A Bar Set Attainably High

Fifty-seven individuals contributed at least one peer-review report for the journal in 2020. These individuals' names are listed and acknowledged in the February 2021 issue.[1] The rigorous assessment of submitted manuscripts is key to the quality of any academic journal, and Homeopathy is no exception to that rule. I've sometimes heard it said, “It's easy to get an article published in Homeopathy”—that conclusion would be as ill-judged today as it has always been! The editorial and peer-review standards at this journal are set at a high level, as affirmed for example in the rate of rejection of papers, whose average has been 60% over the past 8 years. Thus, looking solely at Original Research and Review articles during that 8-year period (and excluding ineligible manuscripts on non-homeopathy topics), out of a total of 432 submissions up to May 1^st, 2021, 171 have been accepted and 261 rejected. The confidential peer-review reports that the editor has the pleasure to solicit and to follow-up are invariably written with perceptive insight, thorough objective analysis and constructive unbiased commentary, along with a clear and a well-justified recommendation of “Accept”, “Revise” or “Reject”. For a developing science like homeopathy, it's appropriate that an evidently good-quality piece of research, but whose first submission falls somewhat below the necessary standard of write-up, deserves to be given the opportunity for essential revision: the authors of such an article benefit from the reviewers' and the editor's comments. With its strict standards yet encouraging demeanour, Homeopathy therefore helps to nurture new or young researchers in developing their research and writing expertise, as well as being an attractive vehicle of research dissemination for more experienced authors. With the “Accept bar” set at a high but attainable level, the journal benefits from a position as an authoritative literature source.

The five Original Research articles in this issue range from a randomized controlled trial on cutaneous warts,[2] a clinical observational study aimed at improving homeopathic prescribing in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19),[3] a cross-sectional study of patients undergoing treatment at cancer centres in Strasbourg, France,[4] and an in-vitro investigation into the cytoprotective effects of the homeopathic remedy CANOVA against cell death induced by the anti-malarial drug artesunate,[5] to the validation of a chromatographic method for the standardization of homeopathic Syzygium cumini.[6] A Clinical Case Series and a Case Report article both illustrate the improvement in symptoms that can accrue from a well-selected individualized homeopathic medicine.[7] [8] And we have four Debate items on matters of topical significance: one of them contains a summary of COVID-19 research initiatives in India,[9] and another proposes Antimonium tartaricum as genus epidemicus medicine for the coronavirus disease.[10] A profound philosophical approach, with practical consequences, is the keynote for the remaining two Debate articles, which consider respectively the Principle of Similars[11] and the contribution of mixed-methods research[12] for a deeper appreciation and understanding of homeopathy.

Publication History

Article published online:
27 July 2021

• References

• 1 Contributing Reviewers in 2020. Homeopathy 2021; 110: i-ii
• 2 Dey S, Hashmi S, Saha S. et al. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, pilot trial of individualized homeopathic medicines for cutaneous warts. Homeopathy 2021; 110: 149-159
• 3 Manchanda RK, Miglani A, Gupta M. et al. Homeopathic remedies in COVID-19: Prognostic factor research. Homeopathy 2021; 110: 160-167
• 4 Bagot J-L, Legrand A, Theunissen I. Use of homeopathy in integrative oncology in Strasbourg, France: multi-centre cross-sectional descriptive study of patients undergoing cancer treatment. Homeopathy 2021; 110: 168-173
• 5 Bonfim LT, Bahia MO. In vitro assessment of cytoprotective effects of CANOVA against cell death induced by the anti-malarial artesunate—a preliminary experiment. Homeopathy 2021; 110: 174-179
• 6 Mishra R, Kotagale N, Umekar M, Sahu R, Maliye A, Gurav S. Development and validation of chromatographic method for the standardization of homeopathic formulation of Syzygium cumini . Homeopathy 2021; 110: 180-185
• 7 Parveen S, Das S. Homeopathy treatment in patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome: a case series. Homeopathy 2021; 110: 186-193
• 8 Pannek J, Pannek-Rademacher S. Homeopathic treatment of a lower leg edema—a case report. Homeopathy 2021; 110: 194-197
• 9 Varanasi R, Nayak D, Khurana A. Clinical repurposing of medicines is intrinsic to homeopathy: Research initiatives on COVID-19 in India. Homeopathy 2021; 110: 198-205
• 10 Fujino FMSDC, Olandim AACC, Lemonica R. et al. Antimonium tartaricum as a possible homeopathic prophylactic remedy in the COVID-19 epidemic. Homeopathy 2021; 110: 206-211
• 11 Schmidt JM. Similia similibus curentur: Theory, history, and status of the constitutive principle of homeopathy. Homeopathy 2021; 110: 212-221
• 12 Renoux H. Homeopathy assessment—contribution of the human sciences. Homeopathy 2021; 110: 222-226