Abstract
I am using editorial privilege to tell you about the changes that are occurring in your journal. After five years as Editor-in-Chief, Dr Julian Barth has stepped down from this role following his election to President of the Association for Clinical Biochemistry. We must thank him for the excellent and tireless work he has done in the last few years on behalf of the journal: those of us who have worked closely with him have been impressed by the enthusiasm and dedication he has consistently applied. As an Associate Editor, he always gave me strong support and advice when having to make the sometimes challenging decisions that are part and parcel of the role. Now I find myself in his shoes as the new Editor-in-Chief.
He passes the journal on to me in excellent health: submission rates have doubled in the last couple of years, there is increasing online usage, the impact factor appears to be improving and we know from a reader survey that the journal is well received by you, the readers. Some of you may have noticed that we have even attracted the interest of BBC News (
The noughties have been times of major change for the Annals: the shift to A4 format, online access, a supplement incorporating Focus abstracts, electronic submissions and, most recently, the move to a new journal website (
The quality of a journal can only be maintained by the skills of its team of Associate Editors and the Annals has always been able to draw upon the diverse expertise available among our profession. We are fortunate to be able to count on the services of our longest-serving Associate Editor, Dr Philip Wenham, in addition to UK Associate Editors Drs John Land, Deepak Bhatnagar and Tony Fryer; and by our international team of Dr Michael Bennett (USA), Professor Kiyoshi Ichihara (Japan), Dr Ric Rossi (Australasia) and Professor Jan Lindemans (Netherlands). We thank Dr Mike Badminton, who has served many years, and welcome Drs Carol Evans and Julie Wassell to the team. In addition, Dr Robert Lock joins us as an Associate Editor with special expertise in immunology, complementing the earlier appointment of Professor Michael Kerr to the Editorial Board as a representative of the Association of Clinical Scientists in Immunology. Collectively, the Associate Editors have specialist knowledge covering the majority of submitted articles we receive, but we remain indebted to our reviewers and Editorial Board for the time and expertise they freely give to ensure that the standard of the journal is maintained. We must also acknowledge the excellent support that the Royal Society of Medicine Press and the Association for Clinical Biochemistry office give to the journal.
The Annals continues to publish Original Research Articles, Short Reports, Case Reports, Letters, Journal Watch and Book Reviews. We have also always received a steady stream of high-quality review articles, most of which have been prepared at the invitation of the Association's Clinical Sciences Reviews Committee. These are written by acknowledged experts in the field and remain essential reading for trainees and for the purposes of continuing professional development. I know that there is a good supply of review articles coming through from the Committee to keep us up-to-date and continue this tradition.
A journal can only be as good and relevant as the material it receives to publish. The Annals continues to receive high-quality submissions pertinent to clinical laboratory medicine, predominantly from the UK but increasingly from other countries. The editorial team will continue to raise the quality bar and ensure that the journal meets your needs. If you have ideas for the journal, or there are aspects of the journal that you would like to see improved, then please contact myself or another member of the Editorial Committee. I hope you continue to enjoy reading and supporting the Annals.