Improving the quality of publications in and advancing the paradigms of clinical and social pharmacy practice research: the Granada Statements

Abstract

Pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences embrace a series of different disciplines. Pharmacy practice has been defined as “the scientific discipline that studies the different aspects of the practice of pharmacy and its impact on health care systems, medicine use, and patient care”. Thus, pharmacy practice studies embrace both clinical pharmacy and social pharmacy elements. Like any other scientific discipline, clinical and social pharmacy practice disseminates research findings using scientific journals. Clinical pharmacy and social pharmacy journal editors have a role in promoting the discipline by enhancing the quality of the articles published. As has occurred in other health care areas (i.e., medicine and nursing), a group of clinical and social pharmacy practice journal editors gathered in Granada, Spain to discuss how journals could contribute to strengthening pharmacy practice as a discipline. The result of that meeting was compiled in these Granada Statements, which comprise 18 recommendations gathered into six topics: the appropriate use of terminology, impactful abstracts, the required peer reviews, journal scattering, more effective and wiser use of journal and article performance metrics, and authors’ selection of the most appropriate pharmacy practice journal to submit their work.

Writing a manuscript for publication in a peer-reviewed scientific journal: Guidance from the European Society of Clinical Pharmacy

“…Moreover, researchers may hesitate to pursue publishing their work in a journal due to apprehension about the peer review process and the duration of the publication process [ 5 , 6 , 11 , 12 ]. This commentary supports the recently published Granada statements [ 3 ], and provides useful pointers to assist both early career researchers and seasoned researchers in clinical pharmacy to enhance the quality of writing in a research paper to maximise the impact.…”

“…Abbreviations which are not broadly used should be avoided. Clinical pharmacy researchers are responsible for using standardised and consistent terminology, explicitly existing Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms, especially in titles and abstracts, to improve article visibility, as emphasised in the Granada statements [3,[35][36][37][38].…”

“…As specified in the Granada statements, submitting a manuscript to a journal that fits the scope of the work is important to increase acceptance [ 3 ]. Authors should familiarise themselves thoroughly with the aims and scope of potential journals, and what type of manuscripts they publish.…”

“…Clinical pharmacy research combines clinical and health services research [1]. Well-written publications derived from rigorous clinical pharmacy research studies have the potential to inform clinical decision-making and advance practice for the benefit of patients and society [1][2][3]. Researchers nowadays are under considerable pressure to publish for acquisition of funding, academic positions, and promotions [4][5][6][7], and publication of articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals remains the standard method of research dissemination [3,[8][9][10].…”

“…Well-written publications derived from rigorous clinical pharmacy research studies have the potential to inform clinical decision-making and advance practice for the benefit of patients and society [1][2][3]. Researchers nowadays are under considerable pressure to publish for acquisition of funding, academic positions, and promotions [4][5][6][7], and publication of articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals remains the standard method of research dissemination [3,[8][9][10]. However, publishing in journals may be perceived as an arduous and intimidating task, with uncertainty amongst both novice and experienced researchers on how to best approach the process.…”