Renewal of the journal has started

Abstract

We are delighted to announce that the renewed version of the offi cial journal of the Japanese Association for Thoracic Surgery has begun from this issue with the name General Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. The purposes and reasons for renewal were addressed by our former editor-in-chief, Dr. Tatsuno, in his editorial in the October 2006 issue. The journal has already published important selected articles in the fi elds of cardiovascular, pulmonary, and esophageal surgery. The editorial committee now has several plans for raising the journal’s quality further. Members of the Association have achieved a number of accomplishments worldwide and contributed to the development of thoracic surgery. By presenting a series of Memorial Review articles, we would like to introduce this valuable work not only to our members but also to readers residing abroad. The issues currently encountered by our members extend deep and wide. In addition to knowledge of basic medicine, special techniques are often required to solve the problems that arise. Therefore, we believe that it would be a great convenience for busy general thoracic and cardiovascular surgeons to read a review of current topics written by a specialist. We will present these as a series of Current Topics Review articles. We also intend to invite submission of interesting papers presented at the annual meeting of the Association and recommended by the chairman. The former president, Prof. Takamoto, has already recommended papers that were presented at the plenary session of the 59th annual meeting. We will be honored to publish special lectures given by invited noted speakers from around the world. In addition, we are planning to introduce an online submission system with the approval of the board of directors. The procedure for online submission will be quite similar to that already in use by the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, with which you are no doubt familiar. This system will enable authors to check the status of their manuscripts online as they undergo review. We hope that the number of submitted manuscripts will increase with introduction of online submissions. An award system for outstanding articles published in the journal is already in place. Nevertheless, another series of awards will be established for articles that are frequently cited by other journals thereby helping to establish an impact factor. Such articles not only will contribute to raising the quality of the journal but also will make it possible for the journal to be registered in the ISI database. One of the important aims for the immediate future of the journal is to gain an impact factor. We will also provide brief information in the Events of Interest section regarding forthcoming meetings relevant to general thoracic and cardiovascular surgery held in Japan as well as in other countries. Announcements from you are welcome and should be sent to the publisher, Springer Japan, at least two months in advance of publication. Finally, we are pleased to announce that the editorial board, whose members are world-renowned general thoracic and cardiovascular surgeons, has been renewed. The board members have pledged their best efforts so that you can enjoy and benefi t from the renewed version of General Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. Received: 13 November 2006 © The Japanese Association for Thoracic Surgery 2007