The New Zealand Journal of Botany (NZJB) continued to flourish in 2011, a clear indication that the publishing partnership with Taylor & Francis is benefitting the journal and its contributors. More than 100 manuscripts were submitted—a 20% increase on the number for 2010—with authors from 26 countries worldwide, which illustrates the breadth of interest our journal now generates. Because all articles were processed using the ScholarOne online peer-review system, the time from submission to acceptance was reduced to an average of 110 days, and in many cases it was far shorter. NZJB now ranks 112 out of 187 Plant Science titles, and its Impact Factor has risen to 0.846. These statistics are indeed a pleasing outcome for a year that had the potential to be far gloomier for many New Zealand science journals.
In 2011, New Zealand academics faced unprecedented pressure to publish in high-ranking overseas journals for the impending round of the Performance-Based Research Fund (PBRF). Inevitably, many manuscripts suitable for consideration by NZJB were submitted elsewhere. That NZJB thrived in spite of PBRF is attributable, I think, to three things. First, our journal has a distinctive scope, reporting botanical research from across the entire southern hemisphere. It is pleasing to note that we published seven articles from South America in 2011; with its well-known links to the New Zealand flora, this has been identified as a key area for growth of our journal. Second, we have a strong base of loyal support from researchers at the Crown Research Institutes. Unconstrained by PBRF, their contributions are immensely important to the NZJB, especially in the area of plant systematics and taxonomy. Third, the journal has been actively promoted by our publishing team, Taylor & Francis, our Associate Editors and our International Advisory Panel. They have taken every opportunity to inform the New Zealand and international scientific communities of recent changes that have enhanced the performance of NZJB. Many of these enhancements were recognized by the positive report the Ministry of Science and Innovation gave NZJB in its 2011 evaluation (http://www.royalsociety.org.nz/publications/reports/evaluation/publishingevaluation2011/).
There is, of course, no room for complacency, and several meetings have been held to discuss future directions for the journal. Mycology and phycology were identified as two obvious areas for expansion. It is my pleasure, therefore, to announce the appointments of two Landcare Research scientists, Dr Eric McKenzie and Dr Phil Novis, to our Associate Editor team. They bring with them many years of experience in fungal and algal systematics, and I look forward to working with them in the coming months. Other key areas we are considering include ethnobotany and botanical education. Watch this space!
The nomenclature meetings at the XVIII International Botanical Congress in Melbourne (July 2011) resulted in several changes to the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature regarding publication requirements. These changes have several consequences for authors of taxonomic articles in NZJB. Perhaps the most significant of these is that online publications in PDF format with an ISBN or ISSN will now constitute effective publication. This means that NZJB can move towards publishing articles in which new taxa are described or new combinations are made on iFirst (our electronic ‘before-print’ service for final versions of accepted articles). This should result in shorter times between the acceptance and publication of articles with nomenclatural content. Another important change is that the requirement of a Latin description or diagnosis for new taxonomic names has been replaced by the requirement of either a Latin or English description or diagnosis. Both of these changes to the Code became effective on 1 January 2012. Please see Knapp et al. (2011) for more information (Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 167: 133–136).
Finally, I would like to thank the publishing team and my Associate Editors who have done such a fine job sifting through the submissions, appraising referee comments and suggesting editorial modifications. It is entirely through their diligence and dedication that NZJB maintains the high standards that its readers have come to expect.
Kevin S Gould
Senior Editor
School of Biological Sciences
Victoria University of Wellington