As we embark on a new year, it seems appropriate to pause and assess how the journal Particle & Particle Systems Characterization (hereafter referred to as Particle) has grown since its launch as a multidisciplinary, materials-science-focused journal at the start of 2013. From the outset, we intended to cover a broad spectrum of topics in the journal, ranging from the synthesis and characterization of particles to the application of these particles in areas such as biomedicine, catalysis, environmental science, micro/nano-electromechanical applications, micro/nano-fluidics, molecular electronics, photonics, sensing, and other areas. A quick look at the word cloud (Figure 1) generated from the keywords of all articles published in 2013 and 2014 shows that we are accomplishing our initial aim of producing a multidisciplinary journal that serves various communities. Naturally, after two years of submissions to the journal we were curious to see the origin of the manuscripts that we publish. In Figure 2, we present an overview of publications per region. While citations to published papers are by no means the only measure to assess the impact of work, they can provide some indication as to the importance and urgency of the results presented in a particular field of research—assuming that authors cite work that is of high relevance to their own ongoing research endeavours. At this point, it is worth reminding readers that in order for the references to Particle to be correctly recorded (for example, in CrossRef, Pubmed, or ISI Web of Knowledge), the correct Chemical Abstracts Service Source Index (CASSI) abbreviation—Part. Part. Syst. Charact.—must be used for citations. Deviations of this standard abbreviation result in incorrect bibliographic information, making it more difficult for our readers/your fellow researchers to discover your published work. Table 1 provides a list of the highest cited articles published in 2013. We are pleased with the range of topics presented, which, judging by the level of manuscript submissions to the journal and the positive feedback we receive when talking to researchers, appeals to the journal's broad readership. In the relatively short history of Particle, we have benefited greatly from the support of our Editorial Advisory Board and Executive Board members and the broader academic community. Through a number of collaborations, we have to date published three special issues (Figure 3) on Remotely Controlled Colloids, Interfaces, and Biosystems (guest editors: Gleb Sukhorukov, Igor Luzinov, and Sergiy Minko), The Basque Country regional special issue (guest editor: Luis M. Liz-Marzán), and Particles for Healthcare Applications (guest editors: Bin Liu, Xiaohu Gao, and Lanry Lin Yue Yung). One milestone of note for Particle and one of its sister journals, Advanced Optical Materials (also published first issue in Jan. 2013) was the attainment of the journal's first immediacy index, which was announced in July 2014. The immediacy index for Particle is 0.805 and that for Advanced Optical Materials is 0.867. The Immediacy Index—calculated each year by Thomson Reuters ISI—is the average number of times an article is cited in the year it is published. It indicates the topicality and urgency of work published in a scientific journal. These are excellent results that reflect the high-quality of work published in the first year of both journals. Particle and Advanced Optical Materials will obtain their first partial impact factors in June 2015. Other journals in the Advanced Materials journal family are shown in Figure 4. Our newest additions, Advanced Science and Advanced Electronic Materials, are now open for submissions. A concise overview of all the journals in the Advanced Materials family (such as journal scope, editorial board members, editorial contact details, keywords, and sample published articles) can be found here: http://www.wiley-vch.de/journals/booklets/AMjournalfamily/. In conclusion, we would like most sincerely to thank: our editorial advisory board and executive board members to whom we are indebted for their continued support; our ever-expanding database of referees, who give their time to provide their expert opinion on work, enabling us to publish manuscripts of the highest standard; and last but by no means least to our authors, who entrust their best work to our journal. The editorial team is looking forward to a continued collaboration as the journal grows in the coming years. To be alerted of articles as soon as they are published, you can follow the Early View section on our Wiley Online Library homepage (www.particle-journal.com) and/or follow us on Twitter.