Australian Journal of Zoology: 60th anniversary

Abstract

This year marks the 60th anniversary of Australian Journal of Zoology. To celebrate, we are making a few changes to the journal. We recognise that both zoological research and publishing have changed significantly since 1953, when the journalwas firstlaunched,andthatthejournalmustadapttomeet the requirements of authors and readers. As a result, Australian JournalofZoologyhasnowintroducedseveralnewarticletypes, launched an award to recognise student work, and reaffirmed its commitment to publishing high-quality research. Inadditiontooriginalresearcharticlesandcriticalreviews,we now welcome the submission of several new article types. A series of ‘opus’ reviews, invited from senior zoologists by the editors, will complement current content by providing both retrospective and prospective examinations of the authors’ own research areas. The editors will also commission ‘perspective’ articles–similartoreviews,butthatallowauthorsthefreedomto present thought-provoking ideas, develop novel hypotheses and speculate on controversial topics. Wewillalsoencouragethesubmissionofshorterpapers,such asthosedescribinginnovativezoologicalmethodsortechniques, naturalhistoryobservationsorprimernotes.Fewjournalsprovide aforumforsuchreports,yettheyareoftenimportantobservations that are worthy of wider dissemination. To recognise and celebrate the important student contribution to zoological research in Australia and worldwide, Australian Journal of Zoology has launched the Best Student Paper Award. This award is presented annually for the best original research publicationarisingfromstudentwork(Honours,MastersorPhD) in the most recent volume of the journal. A panel of editors assesseseligiblepapersontheirinternationalimpactinzoological research using Australasian animals. Our first winner is Rohan Bilney from Deakin University for his paper ‘Reversed sexual dimorphism and altered prey base: the effect on sooty owl (Tyto tenebricosa tenebricosa) diet’, from volume 59 of the journal (2011; pp. 302–311). A profile of Dr Bilney and his work will appear in the journal later this year. The journal has always endeavoured to publish high-quality research, quickly and efficiently. Last year, we adopted ScholarOne as our online manuscript handling system – we expectittoimprovethesubmissionexperience forauthorsandto streamline peer review. We strive to reduce editorial turnaround times and aim to return the first decision on most manuscripts within 21 days of submission. As soon as manuscripts are accepted, they are listed online as ‘Just Accepted’ and move straight into production; when ready, they are published Online Early before print publication. Our goal is to publish all papers online within 6 weeks of acceptance. The editorial team and journal staff hope that these changes improve authors’ and readers’ experiences with Australian JournalofZoology.Asalways,wewelcomeyourfeedbackonthe journal and its development, and we look forward to receiving your best work.