Resignation

R.G. Edwards

It is with regret that I have decided to resign from the editorship of Human Reproduction and its sister journals from April 30 this year. I strongly believe that scientists and clinicians should organise their own publishing affairs, and had hoped to free the journals from financial and other constraints imposed by publishing through a publishing house. It is my failure to persuade others of the benefits of this course of action that precipitated my resignation.

I have been immensely privileged to have edited the ESHRE journals, and entrusted with the considerable number of manuscripts submitted to Human Reproduction. Rising numbers on a wide breadth of topics now approach 2000 and more annually to all ESHRE Journals. The journal has adapted to great challenges in new forms of publishing, as old standards are increasingly questioned and instant and widespread distribution becomes the norm. No greater tribute goes to our authors than the fantastic news of Update and Human Reproduction coming joint first in their Impact Factor in 1999, and their high scores will certainly persist. But for an error outside the Editorial Office, Molecular Human Reproduction would have had its first Impact Factor in 1999, which I estimate would even have exceeded its sister journals in 1999. Results in 2000 are bound to be fascinating.

All this could not have been achieved without the support and skill of many editors, referees, and ESHRE. I thank Mrs Caroline Blackwell for her unstinting support in founding and administering the journals, and Jean Cohen, then Chairman Elect, and the Executive Committee at the time, for founding Human Reproduction and placing it initially in Cambridge. My deepest thanks go also to Mrs Fiona Bennett for her patience and care over many years in adjudicating all accepted manuscripts. I am especially indebted for early assistance from Kate Taylor and Carole Manners, and for enormous help and support from successive Assistant and Deputy Editors including Geraldine Hartshorne, Helen Beard, Judy Bradshaw and Roseanne Hansen, and for the unstinting work of many secretarial and production staff in the Editorial Office, especially Bev Hilton, Production Editor. The refereeing process has been enormous, and I stand deeply in debt to numerous editors, referees, committee members and others for their time and unstinting and free support. Rising numbers of papers and wider challenges will almost certainly demand changes in Editorial structure by tapping wide talent in Europe and elsewhere. The future task is to maintain these standards, and I wish my successors the greatest success in attaining these ends.

Bob Edwards





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