EDl TORIAL S
Hail and Farewell It seems like yesterday when I joined the APhA staff as Editor of J . Pharm. Sci. in November 1987. I enjoyed a great start when I attended the JUC Pharm Sci meeting in Honolulu that year and conducted my first Editorial Advisory Board meeting. It was an auspicious beginning to be able to introduce myself to my friends and colleagues as the new Editor. I was very fortunate in having the full support of management in implementing much-needed changes expeditiously and efficiently.The Journal received a cosmetic change in the new red and silver cover, which was well received by readers. We implemented MARIS-a Manuscript and Reviewer Znformation System-to enable us to match a reviewer’s specialty to the discipline and content ofa manuscript, and to efficiently track the progress of a manuscript through the review and acceptance process. Our goals were to limit the time between manuscript submission and publishing to less than 1 2 months and to have the Journal printed and mailed within the first 7 days of each month. Through the dedication and diligence of the Journal staff and the production efficiency of the William Byrd Press, Richmond, Va., we achieved and maintained these goals. It has been my great pleasure and privilege to serve the publication needs of our authors and to present state-of-theart research in a wide variety of disciplines each month, in order to have articles of interest to as many readers as possible. That is a difficult goal for any journal. I have enjoyed admirable support from our reviewers, who have provided careful, constructive critiques to significantly enhance the quality of the science and the clarity of its presentation. The Journal is always indebted to you. The Journal has always attracted the best quality research in its 80-year life span, thanks to the authors who recognize J . Pharm. Sci. as the embodiment of the highest standards of world-class research publications. Many highly distinguished pharmaceutical scientists have built their careers by publishing in the Journal, and I urge the new generation of emerging scientists to give J . Pharm. Sci. the highest priority and support in your choice for world-wide peer recognition of your best research efforts. Over the past three years we have attracted the majority of our authors from the North American continent, with a significant percentage from Europe and Japan. It is interesting to note that we are also attracting authors from Latin America, Australia, and New Zealand, as well as some
third-world countries, which suggests that good science does not always need “megabucks,” although it never hurts to be well funded. Equally important is the fact that the major disciplines are well represented-especially pharmaceutical technology, pharmaceutical analysis and bio-analytical chemistry, medicinal chemistry and pharmacognosy, drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics, and targeted drug delivery, notwithstanding the direct competition from many wellestablished specialty journals. Your confidencein the Journal is well earned, and I am confident that J . Pharm. Sci. will stand behind you over the years. One of my great satisfactions as Editor was attending international conferences in Jerusalem, Toronto, and Geneva, as well as the many scientific workshops in Washington, D.C. These meetings provided invaluable opportunities to interact with friends and colleagues while discussing research and soliciting articles for the Journal. The timely publication of review articles, special symposia proceedings, and consensus reports from scientific workshops is an important feature of a quality research journal and will no doubt continue to be a special feature of the Journal. My sincere thanks and appreciation to the APhA Board of Trustees, to Dr. John Cans and Dr. Joan Zaro, and especially to Ms. Laura Lawson, Dr. Margaret Sickels, and the Journal staff for three very productive years in my career. Your support, friendship, and concern for my personal and professional well-being will always be cherished. I will miss you but will not be far from you, since the continued growth and success of J . Pharm. Sci. will always be dear to me; I will do everything I can to ensure it. When you, the J . Pharm. Sci. reader, sees this message I will have completed two months in my new career as Manager, Drug Metabolism Operations, Department of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics at Schering-Plough Research in Bloomfield, N.J. I have left Washington, D.C., with a great sense of accomplishment a t APhA, and I know I will meet you again soon. I ask for your prayers for world peace and for our Nation’s health and well being. “Nisi Domini Frustra”-Without the Lord’s Blessing, We Labor in Vain. Sincerely Yours and God Bless,
J. Arthur F. d e Silva
Plans for the Future It was with great regret that APhA accepted the resignation of Dr. J . Arthur F. de Silva as Editor of the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. During his three-year tenure, Dr. de Silva made enormous contributions to the Journal, to pharmaceutical research, and to APhA. At APhA headquarters, we will miss him personally as well as professionally. However, Dr. de Silva’s new position is a tremendous professional opportunity, and we wish him every success. For the immediate future, the Journal is in excellent hands. Dr. Edward G. Feldmann is serving as Interim Editor, and he already has his responsibilities well in hand. We are extremely grateful to Dr. Feldmann for his ongoing interest and support of the Journal and APhA. 0022-3549/9 1/03OO-O205$0 1.00/0 0 1991 , American Pharmaceutical Association
Finding a permanent Editor is our top priority, and we have already begun our search. The position announcement for the Editorship appears on the back cover of this issue of the Journal. As shown by our recent decision to expand the Journal to 112 pages, APhA is committed to maintaining the status of the Journal as the premier publication in pharmaceutical research, and we urge interested scientists to apply for this challenging opportunity.
James P. Car0 Senior Director Programming and Publications Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences I 205