EDITORIAL
The first ten years of AJP:Lung

D. Eugene Rannels, Editor

American Journal of Physiology:, Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology, July 1999, Volume 277 (21)


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THE JULY 1999 issue of the American Journal of Physiology: Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology (AJP:Lung) marks completion of the Journal's tenth year of publication. Over that interval, the Journal has grown from a bimonthly publication with a large component of invited material to a healthy monthly publication of primary research articles. We owe a special debt to Dr. Don Massaro, the Journal's first Editor, who worked tirelessly to establish a constant flow of submissions and invited papers in the early years of AJP:Lung. It was Dr. Massaro's leadership in the growth of the Journal, taking it to a monthly schedule of publication, that ensured its success.

This anniversary offers the American Physiological Society (APS), the Editors, and the scientific community opportunities to examine the past and current status of the Journal and to examine how well the Journal has fulfilled its goals. The purpose of this editorial is to address those issues as well as to solicit input from our authors and readers.


    FORMATION OF A NEW APS JOURNAL
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By the early to mid-1980s, the focus of pulmonary research in many laboratories had moved from classic physiological experiments toward investigation of the basic mechanisms underlying pulmonary disease using the methods of cell and molecular biology. These changes in research approach, along with a growing number of investigators working in these disciplines, stimulated discussion within the APS as to whether there was a need for a new specialized journal focused on these emerging areas of activity. Over the same interval, the Journal of Applied Physiology (JAP) had grown to near-maximal size; both submissions and the number of published pages had increased more than twofold over the previous 10 years, with papers on respiration accounting for >50% of published articles (1).

These events led the APS Publications Committee, at their meeting in March 1987, to consider the possibility of deriving a new pulmonary journal from subject matter that formerly had been published in JAP and in the "Cell" and "Endocrine" sections of the American Journal of Physiology (AJP). Under the leadership of Paul C. Johnson, committee members discussed the potential scope of such a publication, which would focus on the emerging areas of cellular and molecular physiology of the lungs and respiratory system. After a great deal of debate, a decision was made to solicit advice from members of the Respiration Section, from other relevant constituencies of the Society, and from leaders of the pulmonary research community.

In October 1987, prominent investigators in the field of pulmonary cell and molecular biology met to advise the Publications Committee concerning the proposed journal. Issues of scope and content were discussed in detail, along with potential candidates for Editor and possible members of the Editorial Board. In a subsequent meeting, the Publications Committee considered additional input from individuals and from APS section representatives as background for further discussion. Scientific considerations had to be balanced against both the risks and costs of the proposed endeavor. It was considered essential that any change be structured to protect the integrity of JAP. It was further recognized that financial risk to APS would be lowered if the new Journal were established under the umbrella of the AJP, which enjoyed both a large subscription base and a strong and established reputation. Nevertheless, there was significant concern as to whether sufficient submissions would be forthcoming to sustain a regular schedule of publication.

In this context, leaders in relevant areas of pulmonary research identified a need in the scientific community for a more specialized pulmonary journal and predicted, based on a survey of the literature, that enough material would be available to support such a venture. It was further anticipated that the ongoing movement of young investigators to incorporate cellular and molecular techniques into physiological investigations would support continued growth of a more focused publication. Importantly, the APS leadership envisioned that the message sent by the proposed journal would help attract young investigators to the Society and, by incorporating new tools and techniques into physiology, would improve the quality of programming at the annual meetings.

The Publications Committee met again in March 1988 to further consider the above issues as well as alternative courses of action. An informal market analysis had been completed to examine the position of the proposed journal in the context of competition with JAP and with a similar new journal being debated simultaneously by the American Thoracic Society. In these discussions, the title of the new journal was deemed to be of major importance, as was the statement of scope, which by this time had been prepared, discussed, and amended. A number of titles were proposed, but the final selection, AJP: Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology, was not made until a meeting in May 1988, when the new Editor, Don Massaro, met with the Committee. The statement of scope addressed the intent of AJP:Lung to publish "...original investigative and theoretical papers dealing with molecular, cellular, and morphological aspects of normal and abnormal function and response of cells and components of the respiratory system...."

By April 1989, AJP:Lung had received 80 submissions and the review process had been completed for 29 of these manuscripts. A portion of this total reflected transfers from JAP (with permission of the authors). In addition, two invited reviews, three commentaries, and a historical perspective had been scheduled for the first issue. With these commitments in hand, the first bimonthly issue of the Journal was set for publication in August 1989. Publication continued in alternate months until a monthly schedule was initiated in January 1992. Dr. Massaro continued to lead the Journal in its early phases of growth and development through December 1992, when the editorship was moved to this office.

