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A journal of exciting biology
A Journal of Exciting Biology
The aim of Cell is to be a focus for communication in research on cell and viral biology. Although Cell’s principal purpose is to provide a journal where research papers of wide interest may be published rapidly, other features including reviews will widen the scope of the journal by extending its role beyond the reporting of research results. Perhaps the best description of the topics covered in Cell is to say that they encompass the molecular biology of the cell. Characteristic of this area of research is a sense of intellectual excitement inspired by what may roughly be described as the prospect of elucidating the systems responsible for the reproduction of cells and for determination of their phenotypes. Such research has its origins in several traditional disciplines. Yet within the context of recent research on the biology of the cell, these disciplinary divisions have come to describe more the techniques used than the concepts upon which the research rests. Cell thus aims to provide a single journal to publish research forming part of this gestalt, but originating in any one of many experimental approaches. A large proportion of the papers published in Cell will be the product of research which in a sense provides for eucaryotic cells a counterpart to the now classical molecular biology of the past decade. But Cell will not be solely a journal of eucaryotic cell biology. Research in virology, interesting both from the viewpoint of the genetic systems of the viruses themselves and also for its implications for the systems of their host cells, will represent an important part of the journal. Experiments in areas described by the traditional terms of, for example, developmental genetics or immunology, also contribute to the present framework of cellular biology. And of course, much research with bacteria is both interesting in its own regard and may also be relevant to research on other cells. Rapid publication is the sine qua non of this journal; its purpose is to make papers available as rapidly as is consistent with proper refereeing and adequate reproduction of manuscripts. At first, accepted papers will take about three months to publish; later this schedule may be reduced. Of course, an author with a paper to communicate for urgent publication is entitled to a rapid decision on its acceptability for the journal. It will therefore be the aim of Cell to let authors have referees’ comments and editorial decisions within two or three weeks after submission. When a journal offers rapid publication, delays in the physical movements of manuscripts to referees and authors may account for an appreciable part of the publication time. To reduce such delays to a minimum and to allow Cell to draw upon the expertise of researchers in as many locations as possible, manuscripts may be submitted in Europe
as well as to the principal office in the United States. As a general rule, manuscripts will be reviewed by a referee on the same side of the Atlantic as the office to which they are sent; publication times of accepted manuscripts will be the same irrespective of the place of submission. Although the Associate Editors of this journal will review many of the submitted manuscripts, it would of course be impractical for them to consider all submissions, and Cell will therefore ask other researchers also to act as referees. Contributions to cell and viral biology are made not only by papers reporting research, of course, but also by reviews, books and meetings. Cell will endeavor also to represent these features. In addition to research papers, future issues of Cell will therefore carry an extensive review section, including reviews of research, book reviews and discussions of meetings. Because research papers must of necessity be written for a restricted audience, it may be difficult for researchers to remain fully informed of work which, although perhaps not of immediate importance for their own research, may nonetheless be germane. The reviews in Cell will be addressed to this situation. Longer reviews, of about the same size as the research articles, will have the traditional purpose of discussing a field in some depth, but without the restraints which must accompany the presentation of original research results. Shorter reviews, in general occupying about two pages of the journal, will have the complementary purpose of discussing in conceptual terms the recent advances in some topic, largely for the benefit of researchers in related fields. By discussing in language as nonspecialized as possible all the topics on which Cell publishes original research articles, these minireviews will try to help readers of the journal to follow research over a wide spectrum of biology. Book reviews too will permit an expansive discussion of issues extending on occasion to general essays. Discussions of meetings may also allow the expression of views which are more usually confined to personal exchanges. Any description of the topics on which Cell will publish research can be only imprecise, for the focus of our immediate interest shifts with time, as therefore will the contents of the journal. By publishing papers of general and not just specialist interest in all of the areas contributing to our current view of the operations of the cell, and by including in the same issues of the journal review articles attempting to help researchers to follow a wide range of topics, Cell hopes to become in essence a journal of exciting biology. Benjamin
