New collaborations in Chem Soc Rev

---

Abstract

Happy New Year to all our authors, readers and reviewers. In this Editorial, we introduce a new collaborative approach that we will be using for inviting Reviews for publication in Chemical Society Reviews.

---

Happy New Year to all our authors, readers and reviewers! Earlier this year, it was my pleasure to have taken over as Executive Editor for Chemical Society Reviews. As the flagship reviews journal at the Royal Society of Chemistry, I have really enjoyed hearing from our Editorial and Advisory Boards and authors about what makes Chem Soc Rev different and special for them.

Some say it is the ease of reading the Reviews that we publish, which provide an authoritative and in-depth understanding of important topics in the chemical sciences. They are also attractive for authors to write, because whilst they give a very high quality state-of-the-art account of the subject matter and a balanced assessment of the current primary literature, they are not necessarily comprehensive.

The unique nature of the Tutorial Reviews that we publish is also mentioned, as they appeal to a broad range of expertise from advanced undergraduates to the expert. They provide a solid introduction to the development of a subject, the latest breakthrough results and have implications for the wider scientific community. We've had comments that the accompanying material that authors chose to supplement their Tutorial Reviews with, such as PowerPoint presentations, can provide great tools for teaching a class. Our fast times to publication mean that reviews are available online sooner, and can provide a timely update on a particular subject, and of course the high impact, breadth and reach of the journal across the whole of the chemical sciences means that reviews in Chem Soc Rev are read and seen by a broad and diverse readership.

A collaborative approach

Chem Soc Rev is the Royal Society of Chemistry's flagship reviews journal and over the last 10 years has grown both in volume and quality. With a current Impact Factor of 33.383, the journal is firmly in the leading category of all chemistry journals (2014 InCites™ Journal Citation Report®).

As we move forward into the next phase for the journal, the Editorial Board have decided that Chem Soc Rev should only publish the very best review articles, while avoiding repetition. One way in which we are planning to achieve this is by inviting groups of authors to collaborate, and for them to work together on compiling the definitive review on a particular area.

The majority of reviews will be solicited by members of the Editorial Board in accordance with editorial policy. However, the Editorial office welcomes suggestions for reviews that would be suitable for the journal.

Look out for a range of collaborative Reviews and Tutorial Reviews in a themed issue on Supramolecular Chemistry which will be published in the first half of 2017, guest edited by Phil Gale, University of Southampton and David Amabilino, University of Nottingham.

Proposing a review for Chem Soc Rev

Authors for Chem Soc Rev will have noticed that at the end of 2014, we introduced an online synopsis system, so that authors can submit a proposal or idea for a potential review for the journal. These proposals are carefully considered by the Editorial office, in conjunction with Editorial and Advisory Board members of the journal. An assessment is then made on the significance, broad interest and timeliness of the proposed review. Currently only approximately 20% of these reviews can be commissioned, however, we do work with our colleagues on other Royal Society of Chemistry journals to find an alternative home, should Chem Soc Rev be unable to commission the review. We should also point out that once submitted, all commissioned reviews also then need to meet the usual high standards for Chem Soc Rev through the usual peer-review process.

Tutorial Reviews – a reminder

I would also like to take this opportunity to remind our authors and readers about the Tutorial Reviews that we publish in Chem Soc Rev. We have recently been working with the Editorial Board to ensure that these reviews offer something different and unique to the literature, and the details on what we are looking for are below:

Tutorial Reviews are concise, authoritative overviews of important contemporary topics in the chemical sciences. They should appeal to advanced undergraduates, the general research chemist who is new to the field, as well as the expert. They provide a solid introduction to the development of a subject, the latest breakthrough results and have implications for the wider scientific community.

Tutorial Reviews must fulfil the following criteria:

Accessible: to advanced undergraduate students and beyond. Tutorial Reviews are often used in advanced undergraduate and Master's studies.

Authoritative: an essential introduction to the field will lay the foundation of knowledge in the area with approximately 25 seminal citations, serving as a springboard to further reading, followed by the most important recent advances.

Exciting: the reviews should treat subjects where there has been significant recent advance and promote a rigorous view in a succinct form.

Short: maximum 12 000 word equivalents; 12 journal pages; 35 pages of A4 or American Quarto (double-spaced text and artwork).

Lightly referenced: maximum 50 citations; authors should credit the major contributors – old and new – only. The ‘and references therein’ tag is recommended to direct the reader to further reading. Multiple referencing (the use of a, b, etc.) is strongly discouraged.

Jargon free: specialist terms and symbols should be defined and fundamental ideas simply explained.

Tutorial Reviews must now include a ‘key learning points’ box. This box should contain up to five key learning points that a reader should expect to gain from reading the review. Authors must include up to five succinct learning points with their submission, either included at the beginning of the review or as a separate document.

We would also strongly encourage authors to make use of Chem Soc Rev's electronic supplementary information (ESI) facilities to complement and enhance their reviews. For example, videos, PowerPoint slides, soundbites and pictures can be included, which we know are great for the community to use these resources in their teaching activities. Please contact us if you have any questions or would like to add more resources to your Tutorial Review.

New Editorial Board members

In 2015 we have also added to our Editorial Board, and I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome Professor Seth Cohen from the University of California, San Diego – Seth's research covers an extremely broad reach including bioinorganic, medicinal, materials, and supramolecular chemistry; Professor Jonathan Reid from the University of Bristol – Jonathan leads the research at the Bristol Aerosol Research Centre which uses aerosols to tackle fundamental problems in physical chemistry and chemical physics; and Professor Tomas Torres from Autonoma University of Madrid – Tomas leads the Nanoscience and Molecular Materials research group which covers a diverse range of areas including photovoltaics, supramolecular chemistry, organic synthesis, catalysis, biological chemistry (photodynamic therapy) and molecular photovoltaics.

We look forward to working with them in 2016 and in the future.

Thank you to authors and reviewers

I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank all our authors and reviewers, who do such an amazing in job in helping us to publish the reviews in the journal. As always, we welcome feedback or suggestions for the improvement of the journal; and if you have a proposal for a Review or Tutorial Review, then please do let us know! Please do contact us at E-mail: chemsocrev-rsc@rsc.org.

Lastly, from all the Chem Soc Rev team and on behalf of the Editorial Board, we would like to wish you a very Happy New Year, and we look forward to hearing from you in 2016.

May Copsey, Executive Editor, Chemical Society Reviews

Catherine Bacon, Editorial Production Manager, Chemical Society Reviews

Jeanne Andres, Deputy Editor, Chemical Society Reviews

---