Don Massaro's efforts were essential in taking the Journal from a debated idea to reality. In the course of his editorship, he faced significant obstacles as he began to build AJP:Lung. Commitment and support of APS, along with the standing reputation and success of APS journals, helped to convince authors that the potential of the new journal was high. Nevertheless, unpredictable submission rates and the initial schedule for publication in alternate months lengthened the interval between submission and publication. In addition, at the same time that the APS was launching AJP:Lung, the American Lung Association had committed to the establishment of the American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology (AJRCMB), which would serve nearly the same segment of the pulmonary research community. The possibility of a competitor journal being initiated in parallel with the new section of the AJP raised concerns within the Publications Committee. Furthermore, investigators voiced concern as to whether both new journals would remain viable and, consequently, whether papers in one or both would "disappear" were the publications to fail. The first issues of both journals were published nearly simultaneously, in July (AJRCMB) and August (AJP:Lung) 1989.


    THE CURRENT STANDING OF AJP:LUNG
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Ten years later, it is evident that participation of the scientific community, support of the Publications Committee, and commitment of APS to publish scientific journals of high quality have combined to support the growth and development of AJP:Lung. Both the number of submissions and total pages published in the Journal increased >2.5-fold between 1992, the first year of monthly publication, and 1998. Independent of this growth, processing and review of manuscripts have accelerated. The average time consumed by the review process has decreased progressively over the past 6 years. In 1998, manuscripts were transferred to the reviewers in an average of 4.7 days and the average time from submission to the first editorial decision was 35 days. Similarly, the interval between acceptance and publication averaged 3.2 months for research articles and about 2.2 months for Rapid Communications. The latter intervals approximate minimal times required for the final editing and printing process.


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In large part, the growth and current status of AJP:Lung reflect substantial contributions of the scientific community. The role of individual investigators in the peer review process has been essential. During the past 10 years, well over 100 scientific experts have served on the Editorial Board, many of these for extended intervals. Literally hundreds of additional investigators from diverse fields have committed their time and expertise to the review of submitted manuscripts. At the editorial level, 13 individuals have taken the responsibility to serve as Associate Editor. All of these contributors, many of whom are "invisible" in their duties, have been invaluable to development of the Journal.


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Commitment of APS to scientific publications has been a further essential component of the Journal's growth. During the past 10 years, extensive support from the APS editorial staff, working with the Publications Committee, has led the transition to utilize the most up-to-date editing, typesetting, and printing procedures, all of which accelerate the rate at which accepted manuscripts appear in print as well as improve the quality of the finished product. For example, in 1998, manuscripts accepted by the Journal have entered the editing and printing process immediately after final acceptance, eliminating backlogs that may delay publication. Further support from the Society has made the APS journals available on-line and has subsidized the cost of color figures. Beginning this month, scientifically warranted color figures are free to APS members.


    WHAT REMAINS TO BE ADDRESSED?
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Over the past years, the Journal has faced few serious problems and has fulfilled many of its goals. The few problems encountered have been resolved largely through the Editors, working with support of the APS publications staff and the Publications Committee. This has allowed us to focus more closely on efforts to build and streamline Journal operations and to identify specific areas for additional attention. We continue to work in the following areas to improve further.

We recognize that research based in pulmonary cell and molecular biology is of international importance and is ongoing throughout the world, yet AJP:Lung has remained largely a "domestic" journal. In 1998, only 21% of all manuscripts received by the Journal were submitted from laboratories outside the United States and Canada. Of these submissions, 6% were from Japan and the remaining 15% were from Western Europe, with England, France, and Germany accounting for the largest contributions. In contrast, AJP as a whole attracts 36% of total submissions from outside North America. There is thus further potential to expand the international visibility of AJP:Lung and to improve participation of investigators outside North America; we are working toward that goal.

In addition, several areas of important pulmonary research have not been adequately represented in the Journal. One of these is concerned with the cellular neurophysiology of respiratory control. Sophisticated new approaches are now being applied to evaluate cellular function in these essential regulatory cell populations both in vivo and in vitro. Many relevant neurophysiological, signaling, and related studies are appropriate for publication in AJP:Lung. We encourage investigators in this interesting and growing field to consider and discuss submission of their work (2).

Finally, the Journal exists to serve its constituency, the scientific community. In this regard, we have appreciated the many constructive comments and suggestions from our readers and trust that they will continue in the future. The door is open; we welcome your input and discussion as we embark on our second decade.


    ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I thank Brenda Rauner, APS Publications Manager, for access to information from the archives and her own personal recollections regarding the founding of the Journal.


    FOOTNOTES

Address for reprint requests and other correspondence: D. E. Rannels, Dept. of Cellular and Molecular Physiology C4723, The Pennsylvania State Univ. College of Medicine H166, 500 University Drive, Hershey, PA 17033 (E-mail: grannels{at}psu.edu).


    REFERENCES
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INTRODUCTION
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1.   Fishman, A. P. Gaudeamus igitur. J. Appl. Physiol. 65: 1005-1006, 1988[Abstract/Free Full Text].

2.   Rannels, D. E. Cellular neurobiology of respiration. Am. J. Physiol. 269 (Lung Cell. Mol. Physiol. 13): L1, 1995.


Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 277(1):L1-L4
0002-9513/99 $5.00 Copyright © 1999 the American Physiological Society