Editorial
A Greeting Card
O
n this beginning of a New Year, I take pleasure in sending greetings to the readers of Analytical Chemistry and to analytical chemists everywhere. I hope that you have all had a successful year in your professional and personal lives, and that if you have had setbacks in 1996, that 1997 will be kinder. I and the editorial group have continued to strive to improve the journal's usefulness to our readers and its effectiveness in disseminating analytical knowledge. I estimate that we will have received more than 1300 submissions by the end of 1996 and that we will publish roughly 700 papers, on somewhat fewer total journal pages than in 1995. The latter statistic represents the reversal of the increase in research article length that had occurred over many years, with hopefully improved readability and a beneficial impact on subscription costs. 1996 also saw an increase in analytical chemistry news in our A-page section and the publication of that section as Analytical Chemistry News & Features. Letters to the Editor are now being accepted with greater regularity. There will be more changes in 1997; I hope that the electronic publication of Analytical Chemistry will be one of them. I also want to take this occasion to thank the reviewers of manuscripts submitted to Analytical Chemistry. And thanks are due from the journal to the authors of those manuscripts for their confidence that Analytical Chemistry remains a quality venue for the results of their research. Strong reviewer and author communities are the backbone of a quality research journal, and
I feel that ours represent the best of the discipline. Again, I thank you sincerely. What did our readers see happening at the forefront of analytical chemistry research in 1996? Two trends continued from previous years: an increased emphasis on bioanalytical measurements and on analysis with and in small dimensions. The year saw significant new measurements of biologically relevant chemicals important in pharmaceuticals, the environment, and the human genome project. Interesting measurements were made in microdroplets and single cells, and miniaturized methodologies included use of MECC and CE on chips, nanoscale LC, picoliter beakers, and nanoelectrodes. Numerous experiments were reported on various forms of chemically sensitive imaging and on the exploration and development of electrospray and MALDI-MS for studies of DNA, oligonucleotides, and other macromolecules. Another significant, and welcome, trend was an increased emphasis on improved chemical design of films in sensors aimed at improving their selectivity. I think 1996 was a great success for research in analytical chemistry, and that the investments made in that research hold many future benefits for society. But 1996 is now gone—let's start 1997. Happy New Year!
Analytical Chemistry News & Features, January 1, 1997 9 A
