- Email: [email protected]
Taking the next step: Quality, innovation, transformation and the next evolution of Vaccine
Vaccine 28 (2010) 1
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Vaccine journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/vaccine
Taking the next step: Quality, innovation, transformation and the next evolution of Vaccine
Vaccine was launched 27 years ago, and rapidly moved from being published once a quarter, to its current 52 issues a year. We now publish over 1000 articles a year, and typically 4–6 supplements yearly. We have quickly reached an impact factor of 3.3. We went from a handful of subscribers to now reaching over 100,000 people with each issue. Recently Vaccine launched and sponsors a yearly international vaccine conference, attended by hundreds of people from across the globe (www.vaccinecongress.com). After having served as the North American editor of Vaccine during the last 10 years, it is with great enthusiasm and a sense of both humility and immense responsibility that I now assume the duties of Editor-in-Chief of the journal. I am grateful for the opportunity and extremely enthusiastic because of the opportunities we have in front of us (both as a journal and in the science of vaccines), and because of the excellent working relationship the editors have with Floris de Hon, PhD, the Executive Publisher of the journal. My plan for the journal is straightforward—to build on the superb foundation we have and solidly establish Vaccine as the premier journal in the world in the field of vaccinology. To do this will require that we relentlessly focus on the quality of the science we publish, and that what we publish meets the needs of our readers. My approach to doing this will be (not surprisingly), informed by the scientific method. We will embark on a series of experiments to learn what works and what does not, using the tools of innovation and transformation as we move deeper into the changing landscape of electronic and print scientific publication in the 21st century. In this journey, we will focus on publishing articles that advance the science of vaccinology, and that bring the highest quality and integrity of science to bear. Current discussions for change include moving toward a greater visual look and presence to the journal, constituting a new editorial board who are content experts in diverse areas critical to the new biology and vaccinology, a critical review of the number of pages printed, new regular sections to the journal such as solicited expert reviews, solicited expert commentaries on key scientific papers, a visual image section, and the development of mechanisms for more robust scientific dialogue and conversations among our readers. Ultimately though, the quality and impact of a journal is entirely leveraged on the quality of the science we publish, the quality of the reviews our reviewers provide, and a deep understanding of the changing scientific and technologic needs of our diverse international readership. The vaccine field is highly dynamic and singularly important in human and animal health given the impact vaccines have had on human health and longevity. Vaccines are the only medical 0264-410X/$ – see front matter © 2009 Published by Elsevier Ltd. doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2009.11.040
maneuver we attempt to provide multiple times to every single human being on earth. Nothing in medicine or science compares to the magnitude of these efforts and their effects. Yet the potential impact of vaccines are threatened by the need for additional science in critical areas of vaccinology such as the need for new science and discovery approaches to creating highly innovative technology platforms and new vaccine development (particularly for emerging human and economically important animal threats), new paradigms in regulatory science and vaccine distribution, and the need for advances in vaccine safety science and communication amidst the growing pandemic of vaccine skepticism and anti-vaccinism. One need only examine the current concerns, fears, burdens, and economic costs associated with the pandemic H1N1 vaccine to understand the singular importance of the work we do together for human health and well-being. It is also important to recognize the debt of gratitude the journal owes to Ray Spier, PhD, the retiring Editor-in-Chief and founder of the journal, and past and present Associate editors. Through Ray’s vision, perseverance, and passion Vaccine was launched and has become a leading journal in the field of vaccinology. So it is with profound acknowledgement of Ray’s efforts and that of our Associate editors that we now take the next innovative and transformative steps together. Finally, as we move together into this next evolution of the journal, I invite you to suggest experiments we might undertake, and to provide critical and constructive feedback to improve our journal. The scientific creativity of our readers leads me to the conclusion that together we can create new and highly transformative ways in which to winsomely communicate scientific findings in a timely manner, and that this can best be accomplished by an emphasis on partnership and conversation between readers and editors. After all, while we aspire to advance the science, it is you, the readers, that we serve. Please let me know how Vaccine might best meet your scientific needs. I look forward to the exciting journey ahead! Editor-in-Chief, Vaccine Gregory A. Poland (MD, MACP, FIDSA) Mary Lowell Leary Professor of Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, and Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Mayo Vaccine Research Group, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA E-mail address: [email protected]
