Editorial

After five years as Editor-in-Chief of Planta Medica, the time has come to look back and to make some reflections about the future. Over the past few years the number of issues of Planta Medica has increased from 12 to 18 per year. Electronic access has widely been promoted, and the impact factor has increased from 1.746 (IF 2006) to 2.369 (IF 2010), the all-time highest impact factor the journal has ever reached. This is a clear indication that Planta Medica continues to grow as an attractive journal in the field of Medicinal Plant and Natural Product Research, and that the Editorial Board is in a position to choose only those manuscripts that meet the highest scientific standards. Some highlights of the past year include the Special Issue on Tropical Diseases, edited by J. Bero and J. Quetin-Leclercq [1], the Special Issue with selected contributions from the 7th Tannin Conference and the 58th Annual Congress of the Society for Medicinal Plant Research in Berlin [2], and the abstract volume of the 59th International Congress and Annual Meeting of the Society for Medicinal Plant and Natural Product Research (4–9 September 2011, Antalya, Turkey), edited by K. H. C. Başer [3]. For 2012 there are also two Special Issues scheduled.

In order to further improve and streamline the review process, and taking into account the new focus of the journal that was implemented last year, it has been decided to renew the composition and the size of the Editorial and the Advisory Board. I would like to thank especially Prof. Wolfgang Barz and Prof. Wolfgang Kreis, who have been editing almost all manuscripts in the field of plant molecular biology and plant biotechnology, a field that is no longer covered by the editorial scope of the journal, as has previously been announced, for their valuable work during many years. The size of the Editorial Board will be reduced from 17 to 9 Editors, including Adolf Nahrstedt (Senior Editor), Matthias Hamburger (Review Editor), Rudolf Bauer, Veronika Butterweck, Thomas Efferth, Irmgard Merfort, Hermann Stuppner, Yang-Chang Wu, and myself as Editor-in-Chief. As is custom with most scientific journals, membership of the Advisory Board rotates at regular intervals. The aim of the Advisory Board is to provide a core of dedicated and reliable reviewers, who are very familiar with Planta Medica, its editorial scope and its guidelines, and who will be considered “first choice” reviewers by the Editors. Most of the former Editors have agreed to act as Advisory Board members from now on, and in addition I would like to welcome Claus Cornett (Copenhagen, Denmark), Nicolas Oberlies (Greensboro, North Carolina, USA), Jose-Luis Rios (Valencia, Spain), Ping-Jyun Sung (Pingtung, Taiwan) and Günther Vollmer (Dresden, Germany). The advice and dedication of the Advisory Board members, especially as expert reviewers, is an important support for the journal. The Advisory Board members make a significant contribution both to the field of pharmacognosy and to the journal's international success.

In 2012 Planta Medica will maintain its close relationship to the Society for Medicinal Plant and Natural Product Research. It should be noted that members of the GA are entitled to a personal electronic subscription to Planta Medica at a very competitive rate – have a look at http://www.ga-online.org/planta_medica.html.

The aim of Planta Medica is the communication of significant research contributions in the field of medicinal plants and natural products. A scientific journal based on a peer-review system is only possible with the dedication of lots of scientists who evaluate and comment on the submitted manuscripts. The Editorial Board and the Publisher of Planta Medica gratefully acknowledge the time consuming but highly valuable efforts provided by the reviewers on a voluntary basis. Many authors appreciate the comments and suggestions made by the reviewers, and use these to improve the quality of their manuscripts.

Best wishes for 2012!

Luc Pieters Editor-in-Chief

References

• 1 Bero J, Quetin-Leclercq J. Natural products and tropical diseases.  Planta Med. 2011;  77 571
• 2 Kolodziej H, Hagerman A E. Polyphenols, ethnomedicine, and benefit sharing.  Planta Med. 2011;  77 1069
• 3 Başer K HC. International Congress and Annual Meeting of the Society for Medicinal Plant and Natural Product Research.  Planta Med. 2011;  77 1229