“International Orthopaedics” is a peer-reviewed journal specialized in orthopaedic surgery and traumatology. The journal was established in 1977 and founded by the Société Internationale de Chirurgie Orthopédique et de Traumatologie (SICOT) following the 1976 Congress in Budapest [1, 2]. The SICOT President was Calogero Cassucio (Italy) (Picture 1) The journal started with Jacques Wagner (Belgium) (Picture 2) serving as its first editor and Robert Merle d’Aubigné (France) (Picture 3) as the initiator. Willy Taillard (Switzerland) (Picture 4) was chairman of the Editorial Board. Initially, it published four issues annually, featuring articles in both French and English. Over time, the publication frequency increased: to six issues per year in 1992, eight in 2010, and to monthly issues from 2011 onwards [3, 4]. This year the journal publishes its 49th volume and in next January (2026), the 50th volume will be started.

International Orthopaedics publishes original scientific research, reviews, and historical papers, covering all aspects of orthopaedic surgery, including trauma, joint replacement, sports medicine, spine surgery, paediatric orthopaedics, and musculoskeletal oncology [5, 6]. Since a few years following Pr. Marko Pećina’s drive, the Journal publishes a unique line of papers dedicated to the history of orthopaedics called “orthopaedic heritage” that highly contributes to the Journal visibility and notoriety [2].

Calogero Cassucio (Italy)

Robert Merle D’Aubigné (France)

Willy Taillard (Switzerland)

Kjeld Skou Andersen (Denmark)

Jean-Pierre Courpied (France)

Marius M. Scarlat (France)

Frank Horan (United Kingdom)

Anthony (Tony) Hall (United Kingdom)

Andrew Quaile (United Kingdom)

Maurice Hinsenkamp (Belgium)

Philippe Hernigou (France)

Vikas Khanduja (United Kingdom)

James P. Waddell (Canada)

Andreas Mavrogenis (Greece)

Editorial Board of « International Orthopaedics » from left Upper row: Andreas Mavrogenis (Greece), Karl Khnar (Austria), Elizaveta Kon (Italy) Maurice Hinsenkamp (Belgium), Marko Bumbasirevic (Serbia), Luis Lopez Duran Stern (Spain), Thami Benzakour (Morocco), Wei Chen (China), Maximilian Rudert (Germany), Albert Van Kampen (Netherlands), Andrew Quaile (UK), Vane Antolic (Slovenia), James P. Waddell (Canada), J. Dormans (USA) lower row: Jacques Caton (France), Patricia Fucs (Brazil), Jean-Pierre Courpied (France), Marius M. Scarlat (France), Marko Pecina (Croatia), Philippe Hernigou (France), S. Awais (Pakistan) (Italy), David Stanmore (Germany)

Ms. Annalyn Marabillo (Phillipines)

Linda Ridefjord and Katya Gnytch (Belgium)

“International Orthopaedics” is released since its beginning by Springer-Nature, a major science publisher. The Journal proudly releases 12 issues per year, over 360 research and review papers, over 3200 printed pages and is fully displayed in electronic format. The printed issues are delivered to all SICOT members with paid dues and open for over 50.000 surgeons around the world. In 2024 over one million downloads from “International Orthopaedics” were made on the web platform “springerlink”. Exactly 1.014.027… The Journal is free and open for the SICOT members and has a strong international spread, reflecting the global nature of SICOT. It features contributions from orthopaedic surgeons and researchers, promoting the exchange of knowledge and best practices.

“International Orthopaedics” is indexed in all major databases such as PubMed, Scopus, and the Science Citation Index, and it has a significant impact factor, reflecting its influence in the medical community.

The journal has been guided by prominent figures in orthopaedic surgery. Its editorial board includes leading experts from various subspecialties, ensuring high-quality peer review and content. There are over 20 associated editors representing four continents and four regional offices in North and South America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East and Europe.