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Vaccine journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/vaccine
Taking the next step: Quality, innovation, transformation and the next evolution of Vaccine
Vaccine was launched 27 years ago, and rapidly moved from being published once a quarter, to its current 52 issues a year. We now publish over 1000 articles a year, and typically 4–6 supplements yearly. We have quickly reached an impact factor of 3.3. We went from a handful of subscribers to now reaching over 100,000 people with each issue. Recently Vaccine launched and sponsors a yearly international vaccine conference, attended by hundreds of people from across the globe (www.vaccinecongress.com). After having served as the North American editor of Vaccine during the last 10 years, it is with great enthusiasm and a sense of both humility and immense responsibility that I now assume the duties of Editor-in-Chief of the journal. I am grateful for the opportunity and extremely enthusiastic because of the opportunities we have in front of us (both as a journal and in the science of vaccines), and because of the excellent working relationship the editors have with Floris de Hon, PhD, the Executive Publisher of the journal. My plan for the journal is straightforward—to build on the superb foundation we have and solidly establish Vaccine as the premier journal in the world in the field of vaccinology. To do this will require that we relentlessly focus on the quality of the science we publish, and that what we publish meets the needs of our readers. My approach to doing this will be (not surprisingly), informed by the scientific method. We will embark on a series of experiments to learn what works and what does not, using the tools of innovation and transformation as we move deeper into the changing landscape of electronic and print scientific publication in the 21st century. In this journey, we will focus on publishing articles that advance the science of vaccinology, and that bring the highest quality and integrity of science to bear. Current discussions for change include moving toward a greater visual look and presence to the journal, constituting a new editorial board who are content experts in diverse areas critical to the new biology and vaccinology, a critical review of the number of pages printed, new regular sections to the journal such as solicited expert reviews, solicited expert commentaries on key scientific papers, a visual image section, and the development of mechanisms for more robust scientific dialogue and conversations among our readers. Ultimately though, the quality and impact of a journal is entirely leveraged on the quality of the science we publish, the quality of the reviews our reviewers provide, and a deep understanding of the changing scientific and technologic needs of our diverse international readership. The vaccine field is highly dynamic and singularly important in human and animal health given the impact vaccines have had on human health and longevity. Vaccines are the only medical 0264-410X/$ – see front matter © 2009 Published by Elsevier Ltd. doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2009.11.040
maneuver we attempt to provide multiple times to every single human being on earth. Nothing in medicine or science compares to the magnitude of these efforts and their effects. Yet the potential impact of vaccines are threatened by the need for additional science in critical areas of vaccinology such as the need for new science and discovery approaches to creating highly innovative technology platforms and new vaccine development (particularly for emerging human and economically important animal threats), new paradigms in regulatory science and vaccine distribution, and the need for advances in vaccine safety science and communication amidst the growing pandemic of vaccine skepticism and anti-vaccinism. One need only examine the current concerns, fears, burdens, and economic costs associated with the pandemic H1N1 vaccine to understand the singular importance of the work we do together for human health and well-being. It is also important to recognize the debt of gratitude the journal owes to Ray Spier, PhD, the retiring Editor-in-Chief and founder of the journal, and past and present Associate editors. Through Ray’s vision, perseverance, and passion Vaccine was launched and has become a leading journal in the field of vaccinology. So it is with profound acknowledgement of Ray’s efforts and that of our Associate editors that we now take the next innovative and transformative steps together. Finally, as we move together into this next evolution of the journal, I invite you to suggest experiments we might undertake, and to provide critical and constructive feedback to improve our journal. The scientific creativity of our readers leads me to the conclusion that together we can create new and highly transformative ways in which to winsomely communicate scientific findings in a timely manner, and that this can best be accomplished by an emphasis on partnership and conversation between readers and editors. After all, while we aspire to advance the science, it is you, the readers, that we serve. Please let me know how Vaccine might best meet your scientific needs. I look forward to the exciting journey ahead! Editor-in-Chief, Vaccine Gregory A. Poland (MD, MACP, FIDSA) Mary Lowell Leary Professor of Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, and Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Mayo Vaccine Research Group, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA E-mail address: [email protected]