Abstract
This year marks the 20th anniversary since the publication of the first issue of Autism. The journal was the product of several years of discussion among researchers and advocates in the United Kingdom. Although there were other high-quality journals devoted to autism and other developmental disabilities, many European researchers thought that existing journals focussed on research conducted in the United States, that it was often quite difficult for authors from countries outside the United States to get their papers published in these journals and, more importantly, that papers on autism published in other parts of the world frequently failed to be cited in US journals. There was a certain irony to these challenges, given that some of the most important pioneers in the field of autism research, such as Lorna Wing and Michael Rutter, were based in the United Kingdom. Moreover, with research on autism growing both in quantity and quality year by year, there was clearly room for another journal with a specific focus on autism. The recently appointed chief executive of the UK National Autistic Society at that time, Geraldine Peacock, was also eager to raise the profile of autism research in the United Kingdom, and together with Simon Baron-Cohen, Rita Jordan and Richard Mills, we approached the publisher, SAGE, to discuss the possibility of producing a new journal. SAGE saw that the time was ripe for such a development. The fact that the journal was to be published in association with the National Autistic Society was viewed as a major advantage, in that it anchored the journal and its mission in the needs and hopes of people with autism and those who care for them.
The journal devoted its early efforts to encouraging quality submissions from across the globe and to publishing papers that merged rigorous research with clinical and practical relevance. While new journals often have difficulty getting high-quality submissions, we were very fortunate (and grateful) that some of the foremost European researchers in the field, including Simon Baron-Cohen, Eric Fombonne, Christopher Gillberg, Beate Hermelin, Michael Rutter and Lorna Wing contributed to the first two issues. These important papers were soon followed by submissions from across the world, including many countries in Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia and the Far East.
As was characteristic of much autism research at the time, many studies published in earlier issues of Autism were modest in both size and technical sophistication compared with those of today, but these early papers reflected topics that subsequently became of increasing importance in the field. These included papers on prevalence; the association between autism and other conditions such as developmental language disorders, visual impairment, Fragile X and Down syndrome; diagnostic issues (including papers on the distinction between autism and Asperger syndrome); core deficits in theory of mind, central coherence and executive function; potential genetic links between autism and specific areas of skill, such as engineering, mathematics and computing; and one of the earliest papers highlighting the economic costs of autism. The numbers of papers on interventions for autism also grew steadily over time. Although the majority of papers published in the journal’s first decade focussed on children, more research on adults gradually began to appear. As well as highlighting the poor quality of life of many adults and the high rates of comorbid problems, especially those related to mental health, there emerged a growing number of papers on interventions with the potential of improving social and personal outcomes.
Thus, by the end of this first decade, we had achieved our primary aim of producing a truly international, multi-disciplinary journal, reflecting work of both research and clinical relevance. By the end of the decade, the journal also had moved from publishing quarterly to publishing six issues a year, reflecting the high volume and quality of submissions we received. Papers published in that year reflected advances in neuroscience and other, more basic sciences, but still kept a primary focus on studies with more immediate, practical application, including issues related to psychological models of autism, intervention efficacy, effective methods for screening and diagnosis and strategies for supporting adults with autism.
Over the years, the impact of the science published in Autism has grown. One metric of this growth is the Journal Impact Factor, an estimate of how frequently published articles are cited in other peer-reviewed manuscripts. Based on this measure, Autism, with a 2014 impact factor of 3.6, is the tenth most cited journal among the 68 in developmental psychology. This in large part speaks to the quality of submissions, and we are grateful to our many contributors. We believe it also speaks to the increasing recognition of the importance of conducting rigorous research that addresses more immediate needs of individuals with autism, their families and the practitioners who serve them. It is telling that the most cited articles in the history of Autism cover practical issues associated with autism in anxiety, screening in community settings and parental needs for support.
In recent years, we have continued with efforts to increase the relevance of the journal to scientists, practitioners and a lay audience. For example, we have started an editorial feature called ‘Myth Busters’, in which we dispel common myths about autism, its treatment and its consequences. These efforts have been well received; our editorial on the myth about the association between autism and divorce was the most downloaded article in 2014.
How we disseminate that research and knowledge has diversified over the years. In 2010, we introduced our Social Media Editor, Laura Crane, who produces the successful Autism Matters podcast series and promotes Autism content to the wider autism community via our Facebook and Twitter channels and through the lay abstracts that accompany each of our articles. We recently introduced video abstracts on some of our articles as an innovative way of translating science to a broader audience. The research in Autism will always be at the core of what we publish, but as technology progresses, we will continue to explore how we share that output with the wider community. We welcome your feedback on how we might achieve this.
Autism research now lies at a crossroads. There is increasingly exciting research that elucidates the biology of the disorder. Our challenge is to translate this research into meaningful applications that improve quality of life for people with autism and their families, and then to further translate successful applications into the settings in which individuals with autism live. Our hope for the next 20 years is that Autism will bring you the most cutting edge, practical research findings that lead the way in making the world a better place for people with autism.
We are certain that, over the next two decades, Autism will witness a continuing growth in publications that are of significant academic merit and scientific importance. We also hope to see the development of ever more effective interventions, both child and adult focussed, that will offer real practical help to families; to all those involved in clinical, educational and support services; and most importantly to individuals with autism themselves. We are deeply grateful for all those who have contributed to the growth of the journal over the past 20 years, to authors (and all the unnamed individuals behind their research), reviewers, the editorial board and of course the journal staff without whom none of this would have been possible.