Essential Science IndicatorsSMfrom
Thomson
Scientific has named the journal Astrobiology
a
Rising Star in the field of Space Science five
times, most recently this month. This means that in the
past year, Astrobiology has achieved the
highest percent increase in total citations among
journals in its field. The current citation record for
the journal from January 1, 1997 to October 31, 2007 is
227 papers cited a total of 1,234 times.
Founded in 2001 and published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.,
Astrobiology is a peer-reviewed journal "that explores the secrets
of life's origin, evolution, distribution, and destiny in the universe."
The journal's Founding and current Editor-in-Chief is Dr. S.L. Cady. In
addition to her responsibilities at Astrobiology, Dr. Cady is an
Associate Professor in the Department of Geology at Portland State
University, where her research focuses on geomicrobiology and astrobiology.
In the interview below, Dr. Cady talks
with ScienceWatch.com about Astrobiology's
publication history and citation
achievements.
Did you expect Astrobiology to become
highly cited, or is this surprising to you?
It seemed inevitable, though I hadn't expected it to happen so quickly.
Astrobiology covers an incredibly diverse range of subject areas (e.g.,
astrophysics, geochemistry, microbiology, biochemistry, paleontology,
ecology, instruments, evolutionary biology, etc.), and the wide range of
expertise of our authors has led to key papers in a number of areas. I knew
when we launched the journal that there were many different avenues of
research out there, and that we needed to tap into those areas that were at
the core of the discipline. Somehow we've managed to do that and then some.
How would you account for the high citation rate of
Astrobiology?
First and foremost, it's the quality of submissions we receive. Maybe it
has to do with the fact that this is a burgeoning field and there is a
great deal of work to do, but I am always excited by the quality and
creativity of the research that is ongoing. The science revolves around
questions related to the origins and evolution of life, the ways in which
life interacts with and impacts its environment, how signatures of life are
preserved in the rock record, and the scientific and technical aspects of
the search for life beyond Earth. The potential to advance these issues
significantly, within our lifetime, keeps the papers coming in.
It doesn't hurt, of course, to have an amazing editorial board that has
contributed to the high quality of the papers in the journal. We've built a
worldwide network of the top researchers in the field, and these scientists
have participated in special collections of papers and theme issues on hot
topics like "M Star Planet Habitability," "Follow the Energy," "Bombardment
of the Hadean Earth," "Europa," and "In situ Life Detection."
"Everyone affiliated with
Astrobiology works hard to bring the most
cutting-edge issues to the fore by way of the journal,
and to attract the most exciting science being done
around the world."
Finally, our publisher, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.—their goal from the
start has been to produce the best possible science journal, regardless of
the difficulties along the way. In that regard, we were very, very lucky.
My university, Portland State University, has also been very supportive of
my efforts with the journal. Everyone affiliated with Astrobiology
works hard to bring the most cutting-edge issues to the fore by way of the
journal, and to attract the most exciting science being done around the
world.
Would you give us a brief history of the
journal?
Astrobiology was launched as the only peer-reviewed scientific
journal of its kind as a quarterly in 2001, and then as a bimonthly journal
in 2005. In addition to research, review, and education papers, we feature
hypothesis papers, major meeting abstracts, and white papers. The journal,
I like to think, serves as a forum for the entire community.
What historical factors have contributed to the success
of Astrobiology?
The obvious over-arching drivers include the success of space exploration
missions, but I would also have to include the recent missions to
Mars, an increase in the
cohesiveness of this worldwide community as a result of numerous
astrobiology-related meetings, and the appeal of a cutting-edge
multidisciplinary field of research, in particular for young scientists.
For the journal, it was simply getting over that first major hurdle, which
was to prove that we were serious, dedicated, responsive to the community,
and, most importantly, here to stay. I knew that, say, in our first year of
existence, researchers had to think twice before they were going to submit
to our journal. Publication is a serious and highly competitive business,
and authors want to see their work published in the best possible light. I
have to say, though, that it wasn't long before people in the community
understood that not only were we going to be around for a while, we were
also intent on moving toward what was needed most—a voice for those
involved in this business of astrobiology.
What, in your view, is this journal's main significance
or contribution in the field of Space Science?
I would say that one major contribution has to do with our continued focus
on the search for life in our Solar System. Mars is very important right
now, in that we have a suite of ongoing missions designed to characterize
the planet, locate potentially habitable sites, and seek biosignatures
indicative of life. There is no doubt that sample-return missions will fly
within the next 15 years, maybe sooner.
We receive papers having to do with lander missions, rover instruments,
orbital reconnaissance mapping and planetary analysis, and papers about
forward-contamination issues. Many papers focus on improved strategies to
search for signs of early life, extreme ecosystem and Mars analogue
studies, life's ability to withstand the space environment, and novel
life-detection instruments.
If life existed elsewhere in the Universe, it would have left behind
signatures. Understanding the telltale signs of extant microbial life, of
extinct life preserved in the rock record, is essential for future
planetary missions. Other planets beyond Mars are also included in the
search for life—Europa, Titan, and Enceladas. Meteorites on the Moon
may hold a record of conditions in the early Solar System and the early
Earth as well.
How do you see your field(s) evolving in the next few
years?
For one thing, we will be seeing a great deal more having to do with
extrasolar planets. We had an amazing special issue some time ago that
dealt with the habitability of terrestrial exoplanets that orbit within the
climatologically defined habitable zone of a solar system.
Terrestrial-based exoplanet searches and studies focused on biosignature
detection beyond our solar system will continue to become more important in
future years as major research programs by ESA and NASA continue to be
defined. But it is also true that a ripe research area some would call the
"follow the energy approach" to astrobiology, which was featured in a
recent special issue of Astrobiology, is becoming increasingly
significant.
Understanding how life extracts energy from its environment, no matter how
extreme the environmental conditions, will lead to improved
non-Earth-centric life-detection strategies. Though our core issues will
always be a major part of the journal, I'm seeing more and more papers
having to do with questions of life beyond the confines of our Solar
System.
Astrobiology S.L. Cady, Ph.D., Editor-in-Chief
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers