Editorial: A Road Yet To Be Traveled
It is with a great deal of trepidation, uncertainty, but also excitement that I take over the reins of one of The Endocrine Society’s premier journals, Endocrinology. Under the outstanding leadership of Kenneth Korach as Editor-in-Chief along with his Editors, Endocrinology has continued on the road of increasing excellence. Ken’s stewardship of this journal has been keenly felt in his ability to obtain rapid and high-quality reviews that have served the readership of Endocrinology by increasing its impact and international reputation. This is by no means a small feat, as this was accomplished in a climate of rapid expansion of numerous competitive journals along with the need to maintain a reasonable acceptance rate. During the past few months, Ken has been an invaluable source of advice, assistance, and, most importantly, moral support. Although I will miss directly working with Ken after this transition period, I will remain grateful for the help that he has provided. All of us as endocrinologists owe him a large debt of gratitude for the time, effort, and sacrifices he has made to continue to improve the quality and efficiency of an already high-quality journal.
Upon considering the objectives and goals of Endocrinology, my first reaction following acceptance of the position of Editor-in-Chief was one of apprehension. Within a very short period of time, it became apparent that my fear came from the realization that I would be responsible for peer-review of approximately 1600 manuscripts annually. In addition, I would have to live up to the high standards established by Ken Korach and his editorial team. Having acquired an outstanding group of responsive and interactive Editors (Drs. Rebecca Bahn, Jeffrey Blaustein, Mary Dallman, Daniel Drucker, John Funder, Stephen Marx, Deborah Segaloff, and Terry Unterman), I am confident that we will be able to efficiently handle this large responsibility.dp54\y5, 百拇医药
My next concern was for the future of the journal. This was based upon a new awareness that there is an ever-increasing competition for manuscripts among scientific journals. This competition is also coupled with a rapid evolution in the publication mechanism itself, that is electronic vs. print publication. Yet, electronic publication was also the basis for my enthusiasm for managing the immediate future of Endocrinology. In the recent past, the review of research data was a very slow and painstaking process requiring the mailing of multiple manuscript copies to an Editor who, in turn, mailed the manuscripts to referees and then back again to the Editor for decision and further correspondence to the authors. This process typically required several months. In fact, I remember one particular manuscript of mine that took 11 months from the time of submission until I received the referee’s initial comments.
Over the past 25 years, this process has undergone considerable evolution with the advent of Express Mail, FAX machines, E-mail, and now Web-based electronic publication. The Endocrine Society Journals, including Endocrinology, are currently converting their review and publication process to an electronic format using the Cadmus E-Review System and Rapid Electronic Publication via Highwire Press venues. This creates major challenges in optimizing the handling of manuscripts and figures and in educating authors in the appropriate mechanisms for submitting electronic versions of their manuscripts. Although the challenges are great, the rewards in the end will be even greater, as the efficiency of the review and publication process will be markedly increased. Furthermore, this venue allows for the publication of large data sets such as microarrays, structural coordinates, and time-lapse video imaging.^, http://www.100md.com
The transition from paper to electronic submission and review may initially appear intimidating to those not accustomed to other electronic submission and review systems. Please be assured that once you start to use this system you will find it very intuitive and simple. Within a very short period of time you will wonder why Web-based review and publication was not instituted earlier and you will be amazed at the increased speed and ease compared with paper manuscripts. Our immediate goal is to completely convert over to the electronic format for all submissions, reviews, and publication as soon as possible.
Despite these rapidly changing mechanisms toward paperless review and publication, the heart and soul of the peer-review process are the referees themselves. The success of this critical process rests squarely on the shoulders of those individuals who serve as manuscript referees. Although we will be heavily dependent upon our Editorial Board for their willingness to take on this burden, we will also be contacting other qualified individuals within the community of endocrine scientists to participate in this process.k52'he, 百拇医药
We have great hope and excitement for the future growth of Endocrinology, and your new Editorial team is fully prepared to work tirelessly to continue this process. We hope that our readership will also support the development and expansion of Endocrinology as one of the premier journals in the field.k52'he, 百拇医药
fig.ommitteedk52'he, 百拇医药
Figure 1.(Jeffrey E. Pessin Editor-in-Chief)
Upon considering the objectives and goals of Endocrinology, my first reaction following acceptance of the position of Editor-in-Chief was one of apprehension. Within a very short period of time, it became apparent that my fear came from the realization that I would be responsible for peer-review of approximately 1600 manuscripts annually. In addition, I would have to live up to the high standards established by Ken Korach and his editorial team. Having acquired an outstanding group of responsive and interactive Editors (Drs. Rebecca Bahn, Jeffrey Blaustein, Mary Dallman, Daniel Drucker, John Funder, Stephen Marx, Deborah Segaloff, and Terry Unterman), I am confident that we will be able to efficiently handle this large responsibility.dp54\y5, 百拇医药
My next concern was for the future of the journal. This was based upon a new awareness that there is an ever-increasing competition for manuscripts among scientific journals. This competition is also coupled with a rapid evolution in the publication mechanism itself, that is electronic vs. print publication. Yet, electronic publication was also the basis for my enthusiasm for managing the immediate future of Endocrinology. In the recent past, the review of research data was a very slow and painstaking process requiring the mailing of multiple manuscript copies to an Editor who, in turn, mailed the manuscripts to referees and then back again to the Editor for decision and further correspondence to the authors. This process typically required several months. In fact, I remember one particular manuscript of mine that took 11 months from the time of submission until I received the referee’s initial comments.
Over the past 25 years, this process has undergone considerable evolution with the advent of Express Mail, FAX machines, E-mail, and now Web-based electronic publication. The Endocrine Society Journals, including Endocrinology, are currently converting their review and publication process to an electronic format using the Cadmus E-Review System and Rapid Electronic Publication via Highwire Press venues. This creates major challenges in optimizing the handling of manuscripts and figures and in educating authors in the appropriate mechanisms for submitting electronic versions of their manuscripts. Although the challenges are great, the rewards in the end will be even greater, as the efficiency of the review and publication process will be markedly increased. Furthermore, this venue allows for the publication of large data sets such as microarrays, structural coordinates, and time-lapse video imaging.^, http://www.100md.com
The transition from paper to electronic submission and review may initially appear intimidating to those not accustomed to other electronic submission and review systems. Please be assured that once you start to use this system you will find it very intuitive and simple. Within a very short period of time you will wonder why Web-based review and publication was not instituted earlier and you will be amazed at the increased speed and ease compared with paper manuscripts. Our immediate goal is to completely convert over to the electronic format for all submissions, reviews, and publication as soon as possible.
Despite these rapidly changing mechanisms toward paperless review and publication, the heart and soul of the peer-review process are the referees themselves. The success of this critical process rests squarely on the shoulders of those individuals who serve as manuscript referees. Although we will be heavily dependent upon our Editorial Board for their willingness to take on this burden, we will also be contacting other qualified individuals within the community of endocrine scientists to participate in this process.k52'he, 百拇医药
We have great hope and excitement for the future growth of Endocrinology, and your new Editorial team is fully prepared to work tirelessly to continue this process. We hope that our readership will also support the development and expansion of Endocrinology as one of the premier journals in the field.k52'he, 百拇医药
fig.ommitteedk52'he, 百拇医药
Figure 1.(Jeffrey E. Pessin Editor-in-Chief)