This is both a public and personal thank you to the authors of papers published in CRT in 2023 and the external reviewers of those papers. As we begin the 54th year of publication of CRT, I want to express my heartfelt appreciation to each of the authors of the papers published in the past year. As a scientific author and editor, I understand the amount of effort that is required to prepare a scientific review paper that meets the high standards of CRT. In the main authors are rewarded when their papers are published, frequently read and cited by others.
I would also like to highlight the critical role of external reviewers of papers submitted to CRT, which uses a “single-blinded” review process (i.e. the identity of the reviewers, selected by the editor, is not revealed to the authors). Conducting a review of manuscripts being considered for publication in CRT requires real effort and background knowledge since papers submitted to CRT frequently deal with complex scientific issues. The voluntary service of reviewers is invaluable, and I thank each of them for it. A special acknowledgement goes out to those individuals who have reviewed multiple papers this year and, in many cases, consistently over many years. The ongoing contribution reviewers make to the Journal’s existence and success is noteworthy. Year after year we receive emails from authors thanking us for the thorough comments they received on their manuscripts. This year was no exception. I am pleased to continue receiving such positive feedback. The role of both authors and anonymous reviewers in maintaining the high quality of publications CRT is known for publishing is crucial. I am grateful for the dedication of both our authors and reviewers.
I am also delighted to share that CRT holds a commendable Scimago Journal & Country Rank (SJR). For 2022, the last year for which data is available, CRT ranked 15th out of 128 toxicology journals published. This accomplishment reflects the collective efforts of our dedicated authors and external reviewers as well as our editorial and production teams. We take pride in being in the top tier of journals in our field and extend our gratitude to you, as authors and reviewers, for the integral part you play in the Journal’s successful journey over more than a half century.
In addition, I am pleased to note that the Journal continues to have a wide-reaching global presence, both in terms of readership and authorship. In 2023, papers accepted in CRT were submitted from 20 different countries around the globe. Additional information on the Journals metrics as well as the latest articles can be found on our homepage. I encourage you to regularly read the papers published in CRT online and follow the metrics as they develop for the papers most recently published. It is a pleasure to see how soon a new paper reaches 1000 downloads and starts to be cited by other authors.
I look forward to working with authors, external reviewers, and our editorial and production team again in the coming year. I encourage you to consider submitting your high-quality scientific review manuscripts to the Journal. If you have any questions about the suitability of your prospective review paper, please do not hesitate to contact me directly. I'm excited about the subject matter of manuscripts that I know are being prepared or are already being reviewed, revised and processed for publication in 2024.
Since many of our reviewers prefer to remain anonymous at CRT, we will no longer publish the names of reviewers. If individuals desire formal acknowledgment of their service in a letter from the Editor, please contact me. Moreover, I want to note that the ScholarOne system allows researchers to receive recognition for their peer review contributions through Web of Science, a platform that allows scientists to effortlessly track their valuable peer review contributions to multiple journals. If you opt in by creating a web of science profile with a free account (see link below to learn more about Web of Science) you will have ready access to a record of your reviews for Critical Reviews in Toxicology.