Editorial 2008
Executive Editor
As we enter 2008 I am pleased to report that our online manuscript submission and management system, Manuscript Central, is now reaching some form of equilibrium and is, generally, performing quite well. Nevertheless, over the past year we have had some problems with system upgrades made by ScholarOne. At times this has been very frustrating for both authors and Editors, and I thank you all for your patience.
Undoubtedly, electronic manuscript submission has brought significant benefits for authors. In 2007 the average time from submission to first decision on manuscripts was 77 days, with an average reviewer turnaround of 51 days. Given that Journal of Petrology manuscripts are typically 12,000–15,000 words long, I think that this is pretty good, although, of course, we continually strive to do better. The interval between final acceptance and publication on the Web as Advance Access (the official date of publication) remains 4–6 weeks. I know that this rapid turnaround is greatly appreciated by authors, particularly those who have submitted their papers as part of a thematic issue of the Journal; publication of their work is no longer delayed by the slowest author in the thematic set.
Increasingly, the Journal is receiving submissions of manuscripts from authors who have some difficulty writing in English. Poor writing style can detract from the quality of the scientific arguments presented and, however willing, the Editors have neither the time nor the obligation to make substantial corrections. Authors who are non-native English speakers might wish to take advantage of professional editing services before submitting their manuscript. For a modest fee, commercial companies such as SPi can help authors with the correction and refinement of the use of English in their manuscripts. SPi can be contacted via http://www.prof-editing.com/. Oxford Journals neither endorses nor takes responsibility for this service.
I am pleased to report that Journal of Petrology continues to hold its position as one of the leading journals in the field of igneous, metamorphic and experimental petrology. In 2006 our ISI Impact Factor rose from 2·641 (in 2005) to 3·246, putting it in fifth place out of 59 journals in the field of geochemistry and geophysics.
Last year I reported that authors now have the option to use the Open Access route to publication. Essentially this means that the author pays a fee, which then makes their paper freely available to any reader, institutional or otherwise. Thus far we have not had any take-up of this facility; it is, however, early days yet.
In 2009 the Journal will be 50 years old and we are already considering ways in which we might celebrate this event. Suggestions can be sent to: J.Petrology@earth.leeds.ac.uk. We would particularly welcome submission of images that we might use in the cover design of Volume 50.
As always, I would like to express my personal thanks to all the members of the Editorial and Advisory Boards for their hard work during the past year. The success of the Journal is underpinned by the work of our Editorial Manager, Alastair Lumsden, the ‘front-face’ of the Editorial Office, Production Editor Kay McArdle, and Copy Editors Joyce Weddell and Christine Whittle. Few authors appreciate the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes to turn their manuscript into the final published paper. My task as Executive Editor would be impossible without their support, which is greatly appreciated.
In 2008 I welcome two new Editors to the Board, Gerhard Wörner (University of Göttingen, Germany) and Simon Turner (Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia).
Finally, on behalf of the Editorial Board, I thank all those of you who have reviewed manuscripts for the Journal in the past year. This is a demanding task and the only way to ensure that we continue to publish manuscripts of the highest quality.
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