World Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology 10, 7-8
Editorial
Ten y e a r s on It is now ten years since this Journal first began. Initially, as older readers will remember, it was called the MIRCEN Journal of Applied Microbiology and Biotechnologybut with the joint collaboration of IUMS and UNESCO in 1989, the Journal was relaunched the following year in its present style and format. In a world where journals are losing subscriptions every year, it is pleasing to record that this is one journal which is gaining in popularity every single year since its launch. Ten years of expansion has got to be good news for everyone. We are exceptionally proud of receiving and publishing papers from almost every single country of the world which has a microbiology or biotechnology laboratory, and of helping to play our part in the continuing expansion of our subject. Biotechnology and microbiology are two fast-moving areas that promise much for both developed countries as well as those that are continuing to develop. To help in the furtherance of microbiology I am delighted therefore to announce a continuation of the expansion of the Journal's policy and coverage. As from this issue, we are now beginning a Virology Section. This is to be under the aegis of Dr John MacKenzie from The University of Western Australia and we are most pleased indeed to be able to welcome him to the Journal. Virologists from all regions of the world are therefore cordially invited to send their scientific papers to Dr MacKenzie who will arrange for them to be peer-reviewed in the usual manner. 1994 also sees some other changes to the Editors and to our panels of advisers and reviewers. Professor T. Beppu is stepping down as Associate Editor and we thank him most warmly for all the editing he has done of papers from his own country and of the neighbouring countries. His place is being taken by Professor T. Yoshida who has a long and distinguished career and has been associated with this journal since its inception. We also record the retirement of Professor Stuart Glover as Book Review Editor and wish him a long and enjoyable retirement after a lifetime spent in the promotion of microbiology around the world. He will be replaced by Dr G.G. Stewart which increases o u r linkage with IUMS as Dr Stewart serves as the Treasurer for that organization. We also thank a number of others who are retiring after many years on either our Advisory
Board or Editorial Board: Drs la Rivi6re, Attasampunna, Goma, Martin and Stevenson, to whom go our thanks and appreciation. As the Journal has continued to expand its popularity and coverage, particularly over the past four years, this has meant that we have received, on occasion, a deluge of papers for our consideration. This has been the source of much satisfaction as clearly our presence is now being acknowledged and the variety of topics we are asked to review never ceases to amaze me as a humble microbiologist. Our popularity with authors, though, has inevitably led to some delay in publishing their papers but gratifyingly the publishers have been able to give us additional space for I994 and also have worked very hard at producing both an economical format for the Journal and also one which still remains attractive to the reader. The delay between accepting and publishing a paper should become much more reasonable during 1994. Regretfully, though, one consequence of our popularity has been for some would-be authors to send us papers that have been very poorly prepared and also often very ill-considered from a scientific point of view. All that can be said is that such contributors neither serve themselves well n o r indeed the institutions to which they belong. Unfortunately, such authors neither seem to read editorials such as this nor even our Instructions to Authors. Of course, most of our contributors do not have English as their first language and all our editors are patient in helping to correct inadvertent slips but, nevertheless, authors who will not even check their own manuscripts before submitting them must strain the patience of even the best of editors. The past ten years have been ten years of progress for the Journal. We are now established as part of the international publishing scene. Our contributors have often expressed satisfaction with the Journal and I hope they will always continue to do so. The future for us l o o k s exceptionally promising and as assured as any Journal can be in today's changing world. Our aims continue to be in the promotion of biotechnology and microbiology on a global scale, to encourage the free flow of ideas around the world and stimulate the interaction of scientists in different and disparate countries. In practical terms, we need to expand the coverage of the Journal and also o u r
Worm Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology, Vol 10, 1994
7
Editorial distribution so that, hopefully, before not too long we can become a monthly publication and not a bi-monthly one. This then, in turn, depends on you, the reader, helping to promote the Journal whenever and wherever possible.
