Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol. 17, No. 6, 540-541 (1998)
Published by the American College of Nutrition
Farewell—Editor’s Report, 1998
Fima Lifshitz, MD
Editor-In-Chief,
JACN
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INTRODUCTION
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 TOP
 INTRODUCTION
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This is my fifth and final report as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition. I am proud of the accomplishments of the journal during the last 5 years. We exhibited tremendous growth in all areas and have led the JACN to become a very successful, well-respected journal—among the best in the field.
During the period from 1991–1993, JACN was cited an average of 570 times per year with an average impact factor of 0.830 according to the Institute for Scientific Information® (ISI) (Figure). In contrast, since 1994, the journal citation index and impact in the scientific community grew gradually and continuously, and now, in this my last year as Editor-in-Chief, I’m proud to report that our journal has already reached 1274 citations with an impact factor of 1.466 (ISI report of September 15, 1998). In addition, the visibility of the journal also increased and elicited interest from numerous media sources. In the last year alone, JACN was contacted and quoted by American Baby, Food Labeling and Nutrition News, Family Circle, Health Magazine, Modern Medicine Prevention Magazine, and the Sun Sentinel.
In 1994 we set forth a goal to capitalize on the clinical nutrition experience and the broad interests of the ACN members. We aimed to carve a niche for JACN as a dependable high quality source of nutrition information while providing a resource of sophisticated meaningful reports for physicians and nutrition scientists. This was accomplished. The great majority of original papers and clinical and laboratory pearls published during the last 5 years were comprised of clinical studies. In all instances, the reports dealt with clinically related issues received the highest scores in the peer review process. Therefore, the JACN publications were directly concerned with our most important mission, namely dissemination of clinical nutrition information at the highest levels, thereby becoming a fountainhead of practical nutrition data for those who care for patients, translating into improved human health.
The topics of the papers published in JACN during the last 5 years were diverse, covering a broad spectrum of nutrition-related fields. We capitalized on papers that provided data to physicians and nutrition scientists to best serve their clinical interests, presented in a manner that appealed to the interest of highly trained professionals. We did not attempt to compete with other established journals which disseminate both experimental and clinical research data. Notwithstanding the decreased availability of clinical research funding and the diminished presence and number of academic physicians, in slightly more than half of the papers published in the JACN the senior author was a physician.
The following table summarizes the general categories of topics of the papers represented:
During the last 5 years we published 427 reports which included 68 editorials, 64 review articles, 40 clinical or laboratory pearls, and 245 original articles. I am particularly proud of the expediency with which we processed manuscripts over the last five years. We reduced the average peer review cycle from 7.9 weeks to 3.8 weeks. This quick processing time is largely due to the support and dedication of our editorial staff and reviewers. The average time from acceptance to publication has also decreased from 8.8 months to 6.5 months. The current rejection rate is more than 40%. At the time of this report (September 1998), we have already accepted papers that will be published in the April 1999 issue of JACN.
The beautiful art displayed on the cover of JACN generated many compliments from our readers and others. The reproduction of these paintings and sculptures showcased creative emerging living artists’ work to express themselves while providing the journal with increased visibility, recognition, and attention. The colorful covers of the JACN did not increase the cost of the publication, as printing the color cover was more than offset by the revenue collected by selling the full-color ad space on the back of the journal. The art on the cover clearly distinguished our journal from many other competitive publications.
The Editorial Board who worked with me, and in particular the international colleagues who served during my tenure, deserve a great deal of thanks. They have helped stimulate submission of articles from Europe, Asia, and Latin America, and together contributed greatly to the JACN’s global appeal. I am forever appreciative of the work of the Editorial Board and all the reviewers who made it possible to do peer review and, of course, the American College of Nutrition which supported our efforts.
The success of the JACN has been built on the work and dedication of many individuals. I gratefully acknowledge the work of Terry Wood, Melanie Smith, and Sandy Allen who have done remarkable jobs as Managing Editors during the last 5 years. I am particularly grateful to Gladys Garcia Greenberg who has been the Editorial Assistant for the JACN since I assumed the challenge of Editor-in-Chief. She has endured the trials and tribulations of the many transitions of the journal and editorial office, keeping the continuity of the publication on track and on time.
I believe that JACN has established itself as a high-ranking journal in its field; however, the future is already passing us by. There are many innovations in publishing for which the JACN should strive. This age of rapid communication with e-mail expediency, Internet visibility, and electronic publishing should serve as guides for the future of the JACN. A note of caution is to continue to safeguard the high scientific standards of the journal and beware of pseudo-nutritional science of alternative medicine sources. There cannot be two kinds of standards. Only papers which have been rigorously tested should be published. The 20th Century brought about scientific tools for clinical testing and that has made all the difference. Speculation and testimonials should play no role in our journal.
My 5-year tenure was very rewarding and I am pleased to pass on the task of Editor-in-Chief of the journal at this time. The steps needed to lead the JACN into the 21st Century are going to be best implemented by the new Editors. Drs. David Klurfeld and David Jenkins. I wish them good luck and congratulations. May their work be creative and thought provoking and pursue the triumph of dissemination of clinical nutrition information for the physician and nutrition scientist.
All good things come to an end, and with this report I bring closure to my task on behalf of JACN. It was very rewarding, I am proud of it, and I thank the ACN for the opportunity it provided me to serve.
