Exciting new developments for 2008


Abstract

In this Editorial we reflect on another great year for Journal of Materials Chemistry and look ahead to advances in 2008 and more benefits of publishing in Journal of Materials Chemistry.


In 2008, Journal of Materials Chemistry celebrates its eighteenth birthday. To many, being 18 years old is a sign that someone has reached maturity and adulthood. The journal has proved itself as a fully-fledged publication in lots of ways including a meteoric rise in impact factor, weekly publication and publishing more review articles than any other materials journal.

If you are reading this, chances are that you're already a regular reader of or author with the journal. If you've yet to submit an article, here are some great new reasons to publish your best work with Journal of Materials Chemistry. Because the RSC is a not-for-profit publisher we give a lot back to our authors, readers, and referees too; more free colour, added functionality on the website, free book chapters and author and referee discounts on our books. Keep reading to find out more.

What an impact!

The 2006 Impact Factor for Journal of Materials Chemistry has risen by a huge 16% over the 2005 value (and 50% higher than the 2004 value). The Impact Factor now stands at 4.29, the highest ever value for the Journal.

This impressive new Impact Factor reinforces Journal of Materials Chemistry's position as one of the best journals for publishing urgent new work of the highest quality. We continue to have the fastest times to publication in the field with an average of less than 80 days from receipt to publication of full papers and only 56 days for communications. This all demonstrates that Journal of Materials Chemistry is the home for exciting new research in materials chemistry.


Journal of Materials Chemistry impact factors.
Fig. 1 Journal of Materials Chemistry impact factors.

Expanding on a theme

Publishing theme issues allows us to gather together articles that showcase a particular focus in materials chemistry. Recent years have seen very successful issues; see Table 1 and www.rsc.org/jm_theme_issues for the excellent issues that we've published recently.
Table 1 Theme issues in Journal of Materials Chemistry
2006
Porous Materials for Emerging Applications(George) X. S. ZhaoIssue 7
High Performance Computing in Materials ChemistryRichard Catlow and Scott M. WoodleyIssue 20
Molecular Magnetic MaterialsEugenio Coronado and Dante GatteschiIssue 26
Anisotropic NanomaterialsLuis M. Liz MarzánIssue 40

2007
Emerging InvestigatorsFred WudlIssue 19
New Energy MaterialsM. Saiful IslamIssue 30
Biomedical MaterialsCameron AlexanderIssue 38


In 2008 we will continue by publishing theme issues more than ever before. Look out for the first one due to be published in March on carbon nanostructures, guest edited by Dirk Guldi, Nazario Martín and Maurizio Prato. This will be followed by issues on hydrogen storage and production, liquid crystals, biology in the service of materials and spintronics and quantum computing.

Award-winning technology and enhanced HTML articles

Launched in February 2007, RSC Project Prospect has had an exceptional first year. Bringing science alive via enhanced HTML articles in RSC journals, the project delivers: hyperlinked compound information (including downloadable structures) in text; links to IUPAC Gold Book terms; ontology terms linked to definitions and related articles; plus RSS feeds that include structured subject and compound information, enabling at-a-glance identification of relevant articles. As the only publisher able to offer these enhancements, we were delighted to be awarded the 2007 ALPSP/Charlesworth Award for Publishing Innovation, where judges described RSC Prospect articles as “delightfully simple to use … benefits to authors and readers are immediately obvious.” Around 1400 articles have now been published with enhanced HTML—to see for yourself, look out for the RSC Prospect icon on our website. Further developments to the project will be announced in 2008. Many of you have already told us how impressed you are with the project—http://www.projectprospect.org has examples of enhanced articles, feedback from the scientific community, plus the latest news.

Simpler and more colourful

Following feedback from journal readers a number of changes have been introduced across all RSC Journals. The Journal of Materials Chemistry homepage now contains the contents list for the current issue, delivering the content you want to see as soon as you arrive at the site. Graphical abstracts are included as standard, allowing you to browse content much more conveniently. A more prominent and easy-to-use search box also makes finding published research much more intuitive. Advance Articles will soon also be available in pdf format.

