FROM THE EDITOR

Tracking the Green Millennium

I am fortunate indeed to be assuming the editorship of THE PLANT CELL, a journal that has maintained its preeminence during the past decade by bringing to you some of the most important and significant research papers in modern plant biology. By continuing to realize the goals that were set for it over 10 years ago—minimizing the time between article submission and publication, providing high quality reproduction of images and text, and publishing only those papers that report highly novel and significant findings—THE PLANT CELL will continue to have a major impact on plant biology as we move into the next millennium.

The PLANT CELL's achievements to date are reflected in two of the most recent rankings of the journal's impact, as estimated by the Institute for Scientific Information's (ISI) analyses of the frequency with which articles published in the journal are cited throughout the scientific literature. Our 1996 impact factor of 9.579 is highest by far among the plant science research journals, and it places THE PLANT CELL twelfth among all major biologically oriented journals in a cluster with Molecular Biology of the Cell and Development. Research published in THE PLANT CELL is also extremely current—ISI's 1996 "immediacy index" for the journal, an estimate of how often papers we published in 1996 were cited in other articles published that year, places THE PLANT CELL closest in ranking to EMBO Journal and FASEB Journal, within reach of the top five biological journals.

The continued excellence of the research published in THE PLANT CELL results in large part from the efforts of Bob Goldberg, the founding editor, and his successor, Brian Larkins. They have both been able to instill in their coeditors the tradition of selecting only the most novel and creative articles—those that make the most significant contributions to our basic understanding of plant growth and development. The journal's coeditors have all made their mark as well, but, unfortunately, they cannot stay with us forever. Indeed, changes in the editorial board will continue as Tim Nelson, Steve Briggs, and John Mullet rotate off in the next few months. They have each made major contributions, especially Tim Nelson, who has been on our editorial board since June 1989.

I must also acknowledge the contributions that the journal's staff have made toward meeting these objectives. Outgoing Managing Editor Judy Grollman was instrumental in establishing the manuscript tracking and journal production protocols that have enabled us to meet our tight publication schedules. As Brian Larkins, Bob Goldberg, and I have stated, Judy's dedicated efforts to ensure the efficacy of these procedures while simultaneously upholding the journal's rigorous production standards will be sorely missed. Her example has set a model of excellence to which all of us associated with THE PLANT CELL will be challenged to adhere. The remainder of the journal's staff, Crispin Taylor (and his predecessor Rebecca Chasan), Annette Kessler, and Catherine Balogh, have all contributed their efforts toward this high standard, and they have helped to make the journal what it is today.

As Editor, I will continue to follow the basic policies that have made THE PLANT CELL the best plant science research journal, and I will strive to further improve its publication of very high impact papers. Toward this goal, THE PLANT CELL will continue to review papers covering broad areas of plant science and the associated technologies. We will concentrate on full articles describing novel and significant findings that will have an impact on all aspects of plant biology, from molecules and cells to physiology and evolution.

The journal's emphasis on papers that focus on plant cell and developmental biology, signaling pathways, plant/microbe/animal interactions, and molecular trafficking at the intracellular, intercellular, and whole plant levels will certainly continue. It is also likely that findings in emerging areas, such as genomics and developmental evolution, will begin to infiltrate the pages of THE PLANT CELL, as will papers concerned with mechanisms that regulate the biosynthesis of primary and secondary metabolites. Moreover, we will continue to encourage submission of reports detailing significant findings from the widest possible range of plant and microbial species—what matters most is that the data are of general import and relevance to plant biology.

In addition to maintaining our emphasis on publishing cutting-edge plant science research, under my direction THE PLANT CELL will also be implementing a number of new formats aimed at expanding the scope of the front section of the journal. These are expected to include editorials or commentaries that provide perspectives on newly emerging areas, themes, and/or models, or that discuss policy debates and issues of interest to our readership. As always, we will deeply appreciate your willingness to help out when we invite you to make contributions along these lines, and I would welcome your comments or suggestions aimed at keeping THE PLANT CELL at the forefront of plant science communications.

Clearly, it is you, our authors, reviewers, and readers, who are ultimately responsible for the quality of this journal. You submit your best work to THE PLANT CELL and you offer constructive but critical reviews of the contributions of your colleagues. The editorial board greatly appreciates your efforts, and we will continue to expect the highest possible standards. Keep up the good work!

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