In Reply

Let us start by confirming that no substantial objections were brought forward by the ADSiC against our review article, but that we were included in a discussion on the selection of German language references in current review articles in Deutsches Ärzteblatt. The strategy of a selective literature search was clearly explained in our review article, and we selected recent and important research results into the subject.

If a desire exists to revive German as a scientific language then we think it is important to take a stand in favor of Germany as a research location.

That German does not play any important part in the scientific literature is shown, among others, by the fact that the well selected and critically peer reviewed articles of Deutsches Ärzteblatt are translated into English—an undertaking that deserves praise—in order to achieve global readability, citability, and international scientific recognition (which includes the Impact Factor).

In the age of the internet, iPhone, apps, Twitter, Facebook, and iPad, English has become the lingua franca for the purpose of establishing intercultural communication, and this includes communication in science.

Independently of quotas we think that the provenance of a journal, a publication, a scientist, or a well-founded research result is irrelevant in our everyday scientific and medical work.

DOI: 10.3238/arztebl.2011.0205b

Dr. med. Andreas Hackethal

Klinikstr. 32

35385 Gießen, Germany

andreas.hackethal@gyn.med.uni-giessen.de

Conflict of interest statement

Professor Tinneberg has received travel expenses and honoraria for speaking from Baxter. Dr Hackethal has received travel expenses from Baxter and has contracts for advisory activities with NordicPharma and Fischer&Paykel. Dr Tchartchian has a contract as an adviser with Covidien and has also received travel expenses from this company.

Drs Brüggmann and Wallwiener and Professor Münstedt declare that no conflict of interest exists according to the guidelines of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors.