Editor's Report for 2000

Abstract

The year 2000 was another successful year for The Journal of Investigative Dermatology. The finances of the Journal remained healthy. Publication statistics for 2000 The Journal published 300 original manuscripts in 2000, representing a 9% increase over 1999 figures Table I. Aside from original articles, which include regular articles, communications, and mutation reports, the Journal published reviews, book reviews, meeting reports, abstracts, and letters. The Journal of Investigative Dermatology Symposium Proceedings published one issue, comprising articles from the annual SNOWMASS meeting.Table IJID and JIDSP publication statistics, 1991–20001991199219931994199519961997199819992000Original reports publishedaFrom 1998, this calculation includes regular articles, review articles, mutation reports, communications, editorials, and historical notes. A physical count of articles preceding 1998 has not been performed.323250244268281337224323277300JIDSP articles34548344593718326514Editorial pages1995170514991652167720221623210618792117JIDSP pages10022451421617121010618434386Abstract pages187194308259280296326262305272Total pages2282212323212127212825282055260825272475a From 1998, this calculation includes regular articles, review articles, mutation reports, communications, editorials, and historical notes. A physical count of articles preceding 1998 has not been performed. Open table in a new tab Manuscripts received in 2000 The Journal office received 691 manuscripts in 2000, 677 for The Journal of Investigative Dermatology and 14 for The Journal of Investigative Dermatology Symposium Proceedings. This corresponds to a 9% decrease over submissions in 1999, principally due to the lower number of Journal of Investigative Dermatology Symposium Proceedings issues published in 2000. About 84% or 581 submissions were manuscripts with original data. The remaining were reviews, letters, meeting reports, book reviews, or other features. Of the 581 original manuscripts, 249 (43%) were rejected and the remainder were returned to the authors for revision or resubmission with additional data before being accepted for publication Table II.Table IIFate of original manuscripts submitted, 1991–20001991199219931994199519961997199819992000Submitted514561576633618623619658597581Accept, Revise, Resubmit29228530831331327129533333933257%51%54%49%51%44%48%52%57%57%Reject22227626832030536732432525824943%49%46%51%49%56%52%48%43%43% Open table in a new tab The review process Manuscripts received in 2000 were reviewed according to the process as outlined in the June 1997 editorial (Hauser, 1997Hauser C. Change and continuity.J Invest Dermatol. 1997; 108: 837Crossref Google Scholar). Sixty-five per cent of manuscripts were sent to section or associate editors who assigned reviewers, and the remaining 35% were sent directly from the editor to reviewers. The section and associate editors were responsible for receiving and evaluating reviews before providing a decision (section editors) or a recommended decision (associate editors) to the editor, who in turn notified the authors. About 5% of manuscripts were returned after brief editorial review (1 wk). About 95% of manuscripts received in 2000 were made available to editors and reviewers online. On 1 December 2000, the Journal officially launched its new online manuscript submission and review system (http://www.jid.manuscriptcentral.com). Since this date, all new submissions have been reviewed online. Manuscripts are either submitted directly by authors, or by Blackwell Science's support center on behalf of authors. The average time in review decreased in 2000 (57 d) Table III. The introduction of Manuscript Central had a dramatic effect on time in review. Initial statistics for manuscripts reviewed with the new system show an average time in review of 43.5 d, almost 2 wk faster than the average figure for all manuscripts reviewed in 2000, and 17 d faster than the average time in review for manuscripts posted on the old JID manuscript review site.Table IIIAverage days in review 1991–2000YearRegularCommunication19916641199263531993574119945540199552401996454019975656199852521999606020005757 Open table in a new tab Geographic origin of manuscripts Table IV Manuscripts were received from 39 countries; 28% were from the U.S.A., 17% from Japan, 13% from Germany, 6% from the U.K., and the remaining 36% from other countries.Table IVGeographic origin of submitted manuscripts, 1991–2000Country1991199219931994199519961997199819992000Argentina0001030011Australia910109101419191822Austria151081216179211918Bahrain0001000000Belgium25623641058Brazil0010323122Bulgaria0000000100Canada78191513171410812Chile0100011000Colombia0000202100Croatia0001000000Cuba0000100000Czech Republic0110001011Denmark891010121458127Egypt0100000000Estonia0000000001Finland5127512157111110France28412431233936443037Germany34655476826810010512090Greece2101011221Hong Kong0000000001Hungary1110221536India3230231301Iran0000000101Iraq0000000001Ireland0010011101Israel2537862564Italy815819232818283521Japan7071738378829811399118Korea0002355121010Kuwait0000011000Mexico0311022022New Zealand0000111321Norway1341240212Pakistan0100000000Peoples Republic of China4310141023Poland0011333113Portugal0000001010Russia0010000100Singapore0001000002Slovenia0000000010South Africa1102001000Spain263710711896Sudan0000000001Sweden417712131115141511Switzerland66141117317182120Taiwan0001362712Thailand0000000001the Netherlands17302328183026271922Tunisia0000000100Turkey0001010002U.K.37434242575648516745U.S.A.238261296317312238237235193194Yugoslavia1200100000 Open table in a new tab Developments in 2000 The JID site on HighWire (http://www.jidonline.org) went live in March 2000 and was freely accessible until the end of October 2000. The full content of JID's online version on Synergy (http://www.blackwell-synergy.com) continued to be free for members of the SID and ESDR. The two online versions of JID were used frequently. JID on Synergy had about 55 000 pages views and on HighWire about 143 000 pages were consulted in 2000. In 2000, the abstracts of the SID and the ESDR meetings were available on the Internet (Synergy) in a searchable form. JID's new online peer-review and prepublication system termed Manuscript Central, a product from ScholarOne, was tested and adapted in collaboration with Blackwell and ScholarOne from March to November 2000. As mentioned, the new system was introduced for all manuscripts in December 2000. The 2000 Impact Factor dropped slightly from 4.903 for 1999 to 4.539.