Circulation Research. 2008;102:267-269
doi: 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.108.172551
(Circulation Research. 2008;102:267.)
© 2008 American Heart Association, Inc.
Circulation Research Editors’ Annual Report for 2007
Eduardo Marbán,
Kara Hansell Keehan,
Lisa Lunt, The Associate Editors
Correspondence to Eduardo Marbán, MD, PhD, Editor in Chief, Circulation Research, 2700 Lighthouse Point East, Suite 230, Baltimore, MD 21224. E-mail circulation.research{at}circresearch.com
Key Words: submissions • impact factor • thematic reviews
We are pleased to publish this annual report on the progress of Circulation Research throughout 2007, in this eighth year of the present editorship. The overall composition of our editorial team has remained quite stable, but, this year, several changes are worth noting. First, as previously reported,1 we recruited Ingrid Fleming to succeed Rudi Busse after his untimely death. Second, Hal Dietz stepped down as Associate Editor after 7 and a half years of distinguished service. Under Hal’s leadership, the number of submissions to the journal in the areas of human genetics and cardiovascular development steadily increased. We continue to welcome outstanding papers in these areas and have recruited Elizabeth McNally as the Associate Editor for these manuscripts. As exemplified by the recent addition of Douglas Losordo to the editorial team, the journal also is committed to publishing the most exciting papers in the fields of regenerative medicine and translational research.
Submissions to the journal continued to increase modestly, resulting in a year-end total of 1983 manuscript submissions (Figure 1). This represents a 53.4% increase in overall submissions since the beginning of our editorship and marks a new record for manuscript submissions to Circulation Research.
In 2007, submissions to Circulation Research reflected a diverse array of countries, from well-known centers of research to developing nations. Figure 2 displays the percentage of manuscripts received by country and region for 2007. The Editors also tracked trends in submissions received by country and region from 2000 to 2007 (Figure 3). We note that submissions from the United States increased in 2007, over 2005 and 2006 submissions, and submissions from Europe declined slightly. Submissions from Japan and Canada have remained fairly consistent over the past 3 years. Notably, we continue to see growth in the "other countries and regions" category, which includes China, South Korea, and Taiwan. To further analyze this trend, we present Figure 4, a trend chart tracking submissions from China, South Korea, and Taiwan from 2002 to 2007. Submissions from China continue to increase steadily, whereas submissions from South Korea and Taiwan exhibit a general growth trend but fluctuate yearly.
Despite increasing submissions, the Editors maintained an acceptance rate in 2007 of 16.42%. Figure 5 displays the trend in acceptance rates from 1995 to 2007, whereas Figure 6 presents the percentage of final decisions by type of decision for 2007. To identify papers not suitable for Circulation Research, the Editors continue to rely on reviewers, mostly Editorial Board members, to perform triage reviews. Rejections based on these triage reviews represent 21.8% of decisions made in 2007. Decisions made at the editorial level to identify manuscripts not appropriate for the scope of the journal represent 14.13% of decisions made in 2007. The Editors take this opportunity to thank our expert reviewers for their superior dedication to Circulation Research and to the peer review process, which is truly the backbone of all quality scientific journals.
Competitive lead times mark a successful journal, and the Editors of Circulation Research are pleased to present Figure 7, which tracks the time from submission to first decision for original research articles. Decisions were rendered on full-length Original Contributions in an average of 2.75 weeks, whereas the average of all categories is a brief 2.67 weeks to first decision. Similarly Figure 8 displays the time from submission to publication. Here, the average time from submission to publication for all original research article categories is a competitive 23 weeks, which includes the time taken by authors to revise manuscripts. To offset the time to print publication, which itself is a short 8.5 weeks for Original Contributions and only 5.4 weeks for Reports, all original research articles are published ahead of print online in a first proof PDF format in Circulation Research Online First. Since August 2007, with transition of Eduardo Marbán to lead the Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the office of the journal has been geographically separated from its Editor in Chief. It is a testament to our "world is flat" electronic technology culture that not a beat has been skipped, operationally speaking, in the course of this transition.
The Editors are happy to note that the impact factor for Circulation Research increased in 2006 to 9.854, over the 2005 impact factor of 9.408. Circulation Research was again ranked no. 2 in the Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems category, no. 2 in the Peripheral Vascular Disease category, and no. 3 in the Hematology category.1
The Circulation Research symposium was another success at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2007, with the focus on phosphodiesterases and the talks and speakers pulled largely from the thematic review series in Circulation Research by the same name. The Table lists all thematic review series currently in progress in the journal. Finally, the Editors would like to take this opportunity to thank our readership for your unflagging support of Circulation Research. We welcome your insights, suggestions, and feedback at circulation.research@circresearch.com.
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Footnotes
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The opinions expressed in this editorial are not necessarily
those of the editors or of the American Heart Association.
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References
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1. Fleming I, Pohl U. In memoriam: Rudi Busse (1943–2007).
Circ Res. 2007; 101: 431–432.
[Free Full Text]2. ISI Journal Citation Report. ISI Web of Knowledge database. Philadelphia, Pa: Thomson Scientific®; 2006.
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