International Orthopaedics encourages open access publishing, making its content freely available to readers worldwide. Over 30% of the Journal content is now open access. This has further increased its accessibility and impact. The journal offers online submission and review systems, multimedia content, and digital archives. As the official journal of SICOT, “International Orthopaedics” plays a key role in disseminating the organization’s mission to improve orthopaedic care globally through education, research, and collaboration.

The journal has been guided by several prominent figures in the field of orthopaedic surgery. The Editors were Jacques Wagner (Belgium) (Picture 2), Paul Masse (Picture 5) Albert Trias (Spain) (Picture 6), Kjeld Skou Andersen (Denmark) (Picture 7), Jean-Pierre Courpied (France) (Picture 8), Marko Pećina (Croatia)(Picture 9) and Marius M. Scarlat (France) (Picture 10). The Editors in charge of the Journal quality and literary expression were Sir Frank Horan (UK) (Picture 11), Anthony (Tony) Hall (UK) (Picture 12) and Andrew Quaile (UK) (Picture 13).

Maurice Hinsenkamp (Belgium) (Picture 14) was SICOT President, Editorial Secretary and member of the Editorial Board since more than two decades. He developed the Emergency humanitarian and military medicine chapters in the Journal. He is an active teacher and writer and is contributor and author of many historic publications of the SICOT, as well as Editor of the Special issue dedicated to the Kashin Beck disease. Philippe Hernigou (France) (Picture 15) is a distinguished academic orthopaedic surgeon known for his contributions to bone regeneration and stem cell therapy. His leadership has strengthened SICOT’s global influence and its collaboration with International Orthopaedics. Pr. Hernigou is a major author in different sections of the Journal and enjoys writing editorials and research papers. He was guest editor to several successful special issues dedicated to arthroplasty and orthobiologics and his published papers were cited over 14.000 times. Vikas Khanduja (United Kingdom) (Picture 16) is an expert in hip preservation surgery and young adult hip disorders. His work has been instrumental in advancing orthopaedic education and research. Currently Dr Khanduja serves currently as President of SICOT and is a strong supporter of the Journal. He was Guest Editor of the Special issue dedicated to the impact of COVID-19 pandemic in orthopaedic practice. Ashok Johari (India) (Picture 17), past president of SICOT (2020–2022) is since many years a major contributor to International Orthopaedics, Dr. Johari is known for his work in paediatric orthopaedics and early-onset scoliosis. He has also been involved in educational initiatives supported by the journal. Dr Chen Wei (China) (Picture 18) manages the Asia office of the Journal and is affiliated with the Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University in Shijiazhuang being the Deputy Director of the Provincial Orthopaedic Research Institute. Professor Chen was the youngest appointed Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery in China and is a well-respected academic surgeon. James P. Waddell (Canada) (Picture 19) is a personality of Orthopaedics and knight of Canada. He is one of the most well known academic arthroplasty and joint reconstruction surgeons in North America. Pr. Waddell is head of the regional North American office of the Journal and works in St Michael Hospital, academic centre, affiliated to the University of Toronto.

Andreas Mavrogenis (Greece) (Picture 20), Andrew Quaile (U.K) (Picture 13) and Patricia Fucs (Brazil) (Picture 21) are currently Deputy Editors. They contribute highly to the workflow of the publication platforms, making possible the monthly publication of the Journal and the valid British English expression of the published papers.

The editorial board of “International Orthopaedics” includes the associate editors from diverse globe regions, reflecting the journal’s international scope. (Picture 22)

The journal was developed by a diverse group of orthopaedic surgeons and researchers, including its editorial leaders, SICOT officials, and founding figures. These personalities have contributed to the journal’s mission of advancing orthopaedic science and fostering global collaboration. The current special anniversary issue of the Journal gives a quality presentation of these personalities, founding fathers of the Society and Presidents of SICOT.

The technical staff, production, printing and distribution teams make the journal in the form that is released monthly to the subscribers, libraries and public worldwide. Ms. Annalyn Marabillo (Picture 23) manages the Production from the Philippines office. David Stanmore (Picture 24) from the Springer office in Germany is the Publishing Editor. Linda Ridefjord and Katya Gnytch form the SICOT headquarters in Brussels (Picture 25) as well as Soufiane Berrada (Belgium) are keeping us posted with the social media and subscribers’ correspondence. The Printed issues of the Journal are shipped globally by the Springer partnership with Strive, from the Chennai office. Overall, the Journal is released regularly, without delays, on a monthly basis.

