New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Research

Editorial report

In the year 2000 (Volume 28) the New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Research (NZJCHS) published 33 scientific papers and 6 book reviews over a total of 310 pages plus indexes.

Number of papers submitted

Fifty-one submissions were received in 2000. New Zealand researchers submitted 75% of these papers and the main sources were: the New Zealand Institute for Crop & Food Research Limited (25%); The Horticulture and Food Research Institute of New Zealand Ltd (20%); Massey University (10%); Lincoln University (8%); and The University of Auckland (6%). The remaining 25% of submissions were from researchers in Argentina, Australia, China, Iran, Japan, Korea, Tanzania, and Turkey.

Subject areas

The subject areas of the papers submitted in 2000 were as follows: crop science (57%) and horticultural science (43%). The main horizontal divisions were: pathology (27%); physiology (25%); breeding and genetics (18%); production (16%); and postharvest research (10%).

Referees

In 2000 a total of 87 referees were consulted from: New Zealand (41%); United States (22%); Australia (15%); Canada (7%); Italy (6%); United Kingdom; Germany; South Africa; Argentina; and Israel. Most of the referees consulted are acknowledged in the List of Referees following this report.

Rejection rate

The rejection rate for NZJCHS is 24%. In 2000 most papers were rejected because the work reported was not considered to be new. In some instances authors withdrew their papers as they felt unable to comply with the referees' recommendations for acceptable revision.

Publication times

The average time from submission to acceptance in 2000 was 22 weeks (5 months) and the average time from acceptance to publication was 17 weeks (4 months). Therefore, in 2000 it took an average of 39 weeks (9 months) from submission of a paper to publication in the journal.

Circulation

NZJCHS is an important medium to promote New Zealand's research to scientists throughout the world. The largest numbers of subscribers are from Australasia and Asia (64%) followed by Europe (21%) and North America (15%). Most subscribers are research libraries and institutions, although many New Zealand researchers are individual subscribers. Although authors acknowledge that the journal is widely cited, they consider that it may not be readily available in some libraries of the world. I encourage all authors, referees, and readers to recommend NZJCHS subscription to colleagues and institutional libraries. New promotional material and sample issues are available from me to help communicate the benefits of the journal.

Opinion survey

On the basis of an opinion survey sent out to some authors and referees in August 2000, support for NZJCHS within the New Zealand scientific community is very high. NZJCHS is regarded as the journal for papers relevant to New Zealand. Refereeing is regarded as rigorous–the same or better than many other international journals. Authors like the format and consider that NZJCHS sets good standards and has good publication times.

Promotion of New Zealand science

Publication of papers in NZJCHS completes the investment made in the research by making it available to others. NZJCHS will continue to promote New Zealand's crop and horticultural research to the international community and so maintain the visibility of New Zealand science in the world.

Acknowledgment

There is no doubt that authors, referees, and readers have contributed significantly to the success of NZJCHS over the years. I thank you all for your input and ask for your continuing support.

Sandra Stanislawek
Scientific editor
Editor, New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science

February 2001