From now on the journal Microbial Ecology in Health and Disease is history. The publishing company behind the journal, Informa Healthcare, has decided to close down the journal. The reason is obvious. The Society for Microbial Ecology and Disease (SOMED) has not succeeded in increasing the number of members, and thus, it became impossible for the publisher to continue the journal. I can ensure my readers that both the publisher H. Pårup in Informa Healthcare and President G. Donelli in SOMED have done their very best to prolong the journal. Therefore there are no bad feelings in the Editorial Chair.
Instead, I firstly want to express my sincere gratitude to several important partners behind the journal. I will start with my readers. It has always been a pleasure recognizing that MEDH has been read more widely than its numbers indicate. Therefore, thanks to everyone who has read my journal during these years.
Then my thanks go to all the contributors. It has been an exciting experience being in contact with so many groups of scientists all over the world, to learn more about their topics of interest, their dreams and their attempts to fulfill them. Please continue to be curious; please continue trying to ‘look around the corner’.
Then my sincere gratitude goes to my many reviewers. They are from all over the world. Some of them have received more papers than others, although I have tried not to overload any of them. They have done a great job.
I also give bouquets to my Co-editors and Editorial Board. It has been a pleasure working together with you. You have always been willing to act when I have asked you.
Then I am allowing myself to express a few more personal comments. I think that the most difficult job in being an Editor-in-Chief is to select appropriate reviewers. Over the years, I have experienced over and over again that the fate of a paper depends on my selection of reviewers. Therefore, when choosing reviewers, an Editor has to be neutral. But, he also sometimes has to overrule his own reviewers when he recognizes that they are more focused upon defending their own way of thinking than carefully reviewing the paper in question. I think that is a general phenomenon in our current reviewing system, and I can see a good way out of the problem.
Over the years, I have tried to promote papers from developing countries, realizing that a paper of average standard from such a country may mean more for the authors and their institutions than a similar paper from a well known institution in Europe or the United States. Hopefully, that attitude has been of some value.
I deeply regret that I have not been able to include MEHD in MedLine/PubMed. Both the former Editor-in-Chief, P. Boriello, and I have tried several times, but in vain. We never understood why, and rumors are history.
For the future, I can see a problem that has to be taken seriously: more and more small journals are ‘supported’ by industrial partners. Of course, it might be nice, but not if this relationship has influences on the independence of the journal and the freedom for the Editor-in-Chief. Exchange of results and information should be published, irrespective of whether they may be contrary to present opinions or harmful for an industrial partner. I admit my naivety, but on that point, I will hopefully never change my mind.
Lastly, my sincere thanks go to the staff behind the journal. Over the years, there have been several involved in that job, but it has always been easy and a pleasure to co-operate with them. Out of the many, I will mention two, Managing Editor Sofie Wennström and Production Manager Marie Larsson. I admire your patience with me and your willingness to work hard. You are outstanding professionals.
All the best for the future to all of you.