Welcome to the first issue of Clinical Toxicology in 2009! The purpose of this editorial is to provide a brief overview of our 2008 performance before outlining key strategic aims of the journal in 2009.
The journal published 196 papers in 2008, an 35% increase on the number published in 2007, which demonstrates the popularity of the journal, especially among its core readership – members of its three sponsoring societies: the American Academy of Clinical Toxicology (AACT), the European Association of Poisons Centres and Clinical Toxicologists (EAPCCTs), and the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCCs). In addition, the Impact Factor increased to 1.706 after its previous dip due to its name change from the Journal of Toxicology to Clinical Toxicology.
At a recent Senior Editorial Board meeting, a challenging target was set to reach an Impact Factor of 3.00 in 2011. How are we going to achieve this? Core to this are several initiatives. First, for 2009, our goal is to reach a final decision on each manuscript within 30 days of submission. Papers accepted for publication following peer review will be published online ahead of print within 3 months of acceptance and will be published in print within 6 months of acceptance. A fast-track option will be available for highly rated submissions.
Second, 2009 will see the publication of commissioned review articles. To kick off this initiative, there are three reviews in this first issue of 2009. Look for more exciting review topics throughout the year.
Third, the journal will continue to publish the abstracts from the NAACT and EAPCCT annual meetings, as well as the AAPCC Annual Poison Center Report – key contributors to the Clinical Toxicology publication calendar.
In addition, from 2009, Case Reports/Brief Communications published in the journal will be available open access online, with the aim of maximizing the visibility of this important article type.
In addition to the above, the journal will continue to publish high-quality original research articles in a timely manner, which make up the cornerstone of Clinical Toxicology’s content.
To help authors understand the requirements of the journal prior to article submission, the Instructions for Authors have been updated, and can be found on the website at www.informapharmascience.com/ctx
Speaking of the website, an exciting development in 2009 is the migration of Clinical Toxicology to a new platform, hosted by Atypon Systems, Inc. The new platform hosts the entire Clinical Toxicology archive, which is fully available to all current subscribers. See www.informapharmascience.com for more details, and to sign up for free electronic table of contents alerts.
I hope you enjoy the upcoming volume of Clinical Toxicology. If you are interested in submitting a manuscript, or wish to provide invaluable reader feedback, please feel free to contact me or have a look on the website. Our aim is to provide the scientific community with both interesting and useful content. To do this, your input is essential.
Happy 2009 and happy reading!