Pediatric Research Looks to the Future As Editor-in-Chief of Pediatric Research for the past eight months, I have been studying the issue of information and time management. Like any journal, Pediatric Research must compete for the time of its authors, editors, referees, and readers. Our conviction that this journal should be the key forum for work about the biology of disease and development is attended by the responsibility to make this work easily accessible to our readers and to reach others who would benefit from exposure to the journal. When I recently returned to the office after a few days’ absence, I was struck by the amount of material that had accumulated. My in-tray, e-mail in-box, and voice mailbox were filled with journals, notices, memos, and bulletins. The reports of new discoveries, observations and commentaries provide a rich resource for our community of scholars. We believe that the abundance of information being circulated can best be navigated with guidance, backed by expertise and vision. Our expertise and vision at Pediatric Research has been immeasurably enhanced by the recent addition of an international team of Consulting Editors to our Board. Each member of this team is a leader in his or her field, and each of these scientists and clinicians are giving their support to the ongoing development and enhancement of Pediatric Research. They will assist us as we implement features like Research News, Commentaries, and Mini-Reviews, each planned with the intention of presenting crucial information in an easily-accessible format. We know it is vital for information to reach our readers quickly. The age of technology affords myriad means of acquiring, processing and presenting information rapidly. Therefore, we are implementing mechanisms for reducing turnaround times and achieving more rapid publication of all acceptable manuscripts. Pediatric Research will be on-line in the year 2000; that will enable us to provide a wide array of services, including links to other literature, supportive data bases and opportunities for communication with our readers. The on-line journal will also permit us to more effectively reach our pediatric research colleagues in many countries — a truly exciting opportunity to share information worldwide. Thanks to the hard work and vision of the journal’s previous Editors-in-Chief and Editorial Boards, we are in the enviable position of having a very strong foundation on which to build. As we eagerly do so, we welcome the guidance of ongoing feedback from authors, reviewers, and readers of Pediatric Research. We want to hear what people like and what they do not like; what they want and do not want; and, most importantly, what they believe they need and do not need to help them remain informed and inspired in the coming years. Feel free to e-mail me at: pedres@sickkids.on.ca |