Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 287: R697, 2004;
doi:10.1152/ajpregu.00422.2004
0363-6119/04 $5.00
EDITORIAL
Mid-year progress report 2004
Pontus Persson
American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology-Institute of Physiology Humboldt University, Charité
Tucholskystr. 2, 10117 Berlin, Germany
E-mail: pontus.persson{at}charite.de
NOW THAT THIS EDITORIAL TEAM has completed its first term, it is with great pleasure that I briefly update our readers regarding the journal's progress. Various statistics from 2003 have been trickling in, and although they are uniformly encouraging, it is perhaps the feedback that we are receiving from our readers and contributors that is the most satisfying and reassuring.
First for the hard numbers. For better or worse, the Impact Factor remains one of the most widely quoted methods of rating journals. Although we do not like to place too much importance on these numbers, that fact that our Impact Factor has been steadily rising since 2001 can only be taken as a promising result. From a level of 2.4 in 2001, we have risen to 3.627 according to the ISI Journal Citation reports for 2003, an increase of 50%. Although an imperfect and incomplete way of assessing the performance of a journal, we are always pleased to see improvements wherever they may be.
Our submission numbers are perhaps a more pertinent indication of whether our journal has remained relevant and is still considered a valuable publishing venue for scientists. Here too we feel encouraged by our results. Whereas there was a certain amount of fluctuation in submissions in 2003, 2004 has by far been one of our strongest years in recent memory (Fig. 1).
We strive to offer our authors the most appropriate and responsive forum in which to present their work. We also hope to provide the greatest service and most rapid methods of publication. Barely 1 wk is required before an accepted manuscript is published and citable as an Article in PresS. The prompt publication process provides our authors the benefit of rapid dissemination of their research and results.
One method of enticing scientists is our attempt to offer a wide variety of types of manuscripts that the authors can use to best present their findings. Whether it is in a Letter to the Editor, Invited Review, a Call for Papers manuscript, or an Original Article, we hope to provide authors with the greatest number of publication options. As can be seen from our Invited Review series and the overwhelming response we often have to our Calls for Papers, I am hopeful that we are accomplishing this goal. We had an extremely enthusiastic response to our Call for Papers for Fetal Physiological Programming and are looking forward to publishing an issue devoted to this topic as a result of our call. Although that call has expired, we hope that we have opened the door to receiving an even greater number of manuscripts on this topic. To see all the topics for which we are currently soliciting papers, please refer to our journal homepage at http://ajpregu.physiology.org/.
Currently, we have an acceptance rate for manuscripts submitted from the beginning of 2003 until the present of 48%, which is adjusted to 38% when only the Original Articles are taken into account. A regional breakdown of the acceptance rate (Fig. 2) shows that, as with the submission rate, North America accounts for the greater portion of accepted articles, with Europe, Asia, and the South Pacific holding their ground proportional to submission rates.
Because the people most responsible for the progress and reputation of the journal are all those scientists who contribute their best and most innovative studies, we would like to single out the five contributors who, in terms of citations in the past year, were most popular (Table 1). These articles mirror the broad field of research published in the American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the contributors, referees, editors, and editorial staff who work to make this a truly leading journal in its field.
Copyright © 2004 by the American Physiological Society.
