More than just surviving

Abstract

According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), responding to the suggestion that the world as we know it will cease to exist on 21 December 2012, “Nothing bad will happen to the Earth in 2012” [1]. For those of us still planning to be around in 2013 and beyond, NASA’s confident prediction will offer some reassurance. It’s particularly reassuring to those involved in this Journal, for we have plans that extend beyond the coming year. Some of those plans are already starting to come to fruition, hence this New Year’s message. The most obvious change is in Anaesthesia’s appearance. We think of this as less of a new design, more of a ‘freshening up’, with what we hope will be a cleaner look whilst still retaining the characteristic feel of the previous volumes. Our policy of using colour where it aids clarity, and not just for the sake of it, will continue. The broad style of the Journal’s sections will remain, but reflecting the increasing number of specialist societies whose meeting abstracts we publish, that section will get a new, ‘abstracty’ look. Anaesthesia has always been adventurous when it comes to considering new types of item; for example, the ‘Snippet’ feature first appeared in 2005 and is still going strong [2, 3]. In this issue, we introduce a rather more serious type of article, the ‘Science Letter’ [4], with a challenge to those doing research that may not appear so accessible (or appealing) to our clinical readers to use this opportunity to explain why their work is important to clinicians. We invite researchers to take up this challenge. Other new developments planned for launch this year include the web-based resource Anaesthesia Cases, a repository of case reports held and maintained by the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain & Ireland (AAGBI) but with input from the Journal, and an online Continuous Professional Development facility whereby readers can answer online multiple choice questions on selected articles in Anaesthesia. We now have a Facebook page [5]; use of Twitter and access to the Journal from smartphones and tablets is also under development. Our successful Airways Supplement was published very recently [6] and our supplement programme continues. ‘Special collections’ of related articles, available online via a single page [7], build on our previous successful ‘virtual issue’ format. Our collection of ‘Classic Papers’ [8], commentaries on landmark papers from the Journal’s back catalogue, is growing nicely. Use of our Journal [9] and Correspondence [10] websites continues to soar and our Impact Factor, much bemoaned by editorial boards when it’s low or falling but dearly loved when it’s rising, has moved sharply upwards. Editorially, our team has benefited from a new International Advisory Panel of enthusiastic and supportive individuals [11]. Not that we wish to appear complacent. There are increasing time- and cost-pressures on investigators, authors, editors and publishers and a seemingly limitless expansion in new technology and expectations to deal with. In such an environment it can be difficult to focus on the basic values that this Journal has always espoused, namely clinical relevance and readability, whilst maintaining our good relationship with authors and readers. Be reassured, though, that these aims are always at the fore. The imminent arrival of a new year is often accompanied by a combination of relief, excitement and foreboding. The world has some serious problems to face – NASA’s reassurance notwithstanding – but here in Journal-land at least, we’re more than just surviving. I am grateful to all the members of the Editorial Team, Editorial Board and Wiley-Blackwell for their dedication and support, and to all authors and readers and investigators who have submitted work to the Journal. I apologise for all rejections and for any mistakes, and wish you all the very best for 2012.