In assuming the mantle of Pietro di Prampero as Editor-in-Chief of the European Journal of Applied Physiology in2007, I threw down a multi-faceted gage: ‘‘How can wepromote the publication of high-quality and front-lineintegrative and translational research in EJAP?’’ and‘‘What steps can we take to encourage more investigatorsto view EJAP as the journal-of-choice for their submis-sions?’’ (Ward 2009). As EJAP welcomes its new jointEditors-in-Chief, Ha˚kan Westerblad and Klaas Westerterp,it is an appropriate juncture to consider how well we haverisen to these challenges during my tenure as Editor-in-Chief.1. Promotion of integrative and translational physiologyA long-standing and central tenet for EJAP has been itscommitment to integrative physiology across a range ofapplied contexts. We have been able to progress thisthrough the series of initiatives upon which we embarkedto better ‘‘position’’ EJAP in the international appliedphysiology arena.For example, impetus has been injected by the ReviewsEditor, Nigel Taylor, through his commissioning ofreviews from ‘‘leaders in the field’’ both on an individualbasis and also as thematic review clusters (a new venturefor EJAP) in areas such as blood pressure regulation, spacephysiology and physiological employment standards, andwhich are now in the publication ‘‘pipeline’’. We havecontinued in the tradition of publishing selected papersfrom major international conferences as Special Issues andSpecial Issue Clusters: ‘‘Environmental Ergonomics’’ in2008, edited by Igor Mekjavic, Nigel Taylor and Pietro diPrampero (12th International Conference on Environmen-tal Ergonomics: Piran, Slovenia, 2007); ‘‘Physiology andPharmacology of Temperature Regulation’’ in 2010, editedby Tatsuo Watanabe, George Havenith and Nigel Taylor(3rd International Symposium on Physiology and Phar-macology of Temperature Regulation: Matsue, Japan,2009); and ‘‘Electrical Stimulation for NeuromuscularTesting and Training’’ in 2011, edited by Roberto Bottinelli(XVIII Congress of the International Society of Electro-physiology and Kinesiology: Aalborg, Denmark, 2010).We have furthered translational applied physiologythrough selective appointments of both Editors and Advi-sory Editors. This has been reflected in a growing numberof submissions having a clinical context: for example,studies addressing exercise-based interventions in patientpopulations such as metabolic syndrome, obesity, diabetes,muscle disease, cancer, heart and lung disease, and spinalcord injury. We have also seen a significant number ofsubmissions in the areas of genomics, proteomics andmetabolomics. However, systems biology (Greenhaff andHargreaves 2011) and ‘‘in silico’’ modelling and simulationremain ‘‘emerging’’ areas for the journal.2. Promoting EJAP as a ‘‘journal of choice’’ Thejournal’s ISI-generated impact factor continues on a risingtrajectory, increasing from 1.601 in 2006 to 2.147 in 2011(a 34 % increase). But this should not lead to complacency,as our competitor journals have generally enjoyed rathersimilar proportional gains. Nonetheless, EJAP is clearlybecoming more attractive, as evidenced by the strikingincrease (almost a doubling) in the number of submit-ted manuscripts: from 722 in 2006–2007 to 1,324 in2011–2012. And, despite the journal’s heritage, we are nowin a position where non-European submissions are domi-nant (59 % in 2012).