“International Orthopaedics” is indexed as 1432–5195 for electronic ISSN and as 0341–2695 for Print ISSN. The Journal is abstracted and indexed in the following bibliometric institutions and engines: ANVUR, BFI List, Baidu, CAB Abstracts, CLOCKSS, CNKI, CNPIEC, Current Contents/Clinical Medicine, Dimensions, EBSCO, EMBASE, EMCare, Google Scholar, Japanese Science and Technology Agency (JST), Medline, Naver, OCLC WorldCat Discovery Service, Portico, ProQuest, Reaxys, SCImago, SCOPUS, Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE), Semantic Scholar, TD Net, Discovery Service, Wanfang.

Social media increases exposure, enhancing citation potential and fostering real-time discussion among researchers, clinicians, and the broader public. Social media allows journals to communicate science in more accessible formats through visual abstracts, infographics, podcasts, and short videos, making complex findings more digestible and engaging.

The Journal organizes yearly with the Publications committee of the SICOT and with SICOT-J two meetings for teaching and sharing with potential authors during the World Orthopaedic Congress. These sessions are well visible and have a large audience.

Throughout its history, “International Orthopaedics” has maintained a commitment to high-quality scientific contributions, reflecting the evolving landscape of orthopaedic surgery and research. The journal continues to serve as a vital resource for professionals in the field, promoting the exchange of knowledge and advancements in orthopaedic practice.

Current directions of development include augmentation of papers describing clinical results and outcomes in all the sub-specialities of Orthopaedic surgery including Spine, Upper limb, Arthroplasty, Infection, Foot and Ankle, Hand and Wrist, Pediatric Orthopaedics, History of Medicine, Anatomy, Orthopaedic Education, Bibliometrics, Current practices and updates.

The SICOT legacy is our paramount motivation. Giving a voice for scientific expression to all colleagues is a fact that encourages orthopaedic surgeons from our 132 corresponding countries. The strength of the Journal is also marked by the Associate Editors from four continents who keep us posted with the reality of the practice of orthopaedics. Providing standards, methods and information to our subscribers and readers is something that we cherish and is proved by the high number of downloads, over one million in 2024.

The Impact Factor and the Journal Performance are something that we follow and check, however, a part of our priorities and not the major one. Keeping our colleagues updated and publishing their work is more important.

Since the foundation of SICOT in 1929 and since the foundation of the Journal in 1977 – the society was an educational tool for orthopaedic surgery and traumatology and the Journal became a major voice. At the beginning, most of the educators and teachers came from Europe and from North America. We still have over one third of publications and activities arising from those two geographic areas. However, currently the volume of surgical work and education in orthopaedics balanced to Asia, with China and India being the new champions. South and Latin America are also getting stronger, as well as Eastern Europe, the Middle East and the African continent.

For half a century, “International Orthopaedics” has stood as a beacon of rigorous research, scholarly integrity, and academic leadership. The journal emerged at a time of scientific transformation, with a vision to foster innovation, critical thinking, and global collaboration.

Over the decades, “International Orthopaedics” has published landmark studies, shaped clinical and scientific paradigms, and served as a trusted platform for both emerging and established researchers. Its pages have witnessed the evolution of scientific methods, the rise of interdisciplinary approaches, and the translation of knowledge into practice. With contributions from leading scientists, clinicians, and thought leaders across continents, the journal has not only reflected the highest standards of peer-reviewed publication but also influenced generations of professionals.

As we mark this 50-year milestone, we honour the editors, reviewers, authors, and readers who have shaped its journey. Looking ahead, “International Orthopaedics” remains committed to advancing science, promoting equity in knowledge dissemination, and supporting the next generation of scholars. The 50th anniversary is a landmark that we celebrate with pride and dedication based on tradition, knowledge, science and truth.