Twenty years of Frontiers

Abstract

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. Our two decades in publication offer much to celebrate! Under the expert leadership of founding editor-in-chief Sue Silver, Frontiers was introduced as an experiment in publishing for the Ecological Society of America (ESA). A new type of journal, Frontiers bucked the norm in several ways. One of Frontiers’ hallmarks – part of its ongoing legacy – was its inclusion of non-peer-reviewed content, including editorials, science news, and essays, as well as themed series (such as “Ethical Issues in Ecology”, “Natural History Notes”, and “Exploring Ecological Careers”), all of which appealed to and provided insight for a diverse audience. Perhaps most influentially, Frontiers challenged the prevailing standards in ecological publishing and expanded the breadth of ESA's existing journals by taking a broadly multidisciplinary – and increasingly interdisciplinary – approach to applied science. The experiment worked! Frontiers’ content created new standards for ESA's publishing endeavor, in which pushing the traditional boundaries of ecological science became normalized. Soon thereafter, prospective authors working at or beyond those boundaries found a home at ESA, followed quickly by research professionals outside of academia. Frontiers has prided itself on uniting diverse audiences around the greater goal of applied environmental and ecological problem solving. For a professional society that has had its share of internecine debates over the role of basic versus applied science, Frontiers helped a forward-looking ESA bolster its position in the field of applied science. Along the way, Frontiers established itself as a premier international science journal. No longer experimental, Frontiers’ diverse content promoted new norms in interdisciplinary problem-oriented science while enjoying broad and meaningful appeal – as reflected in its rapid growth in both quantity and quality of submissions, increased selectivity, upward slope in impact factor, and enviable rankings among both ecology and environmental science journals. Frontiers’ achievements owe so much to its dedicated staff – managing editor Pete Mooreside, assistant editor Sabrina Levey, and their predecessors – and to its extensive community of editorial board members and peer reviewers. This gratitude is of course true for all of ESA's journals, where we care deeply about the roles played and respect deserved by the many individuals whose efforts are essential to our accomplishments. Frontiers’ success has allowed us to focus attention on the concerns of the communities we wish to support. Among the most important challenges we face is to overcome barriers – both longstanding and newly developing – that impede the participation of historically under-represented individuals in publishing. The history of scholarly publishing has been largely white, male, and geographically North American and Western European. At Frontiers, as at ESA more broadly, we take very seriously the challenge of inclusion and equity in publishing. In the past few years, we have made strides to move beyond self-imposed boundaries in our beliefs about the nature of science and its connection to the diverse cultural norms and experiences of the people who undertake it. In this vein, Frontiers, other ESA journals, and ESA programs have partnered with the Society's Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Black Ecologists sections, worked closely with member communities inordinately disadvantaged by the pandemic (such as researchers who are also primary caregivers), and collaborated with other societies and groups to advance goals of equity and inclusion in our publishing endeavors. As scholarly publishing evolves, we will redouble our efforts to face the challenges ahead. Applied ecological and environmental science remains vital to addressing climate instability, landscape change, biodiversity loss, political volatility, and much else. We continue striving to integrate our many goals, most especially publishing cutting-edge, relevant science while elevating the voices of under-represented groups of scholars and practitioners who are dedicated to building the communities that will be necessary to address these problems. I take solace in these efforts as I announce that I will be leaving my position as editor-in-chief of Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. In the coming weeks, I will step into the role of ESA's Director of Publishing and a new Frontiers editor-in-chief will be named. I am excited to maintain my close relationship with Frontiers and the entire ESA journal portfolio. I close with a half-serious history lesson. One under-recognized aspect of Frontiers’ backstory is that it was “the first Frontiers” – launched in 2003, its title predated those from a subsequent family of unrelated but similarly named journals now ubiquitous in the pantheon of science publishing. In our 20 years, ESA's Frontiers has strived to set a very high standard for inclusive, equitable, cutting-edge science. We look forward to continuing that tradition!