Editors-in-chief prepare for new term
In May 2016, ARVO members elected editors-in-chief (EICs) for the association’s three journals. The new EICs will officially begin their five-year terms in January 2018. Each recently shared parts of their vision for their respective journals with ARVONews.
Donald Hood, PhD, FARVO
Columbia University
ARVONews: All new editors want to improve their journal. How are you going to go about this?
In the statement I submitted when running for editor-in-chief of IOVS, I pondered this question. In particular, I wrote: "How do we improve IOVS? First, we need to continue to enhance the quality of what we publish as measured by both objective (e.g., impact factor) and subjective criteria. Second, we must assure that all manuscripts submitted for publication receive timely, unbiased and informative reviews. If revisions are needed, they should be clearly detailed. On the other hand, if a manuscript is rejected, the reasons should be fully documented. Third, the nature of scientific publishing is changing and we need to track these changes and evolve accordingly.”
I still believe these are the key factors, although the first two can probably be subsumed under the general goal of making IOVS the most author-friendly journal in the field.
ARVONews: What do you mean by author-friendly?
We need to look at everything — from ease of submission to the ways in which we publicize our articles. A new board of eight associate editors and I are working on this now. So feel free to ask me again in a few months.
Andrew Watson, PhD, FARVO
Apple
ARVONews: What is your current vision for JOV?
As someone who played a role in the founding and early development of the Journal of Vision, I am proud and excited to have been elected as the next editor-in-chief. The Journal of Vision occupies a very special role in our community, as the first open-access online journal in vision science. As I begin my term, I am focused on several goals for the journal:
- to preserve JOV’s role as the premier open access journal in vision science
- to maintain high standards of scientific excellence
- to preserve and enhance the technical features and capabilities of JOV as a digital publication
- to ensure that publication in JOV remains affordable for authors
- to protect the long-term viability of JOV
When we first launched the journal, almost 18 years ago, we did so with a slogan that expressed our ambition then, and it remains our ambition today: “Be free, be everywhere, be forever.”
Marco Zarbin, MD, PhD, FARVO
Rutgers University
ARVONews: What are your goals for your second term?
As editor-in-chief of Translational Vision Science and Technology (TVST), I will strive to achieve four broad goals during the next five years:
- Establish TVST as a repository for high quality translational research focused on vision science and disorders of the eye and visual system.
- Provide constructive, expert reviews of submitted research in a timely fashion.
- Provide high quality, concise reviews of novel topics relevant to translational research, including subjects such as clinical trial design, new research technologies and emerging pathway-based therapies for disorders of the eye and visual system.
- Provide international representation of highly qualified scientists at the associate editor, Editorial Board member, and reviewer level.
Attainment of these objectives will improve the visibility of and focus interest in translational research related to the eye and visual system; accelerate the growth of translational research in the vision science community; capture translational vision research from throughout the world in one journal; and broaden the catchment area and improve the review process of submitted manuscripts.
Specific goals for the next five years include:
- Obtaining indexing for TVST in MEDLINE
- Increasing TVST’s impact factor from 2.221 to ≥3.5
- Reducing median turnaround time to first decision on manuscripts to <40 days
It is and has been a privilege to work on behalf of the vision science community in this endeavor, and I look forward to serving the needs of this community as TVST’s editor-in-chief during the next five years.
A special thank you
ARVO sincerely thanks the outgoing editors-in-chief of IOVS and JOV for their service and leadership during their terms.
Thomas Yorio, PhD, FARVO, graciously stepped in to lead IOVS at short notice when the previous editor-in-chief stepped down due to illness. From the outset, Yorio embraced the role with enthusiasm and dedication. Recognizing the vital importance of the peer-review process, he introduced a reviewer in training program to help bring onboard and train a new generation of IOVS reviewers from diverse backgrounds. Yorio oversaw several IOVS special issues, perhaps the most noteworthy being one celebrating the 25th anniversary of Optical Coherence Tomography, which consisted of 75 articles, including seven invited review articles. One of the most major IOVS developments to happen under Yorio's leadership was its move from a subscription based journal to be fully open access in 2016.
Dennis Levi, OD, PhD, has led JOV through challenging times, with increasing competition and a constantly evolving publication landscape. Associate editor Denis Pelli, PhD, recently paid a fitting tribute to Levi for "preserving what is best about JOV," including its spirit of innovation, its commitment to quality and service and its commitment to open access. (Under Levi's leadership, open access was improved by allowing authors to retain copyright to their work and to choose between two types of Creative Commons license for its reuse.) Pelli pointed out some particular improvements including the introduction of associate editors to the journal and the triage process by which the new associate editors pre-screen manuscripts to help maintain quality and better utilize reviewers' time. Another important development under Levi's tenure is the inclusion of new Review and Methods article types, which are cited at more than twice the rate of the journal average.
ARVO also congratulates the TVST editor-in-chief, Marco Zarbin, MD, PhD, FARVO, on completing one term and beginning the next. Among his significant accomplishment to date is his leadership in achieving the first impact factor for ARVO's youngest journal. JM