Editorial

Abstract

Recently, the Editorial Team for the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences (JPharmSci®), which consists of the journal's Editor‐in‐Chief and 12 Editors, conducted a comprehensive analysis of the scientific scope of the papers published in the journal in 2009–2011 and the impact of these papers (as measured by citations and downloads) on the pharmaceutical sciences. From this analysis came the realization by the journal's Editorial Team that revisions were needed in the written descriptions of JPharmSci®'s scientific scope and the types (e.g., Notes, Research Articles, Reviews, Commentaries, etc.) of manuscripts the journal would consider for publication. Although these revisions are now available in the journal's document entitled Author Guidelines, which is published online at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1520-6017/homepage/ForAuthors.html, JPharmSci®'s Editorial Team felt that it was important to further highlight these changes through the publication of this Editorial. The goals of this Editorial include: (1) to make scientists, both authors and readers, fully aware of JPharmSci®'s revised scientific scope, and (2) to remind authors about the types (e.g., Notes, Research Articles, Reviews, Commentaries, etc.) of manuscripts that they can use to communicate their most original and most significant scientific findings, conclusions, and opinions to their colleagues in the pharmaceutical sciences worldwide. JPharmSci® focuses on two major questions of importance to pharmaceutical scientists: (1) what are the physical and biological barriers that limit the access of drugs to their therapeutic targets? and (2) how can drugs, excipients, traditional formulations, novel drug delivery systems, and drug products be designed to maximize therapeutic efficacy? Answers to these questions have in the past and will in the future be forthcoming from research in a variety of scientific disciplines including but not limited to the following: physical pharmacy; pharmaceutics; pharmaceutical technology; drug delivery; pharmaceutical engineering; materials science; nanotechnology; animal, human, cellular, and molecular biopharmaceutics; animal and human pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacogenomics; drug metabolism and transport; biotechnology; medicinal chemistry, including drug design and prodrug strategies; biophysical chemistry; analytical and bioanalytical chemistry; physical organic, organic, and computational chemistry; molecular modeling; immunology; biochemistry; and cell and molecular biology. The scientific content of manuscripts submitted to JPharmSci® should fit into one of the following subject categories:•Drug Discovery–Development Interface: Manuscripts in this scientific category should include descriptions of quantitative and mechanistic research in pharmaceutics, biopharmaceutics, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and drug metabolism, and transport that are normally conducted during the discovery of organic chemistry‐based and biotechnology‐based hits, leads, and potential drug candidates. Research results of particular interest to the readers of JPharmSci® would include those that afford valuable, new information about how a molecule's in vitro and in vivo behavior are influenced by its molecular and physicochemical properties, traditional formulations, and novel delivery systems used in lead optimization studies. This scientific category would also encompass manuscripts that describe: (1) new and novel analytical methodologies that would facilitate and/or more accurately and completely characterize the physicochemical and biological properties of hits, leads, and potential drug candidates; and (2) new and novel formulations strategies and drug delivery systems, including those built on bio‐ and nanotechnologies, that would enhance the delivery of these molecules to their pharmacological targets in animal models.•Pharmaceutical Biotechnology: Manuscripts in this scientific category should include descriptions of quantitative and mechanistic research in pharmaceutics, drug delivery, and pharmaceutical technology that are normally conducted during the preclinical and clinical drug development of biotechnology‐based drug candidates and drugs (e.g., peptides, proteins, antibodies, vaccines, DNA, RNAi, etc.). Research results of particular interest to the readers of JPharmSci® would include those that afford valuable, new information about how a molecule's in vitro and in vivo behavior is influenced by its molecular and physicochemical properties, traditional formulations, and novel drug delivery systems used in preclinical and clinical studies and the manufacturing processes that give rise to the final drug product. This scientific category would also encompass manuscripts that describe: (1) new and novel analytical methodologies that would facilitate and/or more accurately and completely characterize the physicochemical and biological properties of biotechnology‐based drug candidates and drugs, and (2) new and novel formulations strategies and drug delivery systems, including those built on bio‐ and nanotechnologies, that would enhance the delivery of these types of molecules to their pharmacological targets in animals and humans.