For authors, the RSC Journal templates have been revised and updated to assist submission in a format similar to the journal layout. The guidelines for the use of colour in RSC Journals will be relaxed during 2008, and the decision on the free use of colour will be based on whether the use of colour enhances the scientific understanding of the figure (the old policy required the colour to be essential). In addition, for the online version of the journals, colour will be introduced at no cost in both the pdf and html versions.


Journal of Materials Chemistry covers.
Fig. 2 Journal of Materials Chemistry covers.

Energy & environmental science

RSC Publishing will be launching a new journal in summer 2008. Energy & Environmental Science will cover all aspects of the chemical sciences relating to energy conversion and storage and environmental science. Subscribers to Journal of Materials Chemistry will have free online access to Energy & Environmental Science from launch. Visit the website for the latest news: www.rsc.org/ees

Journal of Materials Chemistry book of choice’ scheme

Launched in Spring 2007, the RSC eBook Collection offers scientists across the globe online access to a prestigious and wide ranging portfolio of chemical science books which span 40 years of research and opinion.

The RSC eBook Collection is testament to RSC's publishing innovation as well as the high quality of the content contained in our books. With further technical developments and new 2008 content being uploaded throughout the year the RSC eBook Collection is set to become a key resource. To search the Collection or for further information visit www.rsc.org/ebooks

Scientists from all four corners of the globe are taking advantage of the free first chapter downloads and from January 2008, Journal of Materials Chemistry will regularly highlight a book specifically for our readers through our ‘Journal of Materials Chemistry book of choice’ scheme. More information is available on the Journal of Materials Chemistry website at www.rsc.org/materials

25% Book discount for RSC authors, editors and referees

If you would like to buy a print copy of the ‘Journal of Materials Chemistry book of choice’ or other titles from the RSC, and you are an RSC author, editor or referee you can enjoy a special 25% discount on your book purchase. You can redeem this offer online through the RSC Online Shop. To find out how to claim your exclusive discount, visit www.rsc.org/shop

But did you know…

…there are many other reasons why you should publish your best work in Journal of Materials Chemistry to get it noticed. RSC journals are recognised as the fastest in the field, some papers having been published within a day of receipt, including full peer review and editing. This is made possible by a dedicated, professional staff, and truly innovative electronic workflow systems. Authors who have published with us continue to be impressed by the speed and efficiency of the service that we offer. Authors also benefit from:

• High citation levels

• Global circulation and recognition

• Hot articles are highlighted in RSC news supplements (Chemical Science, Chemical Technology and Chemical Biology) and in the wider scientific press

• No page charges

• Advance Articles on the web (typically 30–40 days before their publication in print)

• Simple and effective E-submissions via our author and referee portal, ReSourCe

• Electronic supplementary information

• Free electronic reprints (pdf) of own paper(s)

• Free e-mail alerting and RSS news feeds service

• Additional publishing options via RSC Open Choice

• The opportunity to apply for a grant to aid international collaboration

With all of these amazing benefits, it can be no wonder that more and more people are choosing to publish their best work in Journal of Materials Chemistry. To be part of this exciting journal, submit an article today.

And finally

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our authors, referees and readers for contributing to Journal of Materials Chemistry in 2007 and we look forward to more exciting collaborations in 2008. Sit back and enjoy a great issue!
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Plate1

George Malliaras

Chairman, Journal of Materials Chemistry Editorial Board


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Plate2

Carol Stanier

Editor, Journal of Materials Chemistry


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Plate3

Sophia Anderton

Deputy Editor, Journal of Materials Chemistry


Footnote

Impact factors provide an indication of the average number of citations per paper. Produced annually by ISI®, they are calculated by dividing the number of citations in a year, by the number of citeable articles published in the preceding two years.

This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2008
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