feel ready to comply with its requirements and have a free online access. Jointly with these journals’ editorial boards, we will then select the topics suitable for such thematic supplements, trying to favor those not already covered by WPA publications. Editors will be appointed for each WPA issue. They will be asked to try to involve, as much as possible, young and talented regional researchers. Additionally, they will have to consider the possibility to include in their supplement a review of the research work implemented and published in the related region, including work not published in English. The objective is to give more visibility to research work that is rarely accessible to the English speaking psychiatric scientific community. Moreover, each WPA supplement will be disseminated worldwide using the WPA global network. This dissemination endeavour could include favoring translation, whenever possible, without extra cost for the WPA. Concerning the promotion of WPA publications, we have drafted a set of rules on the conditions a publication has to meet to be granted the WPA logo. Considering the fact that the WPA may be engaged legally and scientifically by granting its logo, this draft proposes a set of requirements aimed at giving the WPA enough control on the book's editorial project and content. These conditions include a revision of the book project by the Executive Committee at a very early stage (topic, editors) and its involvement in the selection of the authors of the chapters. In line with these requirements, we are considering several projects of books. Contrary to the widespread opinion that books are not of value anymore to disseminate scientific knowledge, we have received numerous proposals of books. These include the proposal of an international anthology of experiences of community-based services; a book on mental health and well-being; and a volume on the history of WPA, to be produced in an electronic version uploaded on the new WPA website. Following the success of the session on new WPA-related books and other publications at the 17th World Congress of Psychiatry in Mexico City, a similar session has been scheduled at the World Congress of Psychiatry to be held in Lisbon in August 2019. More than 15 books have been already accepted for this special session, particularly through the WPA Scientific Sections, showing once more the persistent vitality of WPA-related publications. Notably, most of them are authoritative and comprehensive volumes bringing a state-of-the-art view on crucial topics within our discipline.

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