Message from the Incoming Editor in Chief

Abstract

Microbiology and its investigators, the Microbiologists have been growing and developing in isolation. It is perhaps the art and science involved behind isolation and maintenance of microbes as pure cultures, which makes them the most cultured among the scientific community. Microbiology has been extending its boundaries in diverse scientific fields. Most of the biologists today while working in close association with microbes are still are able to maintain their individual identities as Biochemists, Pathologists, Botanists, Zoologists, Molecular biologists, Geologists, etc. The academic and commercial values of microbes has suddenly surged with the realization that these ubiquitous organisms are present in large numbers as symbionts in human digestive system and influence our life styles, govern production of industrially important foods, drugs, agricultural products, etc. Quite a few molecular biologists, environmentalists, zoologists, botanists among others are now dealing with microbes and hence it is no surprise that a few thousand microbial genomes have been sequenced. This has opened doors even for the experts from the field of Information Technology, for bringing in their expertise to handle large amounts of data generated by high through put machines. Microbiology beyond integrating scientists from diverse fields has also blurred the rigid separating boundaries to the extent that even chemists as nanotechnologists have also joined the race. The Indian Journal of Microbiology (INJM) through the time course has undergone dramatic transformations. The most magnificent turn came with the initiative of Prof. Dr. Rup Lal, when he became Editor in Chief in 2007. He raised INJM to a higher platform immediately after assuming charge as EIC. His initiatives led to the shaping up of the joint venture between AMI and Springer in 2007. He has been instrumental in transforming INJM from primarily a basic microbiological research oriented journal to its present state of orientation involving Microbial Genomics and Metagenomics. It can be expected to catch up with any of the Modern day International journals in Microbiology and Molecular biology. The diversity of disciplines of research papers is equally matched by the contributing authors, who are working in research Institutes based in around 40 countries from almost all the continents. Under the able and dynamic leadership of Prof. Dr. Rup Lal, I have learnt the various aspects necessary in continuously improving the quality of the journal. Introduction of a pre-screening of the articles enabled a quality control step, reduced the work load of the Editors and reviewers, bringing smile to the authors, who could now receive a quick decision regarding their document within a short waiting period. With the switch over of charge of EIC from Prof. Dr. Rup Lal to me, the journal will be achieving more heights as his guidance will still be at hand, since he is going to take charge of President of AMI. I look forward to a bright future for INJM and expect it to compete with Journals of international repute.