THE EDITORS LABORS - SEPARATING THE WHEAT FROM THE CHAFF

From the author's standpoint, the editor is viewed as 'one who separat es the wheat from the chaff and then prints the chaff! Since its incep tion, Pediatric Neurosurgery has tried to provide the reader with the guarantee that only the 'wheat' is published. This paper will examine the policies of the journal's Editorial Board and in particular outlin e the review process for submitted manuscripts. In addition to certain operational items, the paper will consider how the 'peer' in 'peer re view' is identified, the grading instruments for paper acceptance, the likelihood that the readers and peer reviewers agree on manuscript qu ality, and how authors should view failure. The Society is firmly comm itted to our journal. Our individual responsibilities begin with paper preparation and then its presentation at the annual meeting. Thereaft er, it is important for the membership to appreciate that their partic ipation, as either author and/or reviewer, is critical for the continu ed success of our journal.