Editorial Cite This: Org. Lett. 2019, 21, 1−4
pubs.acs.org/OrgLett
Organic Letters 2.0: A New Beginning
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ast year, Organic Letters celebrated its 20-year anniversary. To younger authors and readers, it is hard to appreciate that Organic Letters, as the new kid on the block back then as far as ACS journals go, was trail-blazing in its approach to all aspects of scientific publicationsa letters journal that rapidly published top-shelf, rigorously peer-reviewed research. It is hard to believe now that two decades have elapsed since the journal’s launch with Professor Amos B. Smith III as the founding Editor-in-Chief. Under Prof. Smith’s visionary, steady leadership, Organic Letters quickly skyrocketed to the preeminent position it holds today as the leading organic chemistry journal. Organic Letters has benefitted from a close-knit group of Associate Editors that enjoys the broad respect of the community at large, because they are active scientists engaged in all aspects of research, including publication of high-caliber science. This is reassuring to scientistsauthors who entrust their hard work to the rigors of peer review. The scientific publishing endeavor, like all aspects of modern life, is caught up in a sea of change as the digital revolution continues unabated. As chemists, we should embrace the changes and imagine how we can enhance the modalities for communicating our exciting research results. Additionally, the rules of engagement are constantly changing as science itself evolves, including its interface with industrial and governmental partners. As Organic Letters enters its third decade, I am fortunate to have been selected as its new Editor-in-Chief. During the short transition period that began November 1, I discovered the behind-the-scenes efforts of a dedicated cadre of individuals at ACS who believe passionately about their role to promote science, specifically chemistry, to our benefit as scientists. Over the course of the next year, we are planning all sorts of new initiatives to be gradually rolled out that will impact the publication rubric from submission to “print.” I outline a few of these below, while keeping a few as surprises to be disclosed throughout the year.
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CHOICE OF HANDLING ASSOCIATE EDITOR Authors will soon have the choice of selecting their preferred Associate Editor for their manuscript handling. I will make every effort to honor the selection because authors often know best the expertise of the Associate Editor pool. This option addresses suggestions authors have been indicating for some time. It also ensures that an author is not automatically handled by the same Editor routinely, providing all authors broad feedback from the pool of experts that make up the Editorial Board.
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NEW ASSOCIATE EDITORS Starting already in November 2018, a fresh crop of energetic, dedicated Associate Editors has been added to Organic Letters: Margaret Brimble, Pauline Chiu, Nuno Maulide, Sarah E. Reisman, Tobias Ritter, and Jin-Quan Yu. They join continuing Associate Editors Kuiling Ding, Hungwen Liu, Kavirayani R. Prasad, Zhengfeng Xi, and Shigehiro Yamaguchi. Their photos and descriptions of their areas of expertise are included here. Collectively, they capture the diversity of research in modern organic chemistry and underscore the relevance of the discipline to broader themes in science. Their interests span the molecular landscape to include small molecules, natural products, biomolecules, and functional materials. Much like science, they also reflect the geographic breadth of organic chemistry, such that the sun never sets on organic chemistry and Organic Letters.
NEW LOGO AND COVER ART
Authors and readers will soon discover that, as of January 2019, Organic Letters will launch with a new cover each issue that enables its authors to promote their science in an artistic way. As is the case for ACS journals, this feature will be free to authors, who, in crafting captivating, memorable artwork, will benefit from the help of professionals at ACS. Our new logocheck it out at the top of the pageis designed to match the style of other ACS “letters journals” and to mirror that of our sister journal, The Journal of Organic Chemistry. © 2019 American Chemical Society
Received: December 12, 2018 Published: January 4, 2019 1
DOI: 10.1021/acs.orglett.8b03964 Org. Lett. 2019, 21, 1−4
Organic Letters
Editorial
Erick M. Carreira, ETH Zü r ich, Catalysis, Synthetic Methodology, Target-Oriented Synthesis
Kuiling Ding, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Homogeneous Asymmetric Catalysis via Organometallic Chemistry
Margaret Brimble, University of Auckland, Natural Products Synthesis, Peptide Chemistry
Hung-wen Liu, University of Texas, Austin, Natural Products Biosynthesis and Mechanistic Enzymology
Pauline Chiu, University of Hong Kong, New Synthetic Methodology, Total Synthesis
Nuno Maulide, University of Vienna, Synthetic Methodology: Rearrangements, Asymmetric Synthesis, Total Synthesis
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DOI: 10.1021/acs.orglett.8b03964 Org. Lett. 2019, 21, 1−4
Organic Letters
Editorial
Kavirayani R. Prasad, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Asymmetric Strategies for Total Synthesis
Zhenfeng Xi, Peking University, Metal-Mediated Organic Reaction Chemistry
Sarah E. Reisman, California Institute of Technology, Natural Products Synthesis and Synthetic Methodology
Shigehiro Yamaguchi, Nagoya University, Physical Organic Chemistry, Organic Functional Materials, Main-Group Chemistry
Tobias Ritter, Max Planck Institute f ür Kohlenforschung, Catalysis for Late-Stage Functionalization Reactions
Jin-Quan Yu, Scripps Research, C−H Activation Chemistry
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DOI: 10.1021/acs.orglett.8b03964 Org. Lett. 2019, 21, 1−4
Organic Letters
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Editorial
CHEMRXIV Organic Letters has joined other ACS journals in accepting for review manuscripts that have been uploaded to ChemRxiv or other preprint repositories prior to submission. Organic Letters sets the standard in the industry for the speed with which it processes manuscripts from submission to publication online, and thus, for most of our authors the use of ChemRxiv may not be perceived as a priority. However, because we believe in empowering our authors, it is the right time to embrace prepublication, which is here to stay.