Lewin
The aim of Cell is to be a focus for communication in research on cell and viral biology. Although Cell’s principal purpose is to provide a journal where research papers of wide interest may be published rapidly, other features including reviews will widen the scope of the journal by extending its role beyond the reporting of research results. Perhaps the best description of the topics covered in Cell is to say that they encompass the molecular biology of the cell. Characteristic of this area of research is a sense of intellectual excitement inspired by what may roughly be described as the prospect of elucidating the systems responsible for the reproduction of cells and for determination of their phenotypes. Such research has its origins in several traditional disciplines. Yet within the context of recent research on the biology of the cell, these disciplinary divisions have come to describe more the techniques used than the concepts upon which the research rests. Cell thus aims to provide a single journal to publish research forming part of this gestalt, but originating in any one of many experimental approaches. A large proportion of the papers published in Cell will be the product of research which in a sense provides for eucaryotic cells a counterpart to the now classical molecular biology of the past decade. But Cell will not be solely a journal of eucaryotic cell biology. Research in virology, interesting both from the viewpoint of the genetic systems of the viruses themselves and also for its implications for the systems of their host cells, will represent an important part of the journal. Experiments in areas described by the traditional terms of, for example, developmental genetics or immunology, also contribute to the present framework of cellular biology. And of course, much research with bacteria is both interesting in its own regard and may also be relevant to research on other cells. Rapid publication is the sine qua non of this journal; its purpose is to make papers available as rapidly as is consistent with proper refereeing and adequate reproduction of manuscripts. At first, accepted papers will take about three months to publish; later this schedule may be reduced. Of course, an author with a paper to communicate for urgent publication is entitled to a rapid decision on its acceptability for the journal. It will therefore be the aim of Cell to let authors have referees’ comments and editorial decisions within two or three weeks after submission. When a journal offers rapid publication, delays in the physical movements of manuscripts to referees and authors may account for an appreciable part of the publication time. To reduce such delays to a minimum and to allow Cell to draw upon the expertise of researchers in as many locations as possible, manuscripts may be submitted in Europe
as well as to the principal office in the United States. As a general rule, manuscripts will be reviewed by a referee on the same side of the Atlantic as the office to which they are sent; publication times of accepted manuscripts will be the same irrespective of the place of submission. Although the Associate Editors of this journal will review many of the submitted manuscripts, it would of course be impractical for them to consider all submissions, and Cell will therefore ask other researchers also to act as referees. Contributions to cell and viral biology are made not only by papers reporting research, of course, but also by reviews, books and meetings. Cell will endeavor also to represent these features. In addition to research papers, future issues of Cell will therefore carry an extensive review section, including reviews of research, book reviews and discussions of meetings. Because research papers must of necessity be written for a restricted audience, it may be difficult for researchers to remain fully informed of work which, although perhaps not of immediate importance for their own research, may nonetheless be germane. The reviews in Cell will be addressed to this situation. Longer reviews, of about the same size as the research articles, will have the traditional purpose of discussing a field in some depth, but without the restraints which must accompany the presentation of original research results. Shorter reviews, in general occupying about two pages of the journal, will have the complementary purpose of discussing in conceptual terms the recent advances in some topic, largely for the benefit of researchers in related fields. By discussing in language as nonspecialized as possible all the topics on which Cell publishes original research articles, these minireviews will try to help readers of the journal to follow research over a wide spectrum of biology. Book reviews too will permit an expansive discussion of issues extending on occasion to general essays. Discussions of meetings may also allow the expression of views which are more usually confined to personal exchanges. Any description of the topics on which Cell will publish research can be only imprecise, for the focus of our immediate interest shifts with time, as therefore will the contents of the journal. By publishing papers of general and not just specialist interest in all of the areas contributing to our current view of the operations of the cell, and by including in the same issues of the journal review articles attempting to help researchers to follow a wide range of topics, Cell hopes to become in essence a journal of exciting biology. Benjamin
Lewin