EDITORIAL

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I am very pleased to be assuming the Editorship of Classical and Quantum Gravity for the next five years. I hope to continue the successfulpolicies that have made this journal well known for its openness to newdevelopments in the field, for the efficiency of its editorial process,and for the quality and importance of its articles.Classical and Quantum Gravity has truly blossomed under the guidance ofits previous Editors-in-Chief, Malcolm MacCallum, Kellogg Stelle, GaryGibbons and Hermann Nicolai. During the past 12 months, a total of 847manuscripts have been submitted, representing an increase of nearly 50%over the past four years alone. Beginning in 2000, the frequency ofpublication was increased from 12 to 24 issues per year. The rate offull-text downloads is now 7200 per month, nearly a three-fold increase overfour years. For regular manuscripts, the average time between receiptand first decision now stands at only 59 days, the receipt-to-acceptancetime is now only 72 days, and the receipt-to-online publication time isonly 116 days. The corresponding times for letters are 36 days, 44 daysand 62 days, respectively. Much of the improvement in refereeing andpublication times can be directly attributed to the state-of-the artWeb-based refereeing system, maintained by the able administration of theIOP editorial team, consisting of Andrew Wray, Joe Tennant, Joanne Rowseand Susannah Bruce. Both the growth in journal size and the decrease inpublication times have been accomplished without any decrease in quality.As one objective measure of this, the 'impact factor' index of Classical and Quantum Gravity has risen steadily over the past four years.Even more significantly, Classical and Quantum Gravity has undergone majorintellectual growth since its founding. In 1984, modern string theory wasin the process of being born, the subject of 'loop quantum gravity' didnot exist at all, 'new inflation' truly was 'new', and the possibility ofobserving gravitational radiation by laser interferometry was not muchmore than a dream. Similarly, neither the power of modern desktopcomputers nor the wealth of present cosmological data was widelyanticipated. The subjects of 'classical and quantum gravity' were verydifferent in 1984 from what they are in 2004, but the journal Classical and Quantum Gravity has kept up with the changes and developments (and, insome cases, revolutions) that have occurred in these areas. Much of thisopenness towards new developments in the field can be attributed to thedistinguished Editorial Board of Classical and Quantum Gravity, comprising a very broad mix of leading researchers, many of whom are working atthe cutting edge of research in their sub-fields.My goal during the next five years is to maintain the open andforward-looking approach that has been characteristic of Classical and Quantum Gravity, while at the same time ensuring that the highestintellectual standards are applied to all work published by the journal.