In late 2009 the Royal Society of New Zealand (RSNZ) made some significant changes to the editorial and production processes of all its scientific journals. As a result, the New Zealand Journal of Botany is now edited by a new team of practising scientists who are specialists in their fields, and who are ideally placed to ensure that papers published in the journal are a product of good, current research.
At the same time, the RSNZ took the opportunity to enter a partnership with Taylor & Francis, a professional, international scientific journal publication house, to publish the journals. The journal is now published via their Informaworld platform, is indexed in all the major abstracting and indexing databases, and is now available to an enormous range of organisational libraries through a variety of specialised mechanisms. This has given the journal significant exposure in a truly international market.
There have also been several new benefits for authors, including the adoption of a fully electronic (web-based) submission and review process for papers, and the potential for rapid publication of papers in electronic form as soon as they have been accepted by the editorial team and copy edited by Taylor & Francis.
The new editorial structure consists of a Senior Editor, assisted by a team of Associate Editors and supported by the editorial team at the RSNZ. Reviewers are also a crucial part of any journal's success and the work they do is often unrecognised. During 2010 the new editors have been well supported by the expertise offered by reviewers from a wide range of institutions, all over the world. I would like take this opportunity to express my personal appreciation of the work done by reviewers and editors alike.
The new ScholarOne web-based submission system makes it very easy for authors to submit manuscripts, and for editors and referees to process them promptly. As a result, the time to publication has been reduced significantly. When added to the potential for electronic iFirst publication, we can offer an attractive venue for publication.
Ultimately, any journal is only as good as its content. This year has seen a significant increase in the quality of the material accepted for publication and, as a result, rejection rates are rising. We are looking forward to continuing this trend in 2011, and we will continue seeking good research papers, short communications, and review articles.
I hope these changes and improvements will encourage you and your colleagues to submit your best research to the Royal Society of New Zealand for publication, and I look forward to receiving some interesting manuscripts in 2011.