Happy New Year from Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences

Themed issues

During 2008 we published four themed issues of Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences, representing the broad subject areas covered by the Journal and some of the hot topics in the field:

Themed issue on bioluminescence, guest edited by Vadim Viviani

Issue honouring the scientific contributions of Professor Jakob Wirz, guest edited by Dario Bassani and Dick Pagni

Themed issues on tetrapyrrole receptors, guest edited by Mamoru Mimuro

Issue honouring Professor Nick Turro for his contribution to photoscience, guest edited by Vaidyanathan Ramamurthy

We would like to thank the guest editors of each of these themed issues for the time they dedicated to making these issues a great success.

We have also published a further two perspectives in the ‘Time-resolved methods in biophysics series’. We would like to thank the guest editors of this series, Thomas Gensch and Cristiano Viappiani, for their work on this series. A complete listing of the perspectives can be found on the Journal homepage (www.rsc.org/pps).

Building on the success of the themed issues we have a number of further issues planned for this year. The first of these will be a themed issue on ‘Photosynthesis for future energy’, which is being guest edited by Associate Editor Jon Nield, Toshi Nagata and Suleyman Alakherdiev.

We are also pleased to be publishing in this January issue the latest 2008 UNEP progress report on environmental effects of ozone depletion and its interactions with climate change.

Sponsored lecture

Last year we had the first Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences sponsored lecture at the XXIInd IUPAC Symposium on Photochemistry in Gothenburg, Sweden at the end of July. The Journal sponsored the lecture given by Professor Stefan W. Hell titled ‘Far-field fluorescence nanoscopy’. The Journal was very honoured to sponsor this lecture, and look forward to sponsoring another lecture this year; details will be announced later in the year.

Editorial Board change

At the end of 2008 Professor Pill-Soon Song retired from his position as the Journal’s Editor-in-Asia. On behalf of the Ownership Board we would like to express our thanks to Pill for all of his work and dedication to the Journal over the years and acknowledge the valuable role he has played in raising the profile of Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences in Asia.

Greater impact

As we look forward to 2009, RSC Publishing is working with more authors than ever before—2008 saw the number of authors published in RSC Journals increase by 30%. Meanwhile titles from across the collection recorded impressive rises in impact factors, and the latest immediacy indices confirm the relevance and topicality of research published by the RSC.

The 2007 Thomson ISI impact factor for Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences is 2.208. The Journal maintains its position as the number one journal for photochemical and photobiological research. RSC Publishing is committed to providing a world-class publishing service and global visibility to its authors and with the number of citations increasing, immediacy and impact factors rising, it is clear to see that Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences and RSC Publishing are recognised by researchers throughout the world as a key resource to publish and read the very best research.

The impact of Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences could not be achieved without the dedication and support of the strong team of Associate Editors whom we would like to thank for their continued contribution to the Journal. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of the referees who have reviewed papers for Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences over the last year, helping to maintain the high standards of the manuscripts published in the Journal.

News from the RSC

Improved ReSourCe

During 2009 we will release a new version of ReSourCe, our system for online manuscript submission and peer review (www.rsc.org/resource). We have listened to your feedback and made further improvements to our service. We are very keen to build further on your experience of ReSourCe, so if you would you like to help us shape the next release by taking part in beta-testing or by supplying your comments and suggestions please contact E-mail: resourcesupport@rsc.org

Your RSC subscriptions and free content

We know that it can be difficult to keep track of online resources that are available to you. So, we have introduced a special web page to help you to find out exactly what RSC content you can access. This new page is called Your RSC Subscriptions (www.rsc.org/Publishing/your_access.asp) and it lists all products for which your organisation has a current subscription, plus other content which may be available to you, such as the RSC Journals Archive and the RSC eBook Collection.

You can also find out about RSC content that is available free—including: research articles that are free for a limited time; news articles in magazines; and free chapters from the RSC eBook Collection. Visit www.rsc.org/Publishing/freeRSCcontent.asp

Food: the RSC theme for 2009

In 2009, the theme for RSC public engagement activities will be food; looking at all aspects of the supply chain from field to fork and eventually to waste disposal and recycling. Planned activities include the launch of a major reports into securing a sustainable food supply; the publication of a new edition of the ground-breaking book Kitchen Chemistry; lectures and events at the new Chemistry Centre at Burlington House—the world's foremost venue for showcasing chemistry; and Chemistry Week 2009 (7^th–15^th November), when practicing scientists and science teachers will engage in a week-long festival for the chemical sciences. Please get in touch with us (E-mail: food@rsc.org) if you would like to be involved.

New journals

Our journal portfolio has expanded with the launch of three new journals.

Energy & Environmental Science, launched in July 2008, publishes research from all aspects of the chemical sciences relating to energy conversion and storage, alternative fuel technologies and environmental science: www.rsc.org/ees

Metallomics: Integrated biometal science covers the research fields related to metals in biological, environmental and clinical systems: www.rsc.org/metallomics

Integrative Biology: Quantitative biosciences from nano to macro is a unique, interdisciplinary journal covering quantitative multi-scale biology using enabling technologies and tools to exploit the convergence of biology with physics, chemistry, engineering, imaging and informatics: www.rsc.org/ibiology

The current issue of all three journals is freely available online. Free online institutional access to all 2009 content is available for registered users—full details are on the web site.

The RSC eBook Collection

This Collection has become a world-class electronic resource with licenses being signed to leading institutions across the globe. New content continues to be uploaded regularly and this comprehensive resource now includes over 800 quality titles. Electronic book publications are uploaded within days of print publication, effortlessly disseminating extensive, high-quality, scientific content direct to scientists, libraries, students, teachers and researchers around the world. Please visit www.rsc.org/eBooks for further information or to visit the RSC eBook Collection.

Over 80 new print books will be published in 2009 as our list continues to grow in size and importance in the international market. Keep up-to-date with all the latest cutting edge titles being published by the RSC by visiting www.rsc.org/ej_alert and subscribing to our eAlerts. We send regular information on discount offers, print books and new electronic content throughout the year.

 

We wish you all a successful 2009 and look forward to your continued support of Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences.

 

Rex Tyrrell, Editor-in-Chief, photobiology

F. C. De Schryver, Editor-in-Chief, photochemistry

Sarah Ruthven, Editor, RSC

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