Editorial

Abstract

Geographical Research has been transformed in many ways over the last year. There is a new team of editors and a new editorial administrator, Dr Alexandra Wong. The handover to the new team coincides with the release of the journal's first impact score of 1.29. This rating positions Geographical Research in 27th place among the world's 61 ISI-listed geography journals, a highly significant achievement in the journal's history. The impact score recognises Geographical Research as a significant research journal presenting quality articles from both Australian and international authors. The excellent listing reflects the high standard of editing that has typified Geographical Research throughout its substantial history. Particular mention must be made of the retiring editorial team – Roy Jones, Arthur Conacher and George Curry – whose efforts in reframing the journal as a genuinely international research endeavour contributed substantially to the impact score success. The guidance of Geographical Research's distinguished editorial board also helped in a major way, as did the journal's team of expert referees who generously contribute their time and expertise on a continuous basis. Most importantly, though, the impact score acknowledges the genuinely international quality of the research articles published by Geographical Research for which credit flows undiluted to the journal's contributors. The scoring of Geographical Research as a leading journal is nothing more than the accumulated merit scores of each of the journal's individual articles. So the journal's authors should be very proud of their achievement. Another major transformation of the journal has been its migration to the ScholarOne Manuscripts publishing platform. ScholarOne Manuscripts enables the complex stages of submission, refereeing and review to be undertaken within an online platform. Manuscripts are managed more efficiently and can proceed to full publication in a timely manner, with a full audit trail available for monitoring and back-up. The days of a manuscript waiting for attention on a busy editor's or referee's desk, or an original file disappearing from an author's personal computer, are over. The shift to ScholarOne Manuscripts coincides with the renewal by the Institute of Australian Geographers of its publishing contract with Wiley-Blackwell. Subscribers to the journal, and to the new Wiley Online Library, will know the high quality services that the Wiley-Blackwell organisation provides. An excellent new feature is Early View which enables the online release and dissemination of articles that have been approved for publication without being delayed by placement in a print issue of the journal. Other online publication initiatives are planned in this exciting time of new digital media and production technologies. Wiley-Blackwell is a leading global publishing house with a core of quality geography journals. The editors look forward to an ongoing productive partnership where the quality and status of the journal will continuously improve. The journal will soon commence its 50th volume of publishing history, a rare achievement in any media, and a distinguished event indeed in academic research publishing. All four issues of Volume 50 during 2012 will carry special features to celebrate this golden milestone. We look forward to announcing these to you over the coming issues. Finally, and most importantly, we encourage you to continue the fine tradition of publishing quality geographical research in the journal. Please submit your manuscripts to: http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/geor. Innovative and provocative contributions from new and experienced researchers are always welcome.