It is truly an honor to serve as the next Editor-In-Chief (EIC) for The Journal of Immunology (The JI), the cornerstone publication in our field for over a century. I thank the members of the American Association of Immunologists (AAI) Council and the Publications Committee, as well as Executive Director Dr. M. Michele Hogan, for affording me this incredible opportunity.
As a society publication, The JI continues to provide our community with an internationally recognized destination for showcasing high-quality research, as evidenced by its perennial position atop the list of the most cited immunology journals. Of equal importance, The JI serves as a critical training ground for an emerging generation of immunologists, giving authors the chance to have their work reviewed by accomplished scientists who are actively engaged in research. Like most of my colleagues, I “cut my teeth” at The JI, submitting my first independent paper, responding to referee comments, and participating in manuscript reviews. Little did I know…
Following the lead of my predecessors, I will be passionate about upholding scientific integrity at The JI, serving as its enthusiastic ambassador and further strengthening its overall standing in the community. It is my privilege to introduce the eight new Deputy Editors who will be joining me in this mission: Craig Bassing, Gabrielle Belz, Todd Fehniger, Sarah Gaffen, Sebastian Joyce, Cathryn Nagler, Edward Pearce, and Dana Philpott.
In addition, I thank our retiring and continuing Section Editors, and welcome our new Section Editors who will start work on July 1. Together with our reviewers, this amazing team of scientists will uphold The JI standards of scientific excellence.
The JI is now poised to achieve even greater heights thanks to the tireless efforts, innovations, and impeccable standards of my predecessor, Dr. Pamela J. Fink. To spotlight emerging areas of intense immunologic interest, we will continue Dr. Fink’s initiative to publish an annual series of Brief Reviews from leaders in the field. I am most grateful for Pam’s mentorship over the past six months; she has inspired me with new ideas for the future and prepared me to tackle the challenges ahead.
What are some of these challenges, and how will we meet them? Like most journals, The JI faces fierce competition for manuscripts from an increasing multitude of society journals and corporate publishers. My highest priority is to make submission to The JI the most appealing and viable choice for all immunologists. In this regard, we will better publicize to authors our “hands-on” editorial policies; that is, our Deputy and Section Editors will continue to prioritize reviewer comments, pointing out concerns that are essential to address, versus others that might be less critical or beyond the manuscript’s scientific scope. Also, I feel it is important to confirm that every submitted manuscript will be reviewed by a practicing scientist; The JI does not “triage” manuscripts without a review or have them reviewed by staff who are not practicing scientists. Two additional improvements to our review process are also in place: a streamlining of review criteria for manuscripts in Clinical and Human Immunology, and an increase in the number of supplemental files for Cutting Edge articles starting with manuscripts submitted July 1.
Another priority is to make The JI a more attractive destination for our colleagues conducting human and veterinary research, including translational or clinical studies. I also will prioritize making The JI a more appealing option for the next generation of immunologists. To this end, we will seek new perspectives from our junior colleagues, whom I will invite to advise me directly or through participation in focus groups.
In keeping with tradition for incoming EICs, I have helped select a new cover design that will not only continue to feature our beautiful science as art but will also highlight several articles or reviews from each issue. Another “reader-friendly” feature will be incorporated by the end of 2018, when we will begin publishing visual abstracts and key points in the online version of The JI. In addition to helping readers quickly navigate to their interests, these new features should prove useful to authors in publicizing their work on social media platforms or in more traditional formats.
These are only a few of the changes I envision for The JI, with more to come as we flesh out details with advice from younger scientists, the readership, and contributing investigators throughout the field. These changes and the ongoing excellence of The JI would not be possible without the awe-inspiring AAI publications staff. I look forward to working with this dedicated team of professionals who deserve great credit for the journal’s success.
In closing, I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge our former Director of Publications, Dr. Kaylene Kenyon. Dr. Kenyon worked tirelessly with AAI for over 20 years, and for 12 of those years, she was the Director of Publications. It is fair to say that Kaylene was the backbone of The JI during those years. On behalf of The JI community, we thank Kaylene for her unwavering efforts and send her our very best wishes for happy travels on the retirement road ahead.
I look forward to working with all of you and extend my most enthusiastic invitation to continue submitting your manuscripts to The JI.
- Copyright © 2018 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc.
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