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Welcome
to the Volume 21 of the Neuroendocrinology Letters, an international
peer-reviewed transdisciplinary journal covering the fields
of neuroendocrinology and related areas, including immunological,
psychological, oncological, chronobiological and other aspects
in the normal and pathological physiology (see Aim and Scope).
Neuroendocrinology Letters invites the interdisciplinary discussions
where the same topic can be viewed from different aspects. It
should serve as a unique opportunity for the cross-fertilization
between the different sciences and practices, rather than the
merely multidisciplinary approach. The Journal strives for progressive
medicine including preventive aspects.
The
true vision of the Neuroendocrinology Letters (NEL) is the interdisciplinary,
transdisciplinary and integrative aspects of sciences and their
entree into the twenty-first century. The bridge between neuroendocrinology,
the immune system and the rest of the central nervous system
opens the gateway to more common understanding and acceptance
across disciplines. The NEL is an umbrella for the endeavor
that unites various scientific fields from the basic and clinical
research in their attempt to elucidate the processes of experience
involved from the earliest stages of human life.
The
NEL represents a real encounter between sciences, methodologies,
approaches, different views, philosophies; encounters between
science and art; basic research, clinical research and practice;
encounters between the editors and readers, colleagues from
different fields on the basis of inter- and transdisciplinarity;
encounters between senior and junior researchers; encounters
between scientists as human beings.
Last
year (in the Volume 20) we introduced new headings and new divisions
which continue on a regular basis: Guest and Invited Editorials,
Invited Reviews (NEL Reviews), The Story Behind (see Vol. 20
Nos. 1/2, 3/4), Philosophy Behind Science (Vol. 20 Nos. 1/2,
3/4 and in this issue, Vol. 21 No. 1) and the Seasonís Appreciations
(Vol. 20 Nos. 1/2 and Vol. 21 No. 1).
With
this issue we open the second year of the ìnewî Neuroendocrinology
Letters with its new layout, new format, 4-color print and,
most importantly, with its new aim and scope. This last one
is, from this volume and onwards, enlarged with chronobiology.
The
Neuroendocrinology Letters opened itself for chronobiological
papers already in the last issue (Vol. 20, 1999). The most distinguished
journal, Chronobiologia, where Prof. Halberg was Editor-in-Chief,
suspended publication in 1994. Together with Prof. Halberg,
we feel that the new dimension of chronobiology in the Neuroendocrinology
Letters will fill a void with the loss of a clinical outlet,
i.e. Chronobiologia.
In this connection I am honored to inform you that Professor
Halberg has kindly accepted my invitation to serve as the third
Associate Editor of this Journal.
It is with pleasure that I welcome more distinguished colleagues
who graciously accepted the invitation to join the Editorial
Board from this issue of the Neuroendocrinology Letters:
Germaine
CornÈlissen, Ph.D., Co-Director, Halberg Chronobiology Center,
University of Minnesota, Dept. of Laboratory Medicine, Minneapolis,
USA.
Professor
Dr. Med., Dr. h.c. G¸nter D–rner, em. Director, Inst.
for Experimental Endocrinology, CharitÈ, Humboldt University,
Berlin, Germany.
RNDr.
Helena Illnerov·, DrSc., Vice-President of the Czech
Academy of Sciences, Institute of Physiology, Prague, Czech
Republic.
Professor
Robert Rapaport, M.D., who joined the Editorial Board
in October last year, has recently changed his affiliation as
follows: Chief, Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes,
Dept. of Pediatrics, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Director,
Pediatric Section Mount Sinai Diabetes Center, Mount Sinai Medical
Center, New York, USA.
Professor Luchio Zichella, M.D., Director, I Institute
of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Rome ìLa Sapienza,î
Rome, Italy.
In
this volume we will continue the course started with Vol. 20.