•Pharmaceutics, Drug Delivery, and Pharmaceutical Technology: Manuscripts in this scientific category should include descriptions of quantitative and mechanistic research in pharmaceutics, drug delivery, and pharmaceutical technology that are normally conducted during the preclinical and clinical development of organic chemistry‐based drugs or drug candidates. Research results of particular interest to the readers of JPharmSci® would include those that afford valuable, new information about how the in vitro and in vivo behavior of a drug molecule or formulation excipient is influenced by its molecular and physicochemical properties, traditional formulations, and novel drug delivery systems used in preclinical and clinical studies and the manufacturing processes that give rise to the final drug product. This scientific category also encompasses manuscripts that describe: (1) new and novel analytical methodologies that facilitate and/or more accurately and completely characterize the physicochemical and biological properties of biotechnology‐based drugs and drug candidates, (2) new and novel prodrug strategies and formulation strategies and drug delivery systems, including those built on bio‐ and nanotechnologies, that enhance the delivery of these types of molecules to their pharmacological targets in animals and humans, and (3) new and novel developments in manufacturing of drugs and drug delivery systems, including continuous manufacturing and the Quality by Design concept.•Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology: Manuscripts in this scientific category should describe quantitative and mechanistic experimental or theoretical research in nanoscale‐based pharmaceuticals or diagnostics in which the innovation resides specifically in the nanoscale aspects of the work. Manuscripts reporting advances in pharmaceutical nanotechnology that are being disclosed for the first time would be of particular interest. Suitable topics in this category include advances in the fabrication of nanoscale materials with demonstrably new or significant functionality potential for pharmaceutical applications. Additional topics include improved quantitative methods of characterization of nanoscale pharmaceutical materials and mechanistic studies that contribute to an improved understanding of functionality of nanoscale‐based technologies with clear therapeutic implications. The manuscript's conclusions should be supported by relevant in vitro and/or in vivo experimental data and appropriate statistical analysis. Notable exceptions to the requirement for appropriate physical and biological characterization are: (1) comprehensive and complete theoretical or computational studies, and (2) meta‐analyses of historical data or reviews of the existing literature.•Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics, and Drug Transport and Metabolism: Manuscripts in this scientific category should encompass quantitative and mechanistic research normally conducted during the preclinical and clinical drug development of organic chemistry‐based or biotechnology‐based drug candidates or drugs that affords valuable, new information (e.g., drug–drug interactions) about the molecule's in vitro metabolism and/or in vivo absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion and how these properties relate to the molecule's in vivo pharmacological and toxicological properties. This scientific category would also encompass manuscripts that describe new and novel analytical methodologies that would facilitate and/or more accurately and completely characterize the pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and drug metabolism and transport properties of these types of drug candidates and drugs in animals and humans.•Global Health: Manuscripts in this scientific category should encompass descriptions of quantitative and mechanistic research in pharmaceutics, biopharmaceutics, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and metabolism and transport properties that are normally conducted during the discovery of organic chemistry‐based and biotechnology‐based hits, leads, and potential drug candidates, and the preclinical and clinical development of drug candidates and drugs‐targeting diseases common in developing countries. Research results of particular interest to the readers of JPharmSci® would include those that afford valuable, new information about how a molecule's in vitro and in vivo behavior are influenced by its molecular and physicochemical properties, traditional formulations, novel drug delivery systems, and manufacturing processes. This scientific category would also encompass manuscripts that describe new and novel analytical methodologies that would facilitate and/or more accurately and completely characterize the pharmaceutics, pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamics, drug metabolism, drug delivery, and manufacturing properties of these types of drug candidates and drugs in animals and humans. The Editor‐in‐Chief and one Editor, as well as members of the Journal's Editorial Advisory Board and independent experts, will review most manuscripts submitted to JPharmSci®. However, the Editor‐in‐Chief and the Editors reserve the right to reject a manuscript without conducting an in‐depth review if they feel that the manuscript is “out of scope” or it does not meet the minimal acceptance criteria for publication in JPharmSci®. The types of manuscripts that authors can use to communicate their most original and most significant scientific findings, conclusions, and opinions include:•Rapid Communications are preliminary accounts of significant and original experimental and/or theoretical results that fit within the scope of JPharmSci®. The results must be of sufficient significance, originality, and general interest to justify accelerated publication. Authors are asked to write their manuscripts in a clear and concise manner and to include only data crucial to arriving at their final conclusions. Preferably manuscripts should not exceed 2000 words of text and a total of four figures and/or tables. Extra experimental and/or theoretical data in the form of figures and tables should be deposited under Supporting Information.