An Editor’s farewell

Authors: Bernd Nilius

Publish Date: 2015/11/10

Volume: 467, Issue: 12, Pages: 2399-2400

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Abstract

Although Pflügers Archiv—European Journal of Physiology is a very traditional journal and to the core is the product of the commitment and solidarity of the Chief Editors and Executive Editors I strongly feel that a vibrant journal should bring in new blood from time to time Therefore I have decided to step down from my position as the Editor in Chief EiC of Pflügers Archiv a step I take with some sadness but with the feeling of having made the right choice Needless to say Pflügers has been a passion for me and I hope many of our colleagues can confirm that I always gave it my all Since my duties as EiC will end on December 31st 2015 now would seem to be the time for some personal reflectionsReflecting requires a standard that must be met such as our “Aims and Scope” “Pflügers Archiv European Journal of Physiology publishes those results of original research that are seen as advancing the physiological sciences especially those providing mechanistic insights into physiological functions at the molecular and cellular level and clearly conveying a physiological message Submissions are encouraged that deal with the evaluation of molecular and cellular mechanisms of disease ideally resulting in translational research” http//wwwspringercom/biomed/human+physiology/journal/424 We sought to combine the heritage of classical physiology with the modern challenges involved in “molecular cellular mechanistically translational linking dysfunctional physiological mechanisms to diseases” which I believe is a still valid and ambitious mission It goes without saying that I very much enjoy the fact that we have always considered physiology in the traditional way namely as a comprehensive fundamental science which makes it necessary to take into account its broad links to all biosystems in health and disease see eg our special issue on “Channelopathies” 3In fact I always felt privileged to work for a journal with such a tremendous tradition I felt privileged to work together with wonderful colleagues my fellowExecutive Editors all of whom are importantly active leading scientists and with a dedicated Editorial Board I felt privileged to enjoy the wonderful and highly professional support of the Editors in Heidelberg the Springer staff many of whom I met during my time as EiC So first of all my sincere thanks to all those with whom I was so privileged to interact and to receive advice and constructive criticism from Thanks to all of you my enthusiasm for Pflügers has never fadedWhen something like a human culture first arose science curiosity and the desire to acquire knowledge the first primitive form of science was part of it As such in evolutionary terms science is perhaps even the most important part of human culture How does science speak to us We have developed many forms of communication because as one of the most important aspects of being humans with culture we have developed language In the scientific world our primary language tools are journals which allow us to speak to a huge community of highly educated and committed people who share the same enthusiasm and curiosity for not only acquiring but also disseminating knowledge Journals are charged with this task and they have to do so professionally Therefore quality control is indispensable I think our peerreview system maintains a high standard is fair and fast and in the several discussions I have had with frustrated scientists whose papers where rejected I have never heard major complaints about the quality of our reviewing system Altogether Pflügers does not contribute to the phenomenon famously described by Moliére “Many good men nowadays have been harmed by the desire to publish The Misanthrope 1666” 6 Therefore my heartfelt thanks also go to all our referees to all members of the large Editorial Board Though peer reviewing is a system with inherent weaknesses it is likely better than all other quality control systems It is again a huge privilege to select which content should be communicated to the scientific community Pflügers has its own unique nature characterized by its commitment to a deeper European understanding of science producing new knowledge in the best sense of the word We have maintained highquality communications to the scientific community Our journal has a heritage and as the EiC I was always proud that we have preserved this “oldfashioned” stance see some 2 4 5 of historical reflections and nevertheless still have a huge potential for advancementPreserving and building on a heritage is no mean feat In fact like all other journals we have to face the constantly increasing pressure of publishing This pressure creates huge differences in quality Of course a journal like Pflügers cannot compete with journals with a stratospheric impact factor IF yet what we can offer is fairness reliability efficiency and speed as indicated by our extremely fast “timetofirstdecision” Our IF development has also been quite impressive and we rank among the most highly rated Physiology journals worldwide presently 13 of all 83 ISI listed Physiology journals Accordingly my thanks also go to all our authors who have continued to turn to Pflügers as a valuable journal to publish in Please never forget that ultimately Pflügers is made by YOU our authorsHaving made this statement one expected from any departing EiC I also wish to express my honest belief that as many colleagues are now discussing we will see the day when the often unhealthy influence of the Impact Factors will be eliminated as has already been initiated by the development of more accurate measures for evaluating research as laid out in the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment DORA 1Over the last 10 years Pflügers has had a rejection rate of roughly 50  We decided to maintain a very high standard of evaluation by carefully selected experts in the field even if that sometimes meant reducing the number of submissions Despite the stringent quality control our average time to a first decision was less than 20 days in 2014 even 15 days We certainly are one of the fastest journals and I am proud to say that this does not at all lessen the quality of the final published papers Again my thanks go to all Editors and referees Please remember that all this is done on a voluntary basis and only driven by the passion to disseminate highquality science to our readers worldwideNow the time has come for me to go and to pass the baton to a younger colleague one who will explore new approaches one who will contribute new views and one who is personally as I always was extremely enthusiastic and committed to building the future of Pflügers I am delighted that ARMIN KURTZ Regensburg is taking over my position as EiC He is a respected scientist wonderful colleague and has been a trusted friend full of humor and ideas throughout all the years of our very pleasant collaboration “intra muros Pflügers” I personally wish him every success in making Pflügers an even better journal and in using this wonderful and traditional “communication tool” to serve the scientific community I know that with Armin at the helm Pflügers will be in very good hands

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