Molecular BioSystems spins out into 2008
Abstract
After a very successful 2007 and with its first impact factor Molecular BioSystems separates from its host journal, Chemical Communications, as a fully fledged solo publication. We reflect on the last year and look forward to an even better year in 2008.
Introduction
Molecular BioSystems had a very successful year in 2007 with a first impact factor, award-winning enhancements of our HTML articles, Professor Hagan Bayley's special issue on Channels and Pores and an exciting range of primary research articles and topical reviews throughout the twelve issues.Subjects covered in the journal last year included phosphoproteomics, RNA interference, chemical genetics, systems biology and metabolomics. We also published articles on bioinformatics and mathematical modelling and work relating to human diseases especially cancers, Alzheimer’s, other neurological conditions and infections. Thanks to our authors the breadth of subject coverage has been strikingly illustrated by our cover images during the year (Fig. 1).
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| Fig. 1 Some of the attractive images on the cover in 2007. | ||
First impact factor
One of the main highlights for 2007 was the announcement of the first impact factor of 2.45 by ISI®. This figure is taken from the total number of citations given in 2006 to articles published in 2004 and 2005, divided by the number of articles published in 2004 and 2005. The figure was welcomed as an excellent start for the journal and since Molecular BioSystems was launched halfway through 2005 the figure can best be described as a partial impact factor with a significant increase expected in 2008.Molecular BioSystems spin out
It's official, Molecular BioSystems has separated from host journal, Chemical Communications, and is now a fully fledged solo publication. Its availability since launch to readers of Chemical Communications and the online hosts, Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry, Lab on a Chip, The Analyst and Analytical Abstracts has ensured that Molecular BioSystems received a large and interdisciplinary audience from the outset.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—www.projectprospect.org has examples of enhanced articles, feedback from the scientific community, plus the latest news. The subject matter of Molecular BioSystems means that the journal has especially benefited from these enhancements to its online articles.Following feedback from journal readers a number of changes have been introduced across all RSC Journals. The Molecular BioSystems homepage (Fig. 2) 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.
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| Fig. 2 New look Molecular BioSystems home page with current issue contents displayed below the latest news items. | ||
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.
New Editorial Board members
Our thanks go to the four members of the Editorial Board who stepped down at the end of last year after helping to guide the journal from its launch in 2005. Their enthusiasm and support has been invaluable and we wish them well in their research in the future. It is a pleasure to welcome our new members, Madan Babu, Blagoy Blagoev and Sachdev Sidhu, who are profiled in this issue.Special issues in 2008
After the success of Professor Hagan Bayley's special issue on Channels and Pores (issue 10, 2007) we are pleased to say that more special issues are planned this year including an issue devoted to outstanding young scientists at the chemical- and systems-biology interfaces. The purpose of this ‘Emerging Investigators’ issue will be to highlight some of today's outstanding young scientists, and in so doing capture newly emerging high-impact areas of research. Also coming up soon is a special issue on the subject of metabolomic analysis in microorganisms.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. Visit the website for the latest news: www.rsc.org/ees‘Molecular BioSystems 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 have been taking advantage of the free first chapter downloads and from January 2008, Molecular BioSystems will regularly highlight a book specifically for our readers through our ‘Molecular BioSystems book of choice’ scheme. More information is available on the Molecular BioSystems website.
25% Book discount for RSC authors, editors and referees
If you would like to buy a print copy of the ‘Molecular BioSystems 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/shopAnd finally
A big thank you to all our authors, referees and readers for their enthusiastic support during 2007. On behalf of the Molecular BioSystems team, we would like to wish you all a very happy and prosperous 2008!
Thomas Kodadek
Chair, Molecular BioSystems Editorial Board
Sarah Thomas
Editor, Molecular BioSystems
Michael Smith
Commissioning Editor, Molecular BioSystems
Kathryn Sear
Deputy Editor, Molecular BioSystems
| This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2008 |