Following on from Professor Janet Bradbury’s kind words in the most recent Avian Pathology editorial I would like to take this opportunity to thank her for her immense contribution to the journal over the last 24 years, first as an Associate Editor and then as Editor-in-Chief. As the fifth Editor-in-Chief Janet has overseen the publication of many important manuscripts. Highlights have included the Long View series of reviews, published in celebration of the journal’s 40th anniversary year, and the recent necrotic enteritis special issue. Happily, we will continue to benefit from Janet’s expertise as she stays on as Assistant Editor-in-Chief.
It is fair to say that poultry production is booming. More chickens and turkeys are being produced across a wider geographic range than ever before. Indeed, more than 62 billion chickens and 650,000 turkeys are now produced every year, providing more than 100 million tonnes of meat and 1.1 trillion eggs. As such, pathogens which affect poultry health and welfare are more important than ever. In recognition of the relevance of these pathogens Avian Pathology will soon be launching a new series of “Hot Topics” opinion pieces. These short articles will emphasize the significance and risk posed by specific pathogens which affect poultry, highlighting key knowledge gaps. The first Hot Topic piece should appear in early 2018 and suggestions for suitable topics will be very welcome.
On a practical note, Avian Pathology has recently started requesting brief “Highlights” to accompany each article and now welcomes the submission of Graphical Abstracts to help promote your work. Options to publish your work with Green and Gold Open Access are available, as is the capacity to publish supplementary datasets.
Finally, I would like to thank everybody at Avian Pathology and the Houghton Trust for their warm welcome as I look forward to many more productive years with the journal.