Rigorous Standards Result in Many Disappointed Authors

I wanted to share the balance sheet of the disposition of articles during the last month with our readers. Currently, there are 18 articles in peer review. Of the 52 articles for which decisions were made since the last issue went to press, 8 were accepted to DNA and Cell Biology and 2 were accepted to BioResearch Open Access. Authors of 16 articles were informed that their articles were in need of either major or minor revisions. The balance of the submissions were rejected, either after peer review or because they were unsuitable for the journal.

While those authors who received rejections were undoubtedly disappointed, articles of higher quality and more appropriate scientific area were elated. The number of outstanding articles that will be published from August, 2012, onward will increase and with that, the impact factor of DNA and Cell Biology will rise commensurately. This, in turn, has an influence on the articles that will be attracted, and on the recognition of the studies published here.

In this issue are a series of articles in which undergraduate students have participated. Jo Handelsman, who has written an editorial accompanying this Special Focus Section, solicited these contributions. It is quite possible that many other articles we have and will publish include work performed by undergraduate students during their training; some may have work performed by secondary school students, as well. The other articles in this issue were accepted under Dr. Handelsman's editorship.

Starting in August, the Table of Contents for this journal will have a different appearance. Articles will be organized by Section and brief comments will accompany the title and authors listed.

We appreciate your patience in the transformation of DNA and Cell Biology.