Message from the Editor

Abstract

With this issue of Epilepsia, a new publisher's name appears on the cover and our masthead. The International League Against Epilepsy is pleased to inaugurate its partnership with Blackwell Science, who, effective January 1, 2001, has assumed responsibility for producing, distributing, selling, and marketing Epilepsia worldwide. Selection of Blackwell as the next publisher was a year-long process delegated by President Jerome Engel, Jr., to a subcommittee of the ILAE Executive Committee. The Publisher Search Subcommittee was expertly assisted by Dr. Morna Conway, an invaluable consultant who taught, guided, and counseled us superbly. We are all in her debt. Like many publishers, Blackwell Science has its roots in book selling in 19th century England. Indeed, the Blackwell bookshop in Oxford remains a central part of the Blackwell group. By the early 20th century, the Blackwells decided to become publishers as well and founded Basil Blackwell, Ltd., in the 1920s. The initial lists emphasized social sciences, but Blackwell Science was established in 1939 to publish books related to medicine and science. Although it can hardly have been an auspicious time to start a new publishing venture, Blackwell Science not only survived the war and paper shortages, but it also prospered. From the original office in Oxford, England, the company has expanded to include publishing offices in Berlin, Boston, Melbourne, Paris, Tokyo, and Vienna. Journal production occurs in London and Edinburgh. We learned that Blackwell has been consistently rated in recent years among the top scientific/technical/medical publishers in the world, and in today's climate of never-ending mergers, Blackwell remains the only independent and family-owned major scientific and medical publisher. With Blackwell, our goals are simple and relate to one overarching objective: to ensure the presence of Epilepsia worldwide as the definitive journal for basic and clinical research related to epilepsy. As part of our new strategy, we shall be involving Blackwell's overseas companies to expand circulation and tailor advertising to local markets. In this regard, we will work closely with ILAE chapters, medical schools, and leading neurologists and epileptologists around the world. But perhaps the most exciting aspect is Blackwell's keen interest and expertise in online publishing. Epilepsia already appears on-line in a handsome electronic version, but there is now the capability of adding much more: additional technical detail, expanded tables, more figures, three-dimensional reconstructions, continuous video-EEG, interactive figures, animations, and much more. Sophisticated search engines and external linking to other journals and databases are being developed and will benefit all readers. The Editorial Office will soon be installing software for on-line electronic review of manuscripts, which will also eventually allow fully electronic submission of manuscripts by authors and thus a much faster turnaround time. Epilepsia Digest will be reinvigorated and expanded to countries outside India and Pakistan. As Blackwell and ILAE build on the unique contributions each brings to the partnership, I envisage major changes being implemented over the next 2 years that will take full advantage of the Internet and World-Wide Web capabilities. On behalf of the Journal and ILAE, we welcome James A. Krosschell, Senior Vice President and Publisher, and his staff, and we look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with Blackwell Science.