Editorial

Abstract

We are excited to announce the new preprint option for authors of accepted manuscripts. Once a paper is accepted by a member of our Editorial Board, authors may elect to have a PDF of the manuscript posted online prior to copy-editing and formal publication. This trims months from the time to appearance of the paper in a citable form (complete with doi) on the ESA journals web site. We are pleased to note that many authors have already elected to have their accepted manuscripts posted as preprints. We anticipate further refinements to the posted preprints (so that they look more like the final published versions of Ecology papers) during the coming year. Ecology remains far and away the most cited journal in the ecological sciences according to the ISI Journal Citation Reports. The cited half life of more than 10 years is as long as any journal in our subject-matter area (indicating that our publications stand the test of time), and our impact factor of 4.874 is among the highest for journals in ecology publishing primary research articles. Ecology retains the confidence of readers and authors alike as the premier journal in the ecological sciences. The preliminary numbers for 2009 indicate that 1,477 manuscripts were submitted to Ecology during the past year (a 1% increase over 2008), further evidence that the scientific community continues to regard us as the premier venue for publishing the very best work in ecology. We thank our volunteer subject-matter editors and reviewers for dedication in reviewing this large number of submissions in their customary timely and conscientious way. Our journals continue to provide authors with reviews that are among the most detailed of any journal. We published 355 papers in 2009. Clearly we remain one of the most selective journals in ecology. The acceptance rate for Ecology is now 24%. Our rigorous peer review does not interfere with rapid publication. Ecology benefits from the talented, conscientious, and efficient professional staff in Ithaca. Owing to quick processing, most Reports and many Articles were published within one year of submission in 2009. We note with pleasure that some authors who responded quickly to editor's instructions for revision had Reports published six months after submission. Most initial editorial decisions were made within two months after submission (median 61 days), and those that took longer were mostly a result of editorial judgments made in favor of authors. While the number of pages published in Ecology (just over 3,600) has not changed in the past few years, the number of articles published and the breadth of subject-matter coverage have increased owing to our policy of emphasizing shorter publications. Our rapid publication is part and parcel of a push for concision, which is being met by improved writing and judicious use of Ecological Archives on the part of authors, with careful guidance from our editors and reviewers. More than 70% of the papers published in Ecology during 2009 had associated materials posted in Ecological Archives. All Reports are now Open Access, which means that no subscription or institutional access is required to view the full text online. This feature greatly increases the exposure and citation of such articles. Furthermore, there is no charge for color figures to authors of Reports. These polices began with the January 2008 issue and are part of the efforts led by the Special Publications Subcommittee of the ESA (chaired by Jayne Belnap) to maintain our journals at the forefront of scientific publication. Reports are also placed on a “fast track” publication schedule. We continue to encourage authors to submit their manuscripts in this concise format. Ecology's Book Reviews continue to be among the best found in science journals owing to the dedication of Janet Lanza, who serves as Editor. Her breadth and depth of selection provides about 40 reviews each year from the huge numbers of books in ecology. Her services to the Book Review section of the journal are deeply appreciated by our readership. Unfortunately, even with all our efforts to encourage submission of more concise papers and with our increased selectivity, the backlog of accepted manuscripts awaiting publication has grown to nearly nine months. This is unacceptable. We are taking steps to further tighten up the review process (including rejections of more submissions without review). And again, we hope that more authors will submit their research findings in the concise Reports format. Meanwhile, we hope that the new preprint option will alleviate the immediate problem by making authors' accepted manuscripts rapidly accessible (and citable) on the ESA journals web site.