Again as Professor Halberg put it, we added to ìthe content
in scientific terms a human touch which unites scientific rigor
with the complementary bedside manner that is important in every
journal.î
The
humanistic touch should be one of the main goals of every
scientific journal, especially medical, but this is unfortunately
largely neglected. There have been many discussions in recent
years about the dangers of biased judgment in assessing the
quality of a particular scientific journal or a particular scientific
paper published in it. Also the values of impact factors, as
used in recent years, were often the objects of criticism. The
main problem is that impact factors are being increasingly used
for a purpose for which they were never intended, namely to
evalute individual applications for jobs or funding (Charles
Jennings, Guest Editorial, NEL Vol. 20 Nos. 1/2, p. 7ñ10). Jennings
continues ìMost obviously, by the time the impact factors appear,
the papers to which they refer are already two to three years
old, so any recent changes in a journalís editorial policies
will not be reflected in its impact factor.... The result of
all this numerology has been an increasing obsession among researchers,
particularly younger scientists who have not yet established
their reputations, to boost their numbers by whatever means
possible.î
Another
issue which is very much discussed, when estimating a particular
journalís credibility, is the way of setting up the peer-review
procedures and the definition of the competency of the editor
in making the final decision on whether to accept the paper
for publication. I am very pleased that we during the past year
were able to enlarge the number of external independent peer-reviewers
also outside of the Editorial Board, which on the one hand increases
the objectivity of reviewing the submitted papers and on the
other hand broadens the possibility for inviting experts from
various disciplines.
As
J. L. Crammer pointed out (Guest Editorial NEL Vol. 20 No. 5,
p. 261ñ262), ìThe journal should lead and not follow. The editor
will not rely simply on what the mail happens to deliver in
choosing papers, reports and letters, but will go out inviting
review articles, leaders, comments, dialogues and studies from
active researchers, to widen interests and catch the new.î This
was and is our main policy in editing the Neuroendocrinology
Letters.
Quoting
another Guest Editorial (Peer review and editorial decision-making
by Louise Howard and Greg Wilkinson, NEL Vol. 20 No. 5, p. 256ñ260),
ìThe Editorís decision is final.... The editor needs to choose
which papers to accept, and a variety of factors influence his
decisions. Fairness, openness, accountability and transparency
compete with hubris and human error.î And in connection with
this I wish to quote H. L. Freeman (Guest Editorial NEL Vol.
20 No. 5, p. 263), ìBut in the end, a journalís quality depends
on editorial flair, which is very difficult to quantify.î
In this issue of the Journal, in the Philosophy Behind Science,
we are reprinting a paper published ten years ago in the International
Journal of Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Medicine, stressing
the indivisibility between the creative act and the health in
the human being. This connection we can find in many grand pieces
of European literature of the last century, such as ìMental
healersî (German original ìDie Heilung durch den Geistî), 1931
by Stefan Zweig. We intend to publish the introduction to this
book in one of the next issues of this volume.
I
am deeply indebted to all authors of this issue for their outstanding
contributions: the Invited Guest Editorial, Invited Review Article,
Original Papers and, already as tradition, the Seasonís Appreciations.
We
have also listed selected forthcoming scientific events for
this and the next year, and we would be very appreciative if
you will provide us continuously with more information which
can be published in the next issues.
As
always, I would very much appreciate receiving Book Reviews
and Congress Reports as well as Letters to the Editor, to be
published in this Journal.
In
this Volume we will open a section of Medical History, and I
welcome your contributions on this topic.
We
look forward to your reactions concerning the ìnew lookî of
the NEL. We also look forward to receiving your papers for consideration
for publication. We will try to shorten the time from receiving
to publishing your peer-reviewed and accepted manuscripts in
the shortest possible time. If you have a special reason for
accelerating the publication of your manuscript, please let
us know in your cover letter, and we will do our best to consider
your request. We encourage and solicit young scientists to submit
synopses of their Doctoral Theses or Dissertations for consideration
for publication.
Our
correspondence column is open for your comments, criticisms,
questions, etc. We would appreciate Letters to the Editor, which
we will treat on a liberal basis. However, we reserve the right
to make a possible editorial restyle of them, mostly concerning
their length.
As
we pointed out already in the first issue of Volume 20, 1999,
the Neuroendocrinology Letters is your journal. It is the readerís
journal and as Per Bergsj¯, the previous outstanding Chief Editor
of the Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica said, ìamong
the readers are also the Journalís authors.î
Since many new readers have joined the Journal from this year,
we would like to introduce them to the philosophy of the Neuroendocrinology
Letters. We refer to my Editorials from the last Volume as well
as the Editorials from the Art Director and Guest Editorials
which can be sent from the Editorial Office on request and which
are also available online www.nel.edu.
Peter
G. Fedor-Freybergh
Editor-in-Chief
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