According to a recent analysis of
Essential Science IndicatorsSMfrom
Thomson
Reuters data, the journal Chemistry &
Biodiversity has had the greatest percent
increase in total citations among journals in the
field of Environment & Ecology. The journal's
current record in this field included 747 papers cited
a total of 2,033 times between January 1, 1998 and
August 31, 2008.
Founded in 2003, Chemistry & Biodiversity is published by
Verlag Helvetica Chimica Acta, a subsidiary of Wiley-VCH. The journal aims
to cover "all research fields straddling the border between the chemical
and biological sciences, with the ultimate goal of broadening our
understanding of how nature works at a molecular level."
In the interview
below, ScienceWatch.com talks with Chemistry
& Biodiversity's Editor in Chief, Dr. Volkan
Kisakürek, and Senior Editor, Professor Bernard Testa,
about the journal's citation
achievements.
Did you expect Chemistry &
Biodiversity to become highly cited, or is this surprising to
you?
Frankly, we have been hoping for a fair and rewarding impact but saw the
uncertainty of such an expectation. The surprise is not so much in the
fact, per se, than in its rather early occurrence.
Would you give us a brief history of the
journal?
"Evolutionary factors are
all-important in how organisms and ecosystems
react to challenges; their significance in
environmental sciences can only
grow."
Chemistry & Biodiversity (CB) was grown as a "spin-off" of the
Helvetica Chimica Acta (HCA), a monthly journal covering all
aspects of chemistry. HCA is a more than 90-year-old monthly periodical
published by Verlag Helvetica Chimica Acta, a publishing house originally
owned by the Swiss Chemical Society and now a subsidiary of Wiley-VCH.
Following a strong increase in the number of papers dedicated to natural
product chemistry and biochemistry, Dr. Volkan Kisakürek
(Editor-in-chief of HCA) and Prof. Bernard Testa developed the concept
behind CB, as best summarized by its motto ("Chemistry Probing Nature").
The journal has now achieved its fifth year of publication.
How would you account for the high citation rate
of Chemistry & Biodiversity?What
historical factors have contributed to the success
of Chemistry & Biodiversity?What,
in your view, is this journal’s main significance or
contribution in the field of Environment & Ecology?
In our view, the success and resulting impact of CB arise from a unique
profile blending, a) multidisciplinarity, and, b) focus on nature at the
molecular/macromolecular levels. For example, natural product chemistry is
of great current interest, if only because of the treasures of chemical
architecture and medicinal wonders that await discovery in microorganisms,
plants, animals, and ecosystems.
But scientific quality is not the only criterion of publication in CB.
Insisting on multidisciplinarity means, for example, a) reporting
pharmacological or toxicological effects of novel natural products, b)
assessing similarities and differences in the metabolism of foreign
compounds (xenobiotics) in eukaryotes and prokaryotes, c) investigating the
effect of environmental conditions on phenotype and chemotype diversity,
and d) relating molecular and macroscopic responses of ecosystems to
pollution challenges.
Have there been specific developments in the fields
served by Chemistry & Biodiversity that may have
contributed?
"...natural product chemistry is of
great current interest, if only because of
the treasures of chemical architecture and
medicinal wonders that await discovery in
microorganisms, plants, animals, and
ecosystems."
The impact of industrial pollution (involving, e.g., chemicals or
radioactivity) on ecosystems and organisms therein may have been a
contributing development. Another appears to be an ever-growing interest in
natural products endowed with significant medicinal effects such as
antitumor or immunomodulating activities.
How do you see your field(s) evolving in the next few
years?
Environmental issues will increasingly be investigated simultaneously at
the molecular and systems levels to gain robust integrated understanding.
Evolutionary factors are all-important in how organisms and ecosystems
react to challenges; their significance in environmental sciences can only
grow. The impact of the co-evolution of organisms on their biochemistry
should also attract more research.
What role do you see for your journal?
Ours is a journal focusing on multiple aspects of biodiversity. We shall
seek to increase its contribution in the fields of computational
biosimulations and evolutionary aspects. But above all, CB should establish
itself as a front-line protector of biomolecular diversity against current
perils.
Chemistry & Biodiversity
Dr. Volkan Kisakürek, Editor-in-Chief
Prof. Bernard Testa, Senior Editor
Verlag Helvetica Chimica Acta, publishers
Seebach D, Beck AK, Bierbaum DJ, "The world of beta- and
gamma-peptides comprised of homologated proteinogenic amino
acids and other components," Chem. Biodivers.
1(8): 1111-1239, 2004. Source:
Essential Science Indicators from
Thomson
Reuters.