• anaesthesia
• pain management
• telemedicine
• information technology

Thank you for raising several important issues that impact authors particularly those in developing countries. The quality of writing is obviously important and is sometimes a reason for a paper to be rejected. We do not have the resources in-house to substantially rewrite papers. I am aware that services have grown up in a number of countries that offer editing of scientific papers for a fee. Another alternative is to ask for help from within an academic institution—often help can be obtained without payment.

Moreover, I would like to assure you that papers are accepted on merit irrespective of the country of origin or the status of the author(s). Papers from developing countries can make a valuable contribution, although a number are rejected because they do not have a wider international appeal and are more suited to a regional publication.

Finally, I would like to reassure authors that we do not charge fees for publication unless the author requires open access.