Hyodo Susumu
I assumed the position of Editor-in-Chief of Zoological Science on January 1, 2022, succeeding former EIC Eiji Numata. Having previously served as an Associate Editor under former EIC Fukatsu and former EIC Numata, I feel a strong sense of responsibility now taking charge of the publication of Zoological Science as EIC. Fortunately, I am able to retain the services of those who have been involved in editing as Associate Editors up to now (Eiji Inoue, Hiroshi Kajihara, Jun Kitano, Toru Miura, Takafumi Nakano, Masato Nikaido, Sachiko Shiga, Mikiko Tanaka, Ken Yoda, and Manabu Yoshida), and Kazuyoshi Ukena has newly joined us as an AE in the field of endocrinology and physiology. Furthermore, since Yuri Matsubayashi will continue to serve as Editorial Assistant, I feel confident in our editorial setup.
As everyone is aware, Zoological Science was launched in 1984 through the merger of the Zoological Magazine (1888–1983) and Annotationes Zoologicae Japonenses (1897–1983), and has since published original articles and reviews across various fields of zoology for 38 years. While the impact that attracts current readers is important, one of the defining characteristics of Zoological Science is its publication of robust, solid papers that will continue to be cited for years to come. We will remain conscious of this characteristic moving forward. I have heard the reputation that "Zoological Science has rigorous peer review considering its Impact Factor," but this also guarantees high paper quality, which I believe is a product of a 134-year tradition dating back to the founding of the Zoological Magazine. Operating as dual wheels alongside Zoological Letters, published by the Zoological Society of Japan, we will work to ensure that both journals develop and contribute to the advancement of zoology in Japan. Furthermore, on the ZooDiversity Web platform operated by the Zoological Society, all papers published in Zoological Science can be searched by animal name, scientific name, etc., and society members can sign in to access and download all papers. The Journal List displays a gallery of covers adorned with beautiful photographs of various animals, which is one of the features of Zoological Science, and four Virtual Issues, which re-edit past Zoological Science papers by topic, are already available. Additionally, the Zoological Magazine and Annotationes Zoologicae Japonenses are being converted to PDF and can be searched via ZDW. I have heard that they are scheduled to be organized as a Journal List in the future. Please make the most of these resources.
One of the challenges since the tenure of former EIC Numata has been the bias in published papers across different fields. Looking at the submission status since last November, when I effectively took over as EIC, it feels like this is improving, but to maintain a journal that covers diverse zoology, we very much look forward to submissions from a wide range of fields. The Editorial Board has also implemented several initiatives to make it a "journal that is easy to submit to." In modern biology, the use of color photographs, such as in imaging, is unavoidable, but the color charges for Zoological Science were relatively high. The year before last, this was significantly reduced to 10,000 yen per page, and open-access options are now available, albeit in limited numbers. Moving forward, we will continue to review submission guidelines to make the journal as accessible for submissions as financially feasible. On the other hand, submissions from overseas are on a downward trend, and I am particularly concerned about the low number of high-quality submissions that lead to acceptance. I feel that initiatives to increase overseas submissions, including expanding the Advisory Board members, are also necessary.
Zoological Science selects around five papers each year for the Zoological Science Award, which are presented at the annual meeting of the Zoological Society. We strongly encourage early-career researchers and graduate students to submit papers where they are the first author, as this can be an effective way to help build their career paths. Additionally, BioOne offers the BioOne Ambassador Award, which is given to graduate researchers and early-career researchers within five years of obtaining their degree. Although competition is fierce, we can nominate candidates from among the authors of papers published in Zoological Science, so we hope you will take on the challenge.
We look forward to your active posts.