a razor-sharp focus on rapid dissemination of the highest quality science. As Editor-in-Chief of Organic Letters, I am committed to continuing to make a reality the vision of Organic Letters as a premier publication and identifying creative ways of embracing new technologies to further the interests of the community of end-users. It is my intention not just to manage the Organic Letters success story but also to help shape its narrative to meet the challenges ahead and engage the community of organic chemists. I believe this can be accomplished with the collective help of researchers, authors, readers, reviewers, students, postdoctoral associates, and junior and senior faculty who comprise the organic chemistry community.
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PROCESSING TIME Organic Letters prides itself for its rapid publication times. The journal’s time from submission to first decision of 2.5 weeks and from submission to acceptance of 4.8 weeks are among the fastest of all chemistry journals. The time from submission to publication (ASAP online) of 5.4 weeks is perhaps the fastest of any first-tier, peer-reviewed scientific journal. Behind the scenes changes to the workflow for each submitted manuscript are expected to lead to an even shorter time to publication.
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Erick M. Carreira, Editor-in-Chief AUTHOR INFORMATION
ORCID
Erick M. Carreira: 0000-0003-1472-490X Notes
Views expressed in this editorial are those of the author and not necessarily the views of the ACS.
PARTNERING WITH SISTER JOURNALS
In the coming year, I expect to coordinate our efforts at advancing chemistry and improving the value of ACS publications by collaborating with allied journals in the ACS portfolio, namely, Inorganic Chemistry, The Journal of Organic Chemistry, and Organometallics, to promote high-caliber molecular science of common interest.
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CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF ORGANIC LETTERS I expect to introduce a variety of features to Organic Letters this year as we continue to celebrate our Platinum Anniversary. Building on these efforts, we will introduce to our authors, reviewers, and readers a glimpse of what to look forward to in the next decade of Organic Letters. This short list hopefully will whet your appetite. These and other initiatives to be disclosed in the future will be seamlessly added to the slate of existing, highly valued features. Thus, Organic Letters will continue with Virtual Issues in coordination with other journals to highlight important trends, the Outstanding Publication of the Year Lectureship Award, ACS Editors’ Choice, as well as promotion of top science in allied ACS publications. Organic Letters holds a unique position in the global community of scientists who practice chemistry and its many related disciplines. Any one issue captures the excitement and dynamism of the field in its various incarnations through dozens of manuscripts across the wide spectrum of organic chemistry in areas as diverse as synthetic methods, complex target-oriented syntheses, mechanistic and computational studies, functional materials, chemical biology, medicinal chemistry, and natural products isolation. Consequently, it is the go-to, one-stop journal where researchers can reliably expect to find a richly dense collection of first-class organic chemistry in one place. I believe that organic chemistry is entering an exciting time because the continuing discovery of new reactions can now be combined with unimagined advances in analytical techniques along with new technologies and engineering to enable unparalleled expansion of what is possible in the reaction and molecular-design space. Accordingly, the discipline needs a journal such as Organic Letters with 4
DOI: 10.1021/acs.orglett.8b03964 Org. Lett. 2019, 21, 1−4