•Research Articles are comprehensive accounts of significant and original experimental and/or theoretical results that fit within the scope of JPharmSci®. Authors are asked to write their manuscripts in a clear and concise manner and to include only data crucial to arriving at their final conclusions. Preferably manuscripts should not exceed 5500 words of text and a total of eight figures and/or tables. Extra experimental and/or theoretical data in the form of figures and tables should be deposited under Supporting Information.•Notes differ from Rapid Communications in that they are final reports and from Research Articles in that they are limited in scope. Authors are asked to write their manuscripts in a clear and concise manner and to include only data crucial to arriving at their final conclusions. Preferably manuscripts should not exceed 2000 words of text and a total of four figures and/or tables. Extra experimental and/or theoretical data in the form of figures and tables should be deposited under Supporting Information.•Lessons Learned are short articles (600 words), which provide authors with a means of informing other scientists about critical issues, experiences, and observations, the descriptions of which would not be appropriate for a typical Research Article, Communication, Note, Commentary, or Review. Examples include, but are not limited to, key insights into an unanticipated manufacturing problem, knowledge accumulated over a career of “tricks of the trade” for a given analytical or formulation method, how to avoid a mistake that is repeated over and over again by scientists in industry and academia. Each article will be reviewed directly by an Editor who has expertise in the relevant scientific area. Because each of these articles represents the personal opinion, experience and/or insights of the author(s), data are not required (but could be described) nor does the identity of a given drug need to be divulged. Articles may contain up to three key references.•General Commentaries, Global Health Commentaries, and Clinical Trials and Translational Medicine Commentaries (by invitation only) present authors' considered opinions on scientific or technical subjects within the scope of JPharmSci®. If the Commentary criticizes an article published in JPharmSci®, the authors of the original article will be given an opportunity to reply in the same issue in which the Commentary is published. An author interested in preparing a Commentary for JPharmSci® should provide a brief outline to Professor John Carpenter (Editor in charge of General Commentaries and Global Health Commentaries) or Professor Rodney Ho (Editor in charge of Clinical Trials and Translational Medicine Commentaries), requesting an invitation to submit a manuscript in one of these categories.•Perspectives (by invitation only) articles summarize the viewpoints of distinguished pharmaceutical scientists with regard to the current status and future direction of a field. Perspectives are similar in length to Commentaries and Reviews, and may be submitted only by invitation. An author interested in preparing a Perspective for JPharmSci® should provide a brief outline to Professor John Carpenter requesting an invitation to submit a manuscript in this category.•Reviews (by invitation only) provide a comprehensive summary of broadly based topics of general interest to pharmaceutical scientists. Reviews are not limited as to the number of words, tables, figures and references that may be included. An author interested in preparing a Review for JPharmSci® should provide a brief outline to Professor John Carpenter requesting an invitation to submit a manuscript in this category.•Minireviews (by invitation only) are well‐focused, well‐documented examinations of timely issues in the pharmaceutical sciences. The issues may be of a controversial nature, or may address a more narrowly focused area than those typically covered in a Review. Minireviews are limited to approximately 3000–4000 words, including tables, figures, and references. An author interested in preparing a Minireview for JPharmSci® should provide a brief outline to Professor John Carpenter requesting an invitation to submit a manuscript in this category. Finally, I hope that pharmaceutical scientists worldwide will find these revised written descriptions of JPharmSci®'s scientific scope and types of manuscripts informative and helpful as they evaluate this journal as a possible repository for their most original and most significant scientific findings, conclusions, and opinions.