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A new direction for the journal
Mass Spectrometry
ELSEVIER
International Journal of Mass Spectrometry and Ion Processes 172 (1998) vii
and Ion Processes
Editorial A N e w Direction for the Journal When the journal was initiated in 1968 it was intended to include all papers in mass spectrometry including ion chemistry and ion physics, and this has continued to be its goal throughout the thirty years of its life. At the time of its birth a significant fraction of the work in mass spectrometry was carried out in physics departments by such giants as A1 Nier and Wolfgang Paul, accounting for the " I o n Physics" part of its original name, As time went on mass spectrometry and its development became centered in chemistry, and consequently in 1983 " I o n Physics" became " I o n Processes" reflecting the great upsurge in ion molecule reactions and metastable ion studies of the late 1960's and 1970's. Also along the way it was felt necessary to define the scope of IJMSIP, to tell the community what the journal stood for and what kind of papers it hoped to attract. The key sentence in the scope statement was the first one: " T h e journal contains papers which consider fundamental aspects of mass spectrometry and ion processes, and the application of mass spectrometric techniques to specific problems in chemistry and physics." This statement has been the cornerstone of the journal's philosophy since its inception. Having said that, the world in 1998 is a much different place than the foundation year of 1968. O f most relevance here is the explosive growth of macromolecular mass spectrometry, driven by the development of FAB, SIMS, MALDI and electrospray ion sources over the past 15 years. These new ion sources have expanded the horizons of mass spectrometry from molecular masses in the hundreds of Daltons to the hundreds of kilo Daltons. Along the way they have rejuvenated the time-of-flight mass analyzer due to its intrinsic "infinite" mass range and they have established the FT-ICR as a method of choice due to its ultra high resolving power and its high mass range. The journal has kept abreast of these developments as evidenced by the special issues on Biomolecules in 1991, the Honor Issue in Memory of Mickey Barber in 1992, and the Electrospray and MALDI issues in 1997 among others. However, it has become increasingly clear to the Editors and Editorial Board members that the perception of the journal by the mass
spectrometry community is that it is not the journal of choice for publication of fundamental work on macromolecules, particularly biopolymers. In order to address this issue the journal has taken some decisive steps. First, Scott McLuckey accepted our invitation to join the board of editors from 1 January 1998 onwards. Scott has developed an outstanding research program at Oak Ridge dealing with fundamental aspects of macromolecular mass spectrometry, particularly as applied to biopolymers. Second, Editorial Board members who are active researchers in macromolecular mass spectrometry have been appointed to replace retiring board members from other disciplines. These include Jim Scrivens (ICI, synthetic polymers), Evan Williams (Berkeley, biopolymers), Vicki Wysocki (Arizona, biopolymers) and Simon Gaskell (UMIST, biopolymers). Third, the scope of the journal has been shortened to read, " T h e journal invites papers in all fundamental aspects of mass spectrometry and ion processes, including applications in biology, chemistry, geology and physics." The journal continues to focus on fundamental aspects both in instrument/method development and in the various scientific applications of these developments. Fourth, the journal will shorten its name to, " T h e International Journal of Mass Spectrometry," or IJMS. It will continue to welcome fundamental experimental and theoretical studies in ion processes, as indicated in the new scope statement. However, it was felt the shorter name would be both more appropriate to its expanded mission and less confusing to the mass spectrometry community. With the coming of the new millennium in less than two years the journal wants to direct its energies toward issues that will define our science in this new age. We feel the steps we have taken will help us do just that. For the Editorial Board, Michael T. Bowers Helmut Schwarz John F.J. Todd
ELSEVIER
International Journal of Mass Spectrometry and Ion Processes 172 (1998) vii
and Ion Processes
Editorial A N e w Direction for the Journal When the journal was initiated in 1968 it was intended to include all papers in mass spectrometry including ion chemistry and ion physics, and this has continued to be its goal throughout the thirty years of its life. At the time of its birth a significant fraction of the work in mass spectrometry was carried out in physics departments by such giants as A1 Nier and Wolfgang Paul, accounting for the " I o n Physics" part of its original name, As time went on mass spectrometry and its development became centered in chemistry, and consequently in 1983 " I o n Physics" became " I o n Processes" reflecting the great upsurge in ion molecule reactions and metastable ion studies of the late 1960's and 1970's. Also along the way it was felt necessary to define the scope of IJMSIP, to tell the community what the journal stood for and what kind of papers it hoped to attract. The key sentence in the scope statement was the first one: " T h e journal contains papers which consider fundamental aspects of mass spectrometry and ion processes, and the application of mass spectrometric techniques to specific problems in chemistry and physics." This statement has been the cornerstone of the journal's philosophy since its inception. Having said that, the world in 1998 is a much different place than the foundation year of 1968. O f most relevance here is the explosive growth of macromolecular mass spectrometry, driven by the development of FAB, SIMS, MALDI and electrospray ion sources over the past 15 years. These new ion sources have expanded the horizons of mass spectrometry from molecular masses in the hundreds of Daltons to the hundreds of kilo Daltons. Along the way they have rejuvenated the time-of-flight mass analyzer due to its intrinsic "infinite" mass range and they have established the FT-ICR as a method of choice due to its ultra high resolving power and its high mass range. The journal has kept abreast of these developments as evidenced by the special issues on Biomolecules in 1991, the Honor Issue in Memory of Mickey Barber in 1992, and the Electrospray and MALDI issues in 1997 among others. However, it has become increasingly clear to the Editors and Editorial Board members that the perception of the journal by the mass
spectrometry community is that it is not the journal of choice for publication of fundamental work on macromolecules, particularly biopolymers. In order to address this issue the journal has taken some decisive steps. First, Scott McLuckey accepted our invitation to join the board of editors from 1 January 1998 onwards. Scott has developed an outstanding research program at Oak Ridge dealing with fundamental aspects of macromolecular mass spectrometry, particularly as applied to biopolymers. Second, Editorial Board members who are active researchers in macromolecular mass spectrometry have been appointed to replace retiring board members from other disciplines. These include Jim Scrivens (ICI, synthetic polymers), Evan Williams (Berkeley, biopolymers), Vicki Wysocki (Arizona, biopolymers) and Simon Gaskell (UMIST, biopolymers). Third, the scope of the journal has been shortened to read, " T h e journal invites papers in all fundamental aspects of mass spectrometry and ion processes, including applications in biology, chemistry, geology and physics." The journal continues to focus on fundamental aspects both in instrument/method development and in the various scientific applications of these developments. Fourth, the journal will shorten its name to, " T h e International Journal of Mass Spectrometry," or IJMS. It will continue to welcome fundamental experimental and theoretical studies in ion processes, as indicated in the new scope statement. However, it was felt the shorter name would be both more appropriate to its expanded mission and less confusing to the mass spectrometry community. With the coming of the new millennium in less than two years the journal wants to direct its energies toward issues that will define our science in this new age. We feel the steps we have taken will help us do just that. For the Editorial Board, Michael T. Bowers Helmut Schwarz John F.J. Todd