Circulation Research: A New Era

From the Chair, Scientific Publishing Committee, American Heart Association.

Correspondence to Elizabeth G. Nabel, MD, Division of Cardiology, University of Michigan, 7220 MSRB III, 1150 West Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0644.

Key Words: cardiovascular research • molecular biology • vascular biology

Circulation Research has undergone significant changes in the past 5 years. These are in large part due to the editorial leadership of Stephen F. Vatner and Associate Editors Bradford C. Berk, Thomas H. Hintze, Leslie A. Leinwand, Peter Libby, Ketty Schwartz, Harold C. Strauss, and Yoshio Yazaki. Circulation Research has emerged as a premiere journal in molecular and cellular cardiology. Under Dr Vatner's leadership, Circulation Research has made the transition from cardiovascular physiology to include cardiovascular molecular biology. One might add that over the next few years, it may make an additional transition in cardiovascular molecular physiology and become a fully integrated, modern cardiovascular basic research journal.

There are several parameters that reflect the success of Circulation Research. As shown in Fig 1, the number of manuscripts received has increased steadily from 600 in 1987 to 1047 in 1996. This reflects a substantial interest worldwide in cardiovascular science. Approximately 50% of these submissions now come from outside of the United States, predominantly Europe and Asia. The number of manuscripts submitted to a journal reflects not only the quality of the science but also the brevity of the review process. To this regard, Dr Vatner has made strides. The time from submission to publication is 28 weeks for original contributions and 18 weeks for rapid communications. The time from acceptance to publication is 13 weeks for original contributions and 9 weeks for rapid communications (Fig 2).

View larger version (24K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 1. This figure depicts the increasing number of new manuscripts received each year, from 1991 through 1996.

View larger version (45K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 2. The left panel of this figure depicts the time from the submission of a manuscript to its publication. Similarly, the right panel depicts the time from the acceptance of a manuscript to its publication. The time for original contributions is compared with rapid communications on each panel. The average time in weeks appears above the bars.

However, the Journal's reputation might be noted by the impact factor reported by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI). Fig 3 compares the ISI factors for Circulation Research, the American Journal of Physiology, the Journal of Clinical Investigation, the Journal of Biological Chemistry, and Circulation from 1992 through 1995. The ISI factor for Circulation Research steadily increased during this period, from 5.11 to 8.01. This compares favorably with the Journal of Clinical Investigation and Circulation and now exceeds the Journal of Biological Chemistry and the American Journal of Physiology. Fig 4 shows the cumulative citations received per article published from 1992 through 1996. Circulation Research exceeds other cardiovascular journals, suggesting that articles in Circulation Research have a lasting citation impact. The substantial gain in the ISI factor reflects the quality of manuscripts selected for publication by Dr Vatner and his associate editors.

View larger version (48K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 3. This figure depicts the impact factor as reported by the Institute for Scientific Information for the American Journal of Physiology (AJP), the Journal of Clinical Investigation (JCI), the Journal of Biological Chemistry (JBC), Circulation, and Circulation Research (Circ. Res.), respectively. The impact factor for each year, from 1992 through 1995, is depicted above the bars.

View larger version (22K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 4. This figure depicts the number of citations received per article published in the Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology (JMCC), the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC), Cardiovascular Research (Card. Res.), Circulation, the Journal of Biological Chemistry (JBC), Circulation Research (Circ. Res.), and the Journal of Clinical Investigation (JCI). The number of citations during the cumulative period from 1992 through 1996 is provided next to each bar.

There has also been tremendous growth in the number of vascular biology articles published in Circulation Research. In 1997, approximately 50% of submitted and accepted manuscripts are in the field of vascular biology and represent the best molecular and cellular studies in this area.

With its rise in stature, Circulation Research might choose to rest on its laurels. However, the Journal will initiate two new features in 1998. Beginning in January 1998, Circulation Research will be published twice a month. This will permit more rapid and timely publication of important advances in cardiovascular science. Second, the cover of Circulation Research will be modified to encourage graphics, representative of one of the published articles in each volume. These graphics will also reflect advances in cardiovascular science and technology.

With these changes, there will be renewed emphasis on serving the reader. The Journal is committed to publishing the best studies in molecular and cellular cardiovascular biology. There is a commitment for rapid review and communication with the authors. It is the goal of Circulation Research to further shorten the time from acceptance to publication for original contributions and rapid communications.

Circulation Research has made a remarkable transition since 1992. The Journal's health is outstanding as demonstrated by its rising ISI factor. Circulation Research plans to continue its series of advances by publishing twice a month beginning January 1, 1998. We congratulate Dr Vatner and his associate editors, and we will watch their continued progress with tremendous enthusiasm.

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