Editorial Words

ISSUE 1, VOL. 1, YEAR 1, JAN. 2005

It was less than a year ago when the Executive Committee of Kurdish Scientific and Medical Association (KSMA) decided to create and publish an electronic scientific journal. We were assigned the challenge of selecting a name, creating an editorial structure, assembling an editorial board and designing a review policy for submissions.

ZANÍN is now borne, and it goes without saying that it is the product of great efforts by many faithful members of the KSMA and the newly formed editorial board. We would like to thank them all for their support.

ZANÍN was created with the long-term vision of becoming a credible international publication, accessible to Kurdish and non-Kurdish academics, covering a wide range of scientific and medical disciplines. The focus of the journal was designed to reflect that of the KSMA, namely promoting science in Kurdistan and its communities in Diaspora. The journal has a special research interest in research topics that relate to the people and the land of Kurdistan, as well as Kurds in Diaspora. We hope that ZANÍN would become a channel for communicating research carried out by Kurdish academics in Kurdistan Universities and worldwide.

The enthusiastic response from fellow academics and professionals made our task of creating an editorial Board a very easy one. Obviously, to have the structure and policy in place is only half of the picture. The survival of the journal will largely depend on the submission of quality research reports. We thank those who put their trust in ZANÍN and presented their original research work and/or topical review articles for publication in the first issue of the journal. Standards of submissions, as expected, were variable. However, a robust review process has been put in place to ensure a high-quality publication.

We very much hope that articles, in quantity and quality, will keep coming in, for this is the only guarantee for the survival of ZANÍN. Publishing this first issue remains an experiment, and production of future issues will depend on future quality submissions and other forms of support from colleagues. Ideally, we would hope to publish at least one or two issues per year. Also, we hope that one day, in the presence of logistic and financial support, the journal would be produced by dedicated professionals in Kurdistan or abroad.

Your support and constructive feedback will always be welcome.

Sincerely,

Professor Dlawer Ala'Aldeen PhD, FRCPath

Editor-In-Chief.

Mr Dilan Roshani M.Sc., PhD Candidate

Associate Editor and webmaster

ZANÍN, [KSMA], E-mail: contact@kmsf.org.uk, URL: kmsf.org.uk