Progress of the journal

Over the past few decades, there has been stepwise progress for the IJPM, including expansion of the editorial board, transition to online peer review and publication, publication of innovative themed issues, and successful application for indexing on Medline (Lyne, Reference Lyne2018). All of these steps helped increase the international visibility of the work published by the IJPM, and in 2023 the journal obtained an initial impact factor of 5.1, a substantial part of which was contributed to by themed issues related to COVID-19 (Lyne et al., Reference Lyne, Doherty and Hallahan2023). This was a strong testament to the excellent work and dedication of Irish researchers during the pandemic. The Impact Factor is now a respectable 2.1, placing it as a relatively high-impact journal within an Irish academic setting. Based on the SCImago Journal Rank it is also a Q1 journal making it an attractive journal for publishing related to University research degrees, and for the publication of research with both national and international significance.

In addition to the issue on COVID-19, the IJPM has published themed issues in other key areas of topical interest in recent years, including public mental health, autism spectrum disorders, psychiatric anthropology, perinatal psychiatry, and physical health in mental illness. The success of these themed issues can be attributed to having guest editors with international expertise in their research field, which has helped attract high-quality, influential, and well-cited articles. As these themed issues result in the publication a body of research on a key theme which can help disseminate expert knowledge and innovate policy, the IJPM will continue to encourage the publication of themed issues led by national and international experts. In the months ahead, we look forward to the publication of several themed issues currently in development including on the topics of Recovery; Advance Decision-Making, Law and Mental Health; Dual Diagnosis; and Women’s Mental Health.

Ongoing challenges in scientific publishing

The 21st century has brought significant challenges in the arena of academic publishing. The shift from traditional publishing methods to Open Access has altered the fundamental relationship between publishing and its funding. The recent transformative relationships with universities and their libraries have enabled the adoption of a hybrid model for the IJPM, with considerable success, allowing for the Open-Access publication of work produced by academics at Irish universities. We aim to expand open-access publishing in the journal in the coming years to increase the accessibility of our academic research to all.

An important new challenge has arisen in recent years across all journals: the arrival of artificial intelligence (AI) and its enormous potential for revolutionising how we approach scientific publishing. This will present challenges for ethics in research, academic writing, and the peer review process. In the latter, it raises questions about intellectual property and copyright. To retain public trust and ensure the highest standards of scientific rigour and quality, it will be essential to develop a clear strategy for addressing the challenges that face all journals and publishers. The IJPM is working with our publisher, Cambridge University Press, to develop policies related to AI, both to minimise risk and also to remain at the cutting edge for utilising the potential benefits of AI in scientific publishing.

Public trust in scientific publishing is a further fundamental challenge facing peer-reviewed journals today. With the increasing influence of many information platforms it is crucial that journals increase efforts to preserve trust. For example, where serious errors are identified, it is essential to uphold academic integrity by ensuring that there is transparency and mechanisms in place to correct or retract papers as needed. (Bhui et al., Reference Bhui, O’brien, Upthegrove, Tsai, Soomro, Newton-Howes, Broome, Forrester, Casey, Doherty, Lee and Kaufman2025) Preserving public trust is a responsibility of the entire scientific community, who will need to work together to ensure research is conducted and published in a scientific and ethical manner.

Ongoing development and innovation

As the IJPM evolves, we plan to prioritise development and innovation to sustain the progress achieved. To solidify the IJPM’s position as a leading national journal with international recognition, we must carefully consider how the IJPM is positioned in the rapidly evolving environment of academic publishing. The journal publishes research by experienced academics with strong research pedigrees, but also appreciates the importance of nurturing early-career researchers both in psychiatry and other mental health disciplines. Hence the IJPM needs to manage the tension between developing a journal with increasing impact, while also meeting the needs of psychiatric trainees and early-career mental health researchers both in Ireland and abroad. The journal is lucky to have enthusiastic trainee editors who provide an essential link with psychiatric trainees. Cultivating a passion for academic research among psychiatry trainees and other early-career mental health researchers will remain a priority for the journal into the future.

The IJPM will also consider how we can improve the dissemination of the work published in the journal. Evolving patterns of social media use have required a degree of agility and the ability to adjust to new platforms that best suit the dissemination of academic content. Podcasts have proven to be a particularly useful way for readers to access the work of the IJPM, and we hope to find further ways of making the IJPM content impactful and relevant.

The real impact of the IJPM in the future will be on how it influences the treatments that service users receive in Ireland and internationally, and how we can shape the development of public policy through an evidence-based medicine lens. Publishing research that incorporates multiple perspectives, including research and service development co-produced with service users and other key stakeholders, is more important than ever. It is essential that the scientific research conducted in the mental health space in Ireland is visible and has an appropriate and meaningful impact on how services develop, ultimately resulting in service users receiving the best care.

Maintaining high standards and acknowledging the input of many stakeholders

It is important to acknowledge changes in the international context in which we work, which will have significant implications for medical and psychiatric research in the years ahead (Malhi et al., Reference Malhi, Adlington, Al-Diwani, Ali, Arya and Baldwin2025). With rapid developments in AI, changes in the way society is accessing information, and an increasing lack of trust in media outlets, it is more crucial than ever that the values and principles of scientific integrity are upheld.

A key aspect of maintaining the quality of a journal is ensuring a rigorous and high-quality peer review process, which acts as a safeguard for ensuring scientific integrity. As peer reviewers ourselves, we are aware of the demands placed on the time of busy clinical and academic staff by the duties of peer-reviewing. However, it is essential to highlight the importance of this work in ensuring that research published in the IJPM meets the highest standards. We would like to sincerely acknowledge and give thanks to everyone who has been involved in the peer review process for the IJPM in the past. Gratitude is also due for the efforts of our publishing partners, Cambridge University Press, whose experience in publishing acts as a further safeguard to academic integrity in the journal. Both our Irish and international Editorial Board members also play a crucial role in the success of the journal. A final thanks goes to our readers and authors who are at the centre of any scientific journal.