JANUARYIFEBRUARY 1991 VOLUME 4, NUMBER 1 OCopyright 1991 by the American Chemical Society
Editorial New Format for Communications Most journals publish brief descriptions of results that merit rapid dissemination as Communications, Letters, or Accelerated Publications. Considerable variation exists among the formats recommended for these publications. Since its inception, Chemical Research in Toxicology has employed a format in which Communications are short (-1000 words) and contain no divisions of text. Among the theoretical advantages of such short Communications is their ease of construction and review. However, these advantages may be more perceived than real. Anyone who has drafted such a manuscript can tell you it is a pretty tough job to condense the results of some exciting experiments into 1000 words while simultaneously introducing the problem to the reader and placing the results in the current context of the field. Likewise, reviewers frequently raise questions about experimental details that require the authors to provide additional information or supplementary material. There are clearly subdisciplines in the chemical community that are well served by short-format Communications. However, an important goal of Chemical Research i n Toxicology is publication of papers that meet rigorous standards of chemical characterization, analysis, etc. The extent of description necessary to achieve this is often inconsistent with a 1000-word limitation. The Editorial Advisory Board of Chemical Research i n Toxicology recently voted to change the format of Communications. The new format is similar to that of regular Articles in Chemical Research i n Toxicology but with a page limit of four journal pages. This should provide authors with an opportunity to briefly describe the background for the study, document essential experimental details, and discuss the implications of their findings. Detailed instructions appear in the Instructions to Authors. One might reasonably question the motivation for submitting a Communication to a journal that is only published bimonthly. It would seem publication delays would eliminate any advantage gained by rapid review. This is not the case at Chemical Research i n Toxicology. It is approximately four weeks from receipt of a manuscript in the Editorial Office to the date of the first decision. Assuming the authors respond quickly and adequately to the reviewers’ concerns, the accepted manuscript is forwarded to the American Chemical Society for typesetting shortly thereafter. Communications are afforded priority status by the ACS staff, so they move to the front of the processing line and appear in the first available issue. Most Communications appear 3-5 months after submission, which compares quite favorably with the turnaround time for publication in photo-offset journals that specialize in Communications. Communications represent the vanguard of research activity in a given discipline and are an important component of the best scientific journals. Chemical Research i n Toxicology is working to become the premier forum for publication of manuscripts defining the molecular basis of toxicology. Communications are an important part of our strategy for achieving this status, so we welcome your contributions and input. Lawrence J. Marnett Editor 0S93-22~x/91/2704-000~$02.50/0 0 1991 American Chemical Society
