Editorial report

2001 was a very good year for the New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science (NZJCHS). A new Editorial Advisory Board was formed and strategies for the future development of the journal considered. More papers were submitted to the journal in 2001 compared to the year before and there was an increase in the number of papers submitted by international researchers.

Editorial Advisory Board

Editorial Advisory Boards support, enhance, and assist the publication of research in scientific journals. NZJCHS had an Editorial Advisory Board from when the journal was first established up until 1991 when the journal was transferred to the Royal Society (from the DSIR) and the Editorial Advisory Board was disbanded. Finally, after 10 years, I have great pleasure to announce that the Editorial Advisory Board has been re-established!! Members were selected from nominations provided by the main research institutions that provide papers for the journal and also by the New Zealand Society for Horticultural Science. The Editorial Advisory Board will function in the same way as it did in the past and provide the opportunity for the journal to better meet the needs of the scientific community that it serves. Board members will also be expected to solicit and provide publishable content as well as promote the journal by representing its interests. The Editorial Advisory Board, effective from 1 January 2002, is as follows:

• Dr Ross Ferguson, HortResearch, Auckland
• Professor Richard Gardner, The University of Auckland, Auckland
• Dr Bill Griffin, Crop & Food Research, Christchurch
• Dr Chris Hale, HortResearch, Auckland
• Professor Errol Hewett (nom. by NZ Society for Hortic. Sci.), Massey University, Albany
• Dr Bruce MacKay, Massey University, Palmerston North
• Professor David McNeil, Lincoln University, Canterbury
• Dr Peter Stone, Crop & Food Research, Hastings

It is possible that additional Board members may be appointed in 2002 to cover any disciplines that are not adequately represented.

Papers submitted in 2001

Sixty-one new submissions were received in 2001. New Zealand researchers submitted 62% of these papers and the main sources were: the New Zealand Institute for Crop & Food Research Limited (33%); The Horticulture and Food Research Institute of New Zealand Ltd (15%); universities (12%); and other government agencies (2%). The remaining 38% of submissions were from researchers in: Australasia and Asia (17%); Middle East (17%); Europe (2%); and South America (2%). The subject areas of the papers submitted in 2001 were as follows: crop science (65%) and horticultural science (35%). The main horizontal divisions were: pathology (35%); production (27%); physiology (15%); and postharvest research (10%).

Papers were refereed by over 80 researchers from: New Zealand (35%); North America (26%); Australia (19%); Europe (19%); and South America (1%). In 2001, researchers were emailed requests to referee papers and the manuscripts then posted out (sometimes emailed) once referees agreed to provide reports within an agreed timeframe. Overall this has shortened the time taken to have papers refereed for the journal and provides a better service to authors. The rejection rate is currently 18% (the average for the last 2 years).

Papers published in 2001

Volume 29 comprises over 30 scientific papers as well as book reviews printed over 317 pages in four journal issues. In 2001 the average time from submission of a paper to acceptance was 23 weeks and the average time from acceptance to publication was 17 weeks. I am currently working with the new Editorial Advisory Board on ways to shorten the turn-around time for manuscripts. However, authors may be interested to know that one paper was accepted only 38 days after submission (and it was internationally refereed!)-this just goes to show that good papers can be accepted promptly!!

Outlook for 2002

Editorial Advisory Board members will be considering the future development and improvement of the journal. The journal currently focuses on kiwifruit and apples and other focus areas may be established. Although the journal is abstracted widely, there is a need to increase the distribution of the journal worldwide. We will consider strategies for increasing the readership and subscription base by inviting review articles, soliciting papers on "hot topics", and publishing thematic issues or "special sections". We are also in the process of making the journal available in electronic, in addition to printed, form. Abstracts are currently accessible from the journal webpage (/publish/nzjchs/) and PDF files of papers published in 2002 will also be available on the Internet. I encourage readers to subscribe to our "early alert" service (sign up at: /directory/elist.php) to receive email notification of papers published. Wide promotion of our electronic services will play an important role in increasing the distribution of the research results published in the journal.

Many thanks to everyone who has contributed to the journal in 2001-authors, referees, and readers. I look forward to working with you all again, and it already seems that 2002 will be an even better year!

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

28 February 2002