New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research

Editorial report

The year 2000 was another successful year for the New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research (NZJMFR). Around 60 scientific papers were published in a total of 758 printed pages–making Volume 34 one of the biggest volumes published to date. All four issues were published according to schedule.

Eighty-nine new submissions were received in 2000. New Zealand researchers submitted 85% of these papers and the main sources were: New Zealand Institute for Water & Atmospheric Research Ltd (NIWA) (45%); University of Otago (16%); Department of Conservation (6%); Cawthron Institute (3%); and The University of Auckland (3%). The other papers submitted by researchers elsewhere included: Australia (5%); South America (4%); North America (2%); Europe (2%); and Asia (2%). The subject areas of the new submissions were: marine environment (54%); and freshwater environment (46%).

Papers were refereed worldwide by over 170 referees and only one-third of these were from New Zealand. This reflects the decision to consult more overseas referees in response to a recent call for more "international" refereeing. Australian referees made up 22%, North America 28%, Europe 15%, and South Africa 3%. Most of the referees consulted in 2000 are acknowledged in the List of Referees following this report.

The rejection rate for NZJMFR stands at 15%. 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.

The average time from submission to acceptance in 2000 was 28 weeks (c. 6 months). This period can be reduced depending on the time it takes for a paper to be refereed and revised. My aim for 2001 is to send referees’ reports to authors within 2-3 months of submission.

The average time from acceptance to publication was 31 weeks (c. 7 months). Authors are well aware of this publication lag as I am now accepting papers for the September 2001 issue. The delay has been caused by the large number of papers accepted–a sign that the journal is doing very well! However, the average total time-to-publication of about 13 months is a concern for authors and the Editor alike and if the delay continues into future volumes then the option of increasing the number of issues per volume may need to be considered.

NZJMFR 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 (61%) followed by North America (26%) and Europe (13%). Most subscribers are research libraries and institutions, although many New Zealand researchers are individual subscribers. Although authors acknowledge that the journal is widely cited, and that they receive offprint requests from far and wide, they consider that the journal may not be readily available in some libraries of the world. I encourage all authors, referees, and readers to recommend NZJMFR subscription to colleagues and institutional libraries. New promotional material and sample issues are available from me to help you communicate the benefits of the journal.

NZJMFR authors should be pleased with the most recent citation data from the ISI "Journal citation reports". For 1999 NZJMFR had an impact factor of 1.25 and was ranked as follows: 7 of 34 in Fisheries; 24 of 70 in Marine & Freshwater Biology; and 11 of 41 in Oceanography. NZJMFR also has a cited half-life of >10 years. Pretty good for a regional journal!

On the basis of an opinion survey sent out to some authors and referees in August 2000, the high number of papers submitted, and comments in day-to-day journal correspondence, support for NZJMFR within the New Zealand scientific community is very high. Survey respondents regard NZJMFR as the journal to publish papers relevant to New Zealand as it is the key journal for the end users of their research. NZJMFR is also considered to publish papers of as high quality as those published by journals overseas. Many respondents regard NZJMFR as a superior publication to many other journals. Refereeing is considered to be of a high standard and authors like the quick turnaround for referees’ reports. Authors avoid journals with high page charges but are happy to subscribe to NZJMFR in lieu of these.

There is no doubt that authors, referees, and readers have contributed significantly to the success of NZJMFR over the years. I thank you all for your input and ask for your continuing support. As we enter the new millennium I would also like to take the opportunity to acknowledge editorial and production staff who have contributed to NZJMFR in the last decade. Jaap Jasperse, Editor 1986—97, contributed significantly to the development of the journal. Jaap was also at the forefront of electronic publishing in New Zealand and in addition to publishing the first New Zealand-authored CD-Rom featuring NZJMFR papers he was instrumental in setting up the initial journal webpages and online journal abstracts. Typesetters, Marian Jefferies and Ruth Munro, are acknowledged for their contribution to the quality journal product and Owen Watson for his expertise in electronic matters. Former DSIR Publishing staff and the current management of SIR Publishing are acknowledged for insight and support.

Publication of papers in NZJMFR completes the investment made in the research by making it available to others. NZJMFR will continue to promote New Zealand’s marine and freshwater research to the international community and so maintain the visibility of New Zealand science in the world.

Sandra Stanislawek
Scientific editor
Editor, New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research

January 2001