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Publication of the December 1999 issue marked a changing of the guard
for the American Journal of Physiology-Lung Cellular and
Molecular Physiology. On January 1, 2000, the editorial
office of the Journal moved from Penn State University to the
University of Illinois as my Editorship transferred to Professor Asrar
Malik. Dr. Malik has organized a new group of highly qualified
Associate Editors and has appointed a new Editorial Board who will
carry the Journal into the next century. (Manuscripts still under
review at the turn of the year will continue to be processed at Penn State until all relevant final editorial decisions have been
made.)
The purpose of this Editorial is to extend my most sincere thanks to
all members of the scientific community who have supported AJP-Lung through my seven years as Editor. The founding Editor, Don Massaro, provided guidance invaluable to our early efforts to
organize and streamline journal operations (1). Moreover, nine
investigators have served as Associate Editors, four of whom have
continued with the Journal for the past six years. This level of
dedication, characterized by careful and consistent work of the
Associate Editors, has been essential to building the strength of the
Journal. Their efforts, along with those of their dedicated staff, have
maintained the high standards of quality while substantially reducing
the average time consumed by manuscript review. Over the same interval,
the Journal has enjoyed significant growth. Between 1993 and 1999, submission rates grew twofold and the number of published articles
increased to a comparable extent.
Our ability to provide timely editorial review of submitted manuscripts
has depended entirely on the large number of individuals who generously
offered their time and expertise in support of the peer review process.
These include 125 investigators who have served as members of the
Editorial Board as well as innumerable additional scientists who
reviewed manuscripts regularly on an ad hoc basis. No journal can
survive without the support of expert reviewers. We thus thank all
those who have participated in the review process for their dedication
and effort.
In the next few years, we can expect substantial changes in the
journals of the American Physiological Society (APS), including transition to electronic submission. Once established, these approaches will further streamline and accelerate review and publication in all
APS journals. We look forward to continued involvement in the
publication activities of the Society and urge readers of the Journal
to participate as well. We extend our sincere thanks to all
of you for your generous support of the Journal over the past seven years.