The World Neurosurgery Global Champions Program: First-Year Experience of a Model Initiative for Reducing Disparities in Global Neurosurgical Literature

Nathan A. Shlobin, Department of Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA. Electronic address: nathan.shlobin@northwestern.edu.
Simon Savage, Department of Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
Alexander Savage, Department of Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
Tania Torbati, Department of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, California, USA.
Zhe Wang, Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Chicago School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Sebastian Salas-Vega, Inova Neurosurgery, Inova Health System, Falls Church, Virginia, USA.
Marcella Mota, Faculdade Ciências Médicas de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
Alejandro Pando, Department of Neurological Surgery, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey, USA.
Breanna Sheldon, Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA.
Alison M. Westrup, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA.
Jonathan Ogulnick, Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook, New York, USA.
Jad Zreik, Central Michigan University College of Medicine, Mount Pleasant, Michigan, USA.
Nada A. AlKahtani, College of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Damilola Jesuyajolu, Department of Neurological Surgery, Salford Royal Hospital, Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom.
Kasereka Kamabu Larrey, Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
Tarig Fadalla, Soba University of Hospital, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan.
Uma Mahajan, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Nihal Manijla, Case Western University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Rohin Singh, Department of Neurological Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
Andrew Wang, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Ulrick Sidney Kanmounye, Research Department, Association of Future African Neurosurgeons, Yaounde, Cameroon.
Christine Moore, World Neurosurgery, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Edward C. Benzel, Department of Neurosurgery, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Gail Rosseau, Department of Neurological Surgery, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Barrow Global, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, Arizona, USA.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

6-9-2023

Journal

World neurosurgery

DOI

10.1016/j.wneu.2023.06.015

Keywords

Global health; Global neurosurgery; Global surgery; Health disparities; Health equity; Neurologic surgery; Research equity

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Most surgical journals are published in English, representing a challenge for researchers from non-Anglophone countries. We describe the implementation, workflow, outcomes, and lessons learned from the WORLD NEUROSURGERY Global Champions Program (GCP), a novel journal-specific English language editing program for articles rejected because of poor English grammar or usage. METHODS: The GCP was advertised via the journal website and social media. Applicants were selected to be a reviewer for the GCP if they demonstrated English proficiency on writing samples supplied in their application. The demographics of GCP members and characteristics and outcomes of articles edited by the GCP during its first year were reviewed. Surveys of GCP members and authors who used the service were conducted. RESULTS: Twenty-one individuals became part of the GCP, representing 8 countries and 16 languages apart from English. A total of 380 manuscripts were peer reviewed by the editor-in-chief, who determined these manuscripts to have potentially worthwhile content but needed to be rejected due to poor language. The authors of these manuscripts were informed of the existence of this language assistance program. Forty-nine articles (12.9%) were edited by the GCP in 41.6 ± 22.8 days. Of 40 articles resubmitted to WORLD NEUROSURGERY, 24 (60.0%) were accepted. GCP members and authors understood the purpose and workflow of the program and recognized improvements in article quality and the probability of acceptance through their participation. CONCLUSIONS: The WORLD NEUROSURGERY Global Champions Program mitigated a critical barrier to publication in an English language journal for authors from non-Anglophone countries. This program promotes research equity by providing a free, largely medical student and trainee operated, English language editing service. This model or a similar service can be replicated by other journals.

Department

Neurological Surgery

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