8
World Journal of Microbiology & Biofechnology, Vol I0, 1994
With your encouragement and support, we can approach the next ten years with optimism. Colin Ratledge
Editor-in-Chief
Editorial
Ten y e a r s on It is now ten years since this Journal first began. Initially, as older readers will remember, it was called the MIRCEN Journal of Applied Microbiology and Biotechnologybut with the joint collaboration of IUMS and UNESCO in 1989, the Journal was relaunched the following year in its present style and format. In a world where journals are losing subscriptions every year, it is pleasing to record that this is one journal which is gaining in popularity every single year since its launch. Ten years of expansion has got to be good news for everyone. We are exceptionally proud of receiving and publishing papers from almost every single country of the world which has a microbiology or biotechnology laboratory, and of helping to play our part in the continuing expansion of our subject. Biotechnology and microbiology are two fast-moving areas that promise much for both developed countries as well as those that are continuing to develop. To help in the furtherance of microbiology I am delighted therefore to announce a continuation of the expansion of the Journal's policy and coverage. As from this issue, we are now beginning a Virology Section. This is to be under the aegis of Dr John MacKenzie from The University of Western Australia and we are most pleased indeed to be able to welcome him to the Journal. Virologists from all regions of the world are therefore cordially invited to send their scientific papers to Dr MacKenzie who will arrange for them to be peer-reviewed in the usual manner. 1994 also sees some other changes to the Editors and to our panels of advisers and reviewers. Professor T. Beppu is stepping down as Associate Editor and we thank him most warmly for all the editing he has done of papers from his own country and of the neighbouring countries. His place is being taken by Professor T. Yoshida who has a long and distinguished career and has been associated with this journal since its inception. We also record the retirement of Professor Stuart Glover as Book Review Editor and wish him a long and enjoyable retirement after a lifetime spent in the promotion of microbiology around the world. He will be replaced by Dr G.G. Stewart which increases o u r linkage with IUMS as Dr Stewart serves as the Treasurer for that organization. We also thank a number of others who are retiring after many years on either our Advisory
Board or Editorial Board: Drs la Rivi6re, Attasampunna, Goma, Martin and Stevenson, to whom go our thanks and appreciation. As the Journal has continued to expand its popularity and coverage, particularly over the past four years, this has meant that we have received, on occasion, a deluge of papers for our consideration. This has been the source of much satisfaction as clearly our presence is now being acknowledged and the variety of topics we are asked to review never ceases to amaze me as a humble microbiologist. Our popularity with authors, though, has inevitably led to some delay in publishing their papers but gratifyingly the publishers have been able to give us additional space for I994 and also have worked very hard at producing both an economical format for the Journal and also one which still remains attractive to the reader. The delay between accepting and publishing a paper should become much more reasonable during 1994. Regretfully, though, one consequence of our popularity has been for some would-be authors to send us papers that have been very poorly prepared and also often very ill-considered from a scientific point of view. All that can be said is that such contributors neither serve themselves well n o r indeed the institutions to which they belong. Unfortunately, such authors neither seem to read editorials such as this nor even our Instructions to Authors. Of course, most of our contributors do not have English as their first language and all our editors are patient in helping to correct inadvertent slips but, nevertheless, authors who will not even check their own manuscripts before submitting them must strain the patience of even the best of editors. The past ten years have been ten years of progress for the Journal. We are now established as part of the international publishing scene. Our contributors have often expressed satisfaction with the Journal and I hope they will always continue to do so. The future for us l o o k s exceptionally promising and as assured as any Journal can be in today's changing world. Our aims continue to be in the promotion of biotechnology and microbiology on a global scale, to encourage the free flow of ideas around the world and stimulate the interaction of scientists in different and disparate countries. In practical terms, we need to expand the coverage of the Journal and also o u r
Worm Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology, Vol 10, 1994
7
Editorial distribution so that, hopefully, before not too long we can become a monthly publication and not a bi-monthly one. This then, in turn, depends on you, the reader, helping to promote the Journal whenever and wherever possible.
8
World Journal of Microbiology & Biofechnology, Vol I0, 1994
With your encouragement and support, we can approach the next ten years with optimism. Colin Ratledge
Editor-in-Chief
