AUG/SEPT 2005
Volume 11 - No. 3
SRNT Newsletter
Aug/Sept 2005, Volume 11, Number 3
Progress & Changes for Nicotine & Tobacco Research:
Seeking New Editor
Gary Swan has announced that he will be stepping down from his position as Editor of Nicotine & Tobacco Research at the end of 2006. SRNT would like to thank Gary Swan for his effective leadership in serving as the Editor for N&TR's first eight years. In collaboration with N&TR Coordinating Editor, Janet Brigham, Gary has made great strides in helping the Journal meet its objectives of:
- streamlining the review process by providing authors, reviewers, and editors with continuously available Web-based status information
- reducing the time frame from receipt of first submission to first editorial decision by expediting communication between the editorial staff, editors, reviewers, and authors
- publishing sufficiently large issues to prevent a backlog of accepted articles, thus cutting the time from the point of acceptance to publication
- producing supplemental issues to disseminate targeted areas of research, and
- maintaining the Journal's commitment to high-quality science in a peer-reviewed format.
N&TR is now listed in seven indexing services, including index medicus, medline, and the ISI citation index. As one of the world's few journals devoted exclusively to the science relevant to nicotine and tobacco, N&TR has a special responsibility in a number of areas. These include: a) publishing the best science to inform both the scientific and policy making communities; b) providing timely, constructive, fair, and high quality peer reviews of work submitted by nicotine and tobacco scientists; and, c) achieving wide dissemination of findings through traditional and emerging channels including subscriptions, web-based distribution, summaries of findings written specifically for the nonspecialist, and regular press releases to the media.
The journal will transition to a new Editor-in-Chief in 2007. Among the ranks of SRNT's scientists are numerous individuals who would be excellent editors of the Journal. The SRNT Board invites members to apply for the position. The journal editors and staff are committed to working with a new editor and his/her staff by early 2007 so that the journal processes can transition smoothly without disruption or delay. Information on how to apply for this position is provided below:
The generous funding of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has concluded, and the American Legacy Foundation's support will conclude shortly after the next editor begins. This foundation funding has allowed the journal to grow remarkably through its first seven years. ALF support in 2006 will solidify a streamlined, online-automated system that will facilitate journal operations from this point forward. The system is configurable, so that the new editor and his/her staff and editorial board can exercise flexibility in the journal process. The content of the system will be fully portable, so that it can be moved to another online system if needed.
Editor: Nicotine & Tobacco Research
Start Date: January, 2007
Term of Editor: Three (3) years
Deadline for Nomination Materials: September 30, 2005
Requirements: Nominees must be current members of SRNT and have an established scientific track record and broad knowledge of the field of tobacco research. Nominees should have demonstrated experience with the editorial process such as an Editor or an Associate Editor for a journal similar to N&TR. Nominees should also provide information regarding the types of institutional support available to them in managing an editorial office; e.g., support staff. While N&TR's external funding (American Legacy Foundation) will be ending, an electronic manuscript management system has been developed and the contract with the publisher will provide support funds.
Editor-in-Chief: Job Description: The Editor-in-Chief devotes about eight hours per week to the operation of N&TR. The Editor's ongoing activities include: 1) assigning submitted papers to the appropriate Associate Editor; 2) perusing reviews and manuscripts to ensure fairness and technical accuracy; 3) writing editorial decision letters based on the reviews; 4) communicating with Associate Editors, the publisher, and the SRNT board; 5) regular meetings with editorial assistant to review organizational and management issues, the planning of future issues, compiling the double-spaced copy for each issue; and, 6) insuring the accuracy of galley proofs for each issue prior to publication. The new Editor will work with the outgoing editor and his staff to ensure a smooth transition. It is expected that N&TR will receive over 200 submissions per year.
Nominations packets must include the following: Letter of intent, current CV, and a vision statement for the Journal.
Send nomination and packets to: Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, Attn: Bruce Wheeler, 2810 Crossroads Drive, Suite 3800, Madison, Wisconsin 53718. Phone: 608-443-2462 or 608-443-2469. Fax: 608-443-2478. New email address: info@srnt.org