Simplifying the author and reader experience

Molecular BioSystems remains focused on fostering interdisciplinary research at the interface of chemical biology, systems biology and the -omic sciences. As our journal grows and the science intersecting these fields becomes more developed and integrated, we have the potential and goal of increasing the overall quality of the journal. In parallel, we are also exploring a number of logistical changes and improvements, including new e-development ideas, and we encourage readers to suggest novel uses of videos or other e-avenues. The editorial boards of RSC journals are designed to evolve regularly and we continue to do so. Professor Hirotada Mori is moving off the board, and while we will most certainly miss his insightful guidance, additional members will be added to try to ensure equivalent scope and representation. We remain dedicated to the concept of theme issues and, in particular, we are looking forward to issues designed to explore ‘Network Biology’, ‘Proteomics’ and ‘Chemical Biology in Asia’. When considering the important concept and movement of Open Access publishing, RSC Open Access, which involves making electronic versions of articles accessible to readers without any subscription or ‘access side' fees by paying an ‘article processing fee’ after peer-review and acceptance, is designed to provide authors and readers with widespread and efficient access to our manuscripts within a current and viable business model. Nevertheless, we are constantly monitoring and considering new developments in this expanding publication domain and we hope to refine our program to optimize both opportunities and access for our authors and readers, respectively, as the models for publication of scientific research evolve.

Authors, reviewers and readers should also note that in order to achieve the higher quality content referred to above, we are in the process of modifying our referee report forms to provide reviewers with better assessment tools and encourage them to look for appropriate novelty and quality in the manuscript under assessment, as well as elicit greater clarity of response for authors.

MBS staff have also attempted to make life a little easier for readers looking for specific review content, by making all reviews published over the last couple of years easily accessible separately by category (chemical biology (http://rsc.li/Wg9p1J); systems biology (http://rsc.li/SHYwUS); and the -omic sciences (http://rsc.li/10dWOzS)) from the MBS homepage.

This year, MBS Editorial staff will be in attendance at the Proteomic Forum 2013 in Berlin in March, ICSB 2013 in Copenhagen in August and HUPO 2013 in Japan in September – so please do come and find them for a chat.

Finally, I would like to thank all our reviewers for the excellent job they do in reviewing our content before publication to ensure that we continue to publish a quality product that is well supported by the communities it serves.

Charles Boone, Editorial Board Chair

Molecular BioSystems

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