FEBS Journal has been named a
Rising Star among journals in the field of Biology
& Biochemistry five times, most recently in May of
this year. As a Rising Star, FEBS Journal has
achieved the highest percent increase in total
citations among journals in its field.
According to Essential Science IndicatorsSMfrom
Thomson
Reuters, the current citation record for this
journal includes 1,648 papers cited a total of 6,319
times between January 1, 1998 and February 29,
2008. FEBS Journal is published by
Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Federation of European
Biochemical Societies.
In the interview
below, the journal's Editor-in-Chief and Chairman of the
Editorial Board, Richard Perham, talks with
ScienceWatch.com about the journal's history
and citation achievements.
Did you expect FEBS Journal to become
highly cited, or is this surprising to you?
It is highly encouraging and a reward for all the hard work that has gone
into making FEBS Journal a place where seriously good and exciting
new work is being published. We have tried to raise the profile of the
journal, and it is pleasing to find that our efforts are being noticed.
How would you account for the high citation rate of
FEBS Journal?
In addition historically to being a general journal covering the
traditional areas of biochemistry, we have tried to broaden our appeal
across the molecular life sciences and to take account of interesting new
growth points. We have been successful in appointing distinguished
scientists from across the world to the Editorial Board and Advisory Board,
and they increasingly reflect the spread of the molecular approach to
biology into the life sciences, including medicine.
"The
molecular approach to the life
sciences is now widely pursued, and
has brought with it the recognition
of the interlocking and
interdependence of apparently
disparate fields of
research."
We do not compete with "niche journals" but are pleased with and proud of
the enduring nature of what we publish: FEBS Journal has the
longest half-life of citations of papers published by any of the major
journals in the field of biochemistry/molecular and cellular biology, with
the exception of review journals such as Annual Review of
Biochemistry.
Would you give us a brief history of the
journal?
The journal began life as the European Journal of Biochemistry in
1967. It replaced the ancient and famous Biochemisches Zeitschrift
and represented a new international departure for European biochemistry as
a whole. It is a not-for-profit journal owned by the Federation of European
Biochemical Societies, a charity registered in London. The first Editorial
Office was in Liège, later in Zürich.
I took over as Chair of the Editorial Board (Editor-in-Chief) in 1998. At
that time we moved the Editorial Office to Cambridge and embarked on a
series of new ventures with a new publishing partner, Blackwell (now
Wiley-Blackwell). The name of the journal was changed to FEBS
Journal in 2005, to reflect its broadened scientific basis and widened
international appeal and to parallel the name of its sister journal
specializing in the rapid publication of short communications, FEBS
Letters. Although the journal has its origins in Europe, it is of
course an avowedly international journal, as a glance at its content will
testify.
What historical factors have contributed to the success
of FEBS Journal?
Biochemistry and molecular biology have always been strong in Europe, with
many aspects of the life sciences as we now know them having originated
with Europeans. The emphasis on FEBS Journal as an international
journal, with a reach beyond Europe and especially into North America, the
Antipodes, India, and Asia, has coincided with (and been aimed at) the
rapid growth of the molecular life sciences worldwide.
Have there been specific developments in the fields
served by FEBS Journal that may have contributed?
The molecular approach to the life sciences is now widely pursued, and has
brought with it the recognition of the interlocking and interdependence of
apparently disparate fields of research. FEBS Journal has
consciously acknowledged this and attempted to evolve with the subject.
What, in your view, is this journal’s main
significance or contribution in the field of Biology &
Biochemistry?
FEBS Journal offers an efficient internationally minded vehicle
for the publication of high-profile full-length research papers and timely
reviews. Features include: an exceptionally rapid publication process (good
papers can appear in three months); referees and an Editorial Office with a
reputation for fairness and helpfulness; user-friendly online submission
and refereeing; online publication before hard copy; no page charges; free
color if the Editor deems it essential; and a wide range of reviews, which
are made immediately available online free of charge.
As a publication of a learned society, FEBS Journal participates
fully in programs such as HINARI and AGORA to make the journal content
available to economically less advantaged readers worldwide, without the
normal wait of one year; it also endeavors to help and encourage young
scientists by offering each year the FEBS Journal Prize of 10,000 euros to
the first author who is still a graduate student or a post-doc no more than
three years from receiving the Ph.D. degree, of the paper judged by the
Editorial Board to be the best published in FEBS Journal during
that year.
How do you see your field(s) evolving in the next few
years?
We do not wish to relinquish our broad appeal as a general journal in the
molecular life sciences. But we are increasing our stake in molecular cell
biology, molecular medicine, bioinformatics (genomics and proteomics), and
systems biology. Nanotechnology will figure too.
What role do you see for your journal?
FEBS Journal is a not-for-profit journal owned by FEBS, a major
force worldwide in the discovery and dissemination of new knowledge in the
molecular life sciences. FEBS Journal is an important player in
that process, open to scientists across the world and supportive of young
scientists everywhere. We expect the journal to continue to evolve and to
reflect the growing points of our chosen field, while taking care not to
lose its broad appeal or sacrifice quality.
FEBS Journal Richard Perham, Editor-in-Chief and
Chairman of the Editorial Board
Wiley-Blackwell, publishers, on behalf of the Federation of European
Biochemical Societies
FEBS
Journal's
most-cited paper with 89 cites to
date:
Maris C, Dominguez C, Allain FHT, "The RNA recognition
motif, a plastic RNA-binding platform to regulate
post-transcriptional gene expression," FEBS J
272(9): 2118-131, May 2005. Source:
Essential Science Indicators from
Thomson
Reuters.
Keywords: FEBS Journal, biochemistry, molecular life
sciences, molecular biology, molecular medicine, bioinformatics,
systems biology, molecular cell biology, journal availability, young
scientists.