Journal of Orthopaedic Research has succeeded. The founders of the Journal of Orthopaedic Research saw the need to establish a scientific journal that would publish concise reports of new important investigations of the musculoskeletal system. Some members of the orthopaedic community challenged this vision. They questioned whether scientists and clinicians studying the musculoskeletal system produced a sufficient number of meritorious scientific papers to justify a new journal and whether a single journal could span the biomechanics, biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, and clinical study of the musculoskeletal system.
In 1982, even the strongest supporters of the Journal of Orthopaedic Research may have wondered if the publication would survive. In that year, a small group of predominantly North American investigators submitted only 44 manuscripts, and questions about the financial support and scientific quality of a new journal posed serious threats to the longevity of the Journal of Orthopaedic Research and the willingness of investigators to submit their best work. However, the number of submissions grew rapidly, and in 1994 the journal received 269 manuscripts, including many from Europe and Japan. At the current rate of submission, the total number of manuscripts received in 1995 will approach or exceed 300. The Journal of Orthopaedic Research maintains a rigorous peer-review process-about 15% of manuscripts are accepted on the first submission and 40% are ultimately accepted. Review of the journal's last decade shows that not only did published manuscripts cover the range of orthopaedic methodologies, an increasing number of them reported novel multidisciplinary approaches. Any method of assessing the quality of scientific articles has serious limitations, but a recent survey ranked the impact of 26 orthopaedic or musculoskeletal journals on the basis of how frequently the average article had been cited. The Journal of Orthopaedic Research was second only to the American volume of The Journal 0.f Bone and Joint Surgery. By these measures, the Journal of Orthopaedic Research has succeeded in attracting and publishing an increasing number of high quality scientific manuscripts that span the field of orthopaedic research.
However, the success of the journal has created a new challenge. The increasing number of high quality manuscripts is preventing rapid publication. Despite the high rejection rate, the lag between acceptance and publication has continued to grow, reaching an average of about 10 months, and, unfortunately, for some manuscripts the delay runs more than a year. The editors, the Editorial Advisory Board, and the Orthopaedic Research Society have agreed that this problem must be dealt with expeditiously. Therefore, the journal will institute the following measures immediately. The number of pages in each issue will be increased by 16, and articles will be published in a new format, with decreases in the empty space throughout the journal and in the font size of the Materials and Methods section. To help support the increased cost of expanding the size of the journal, the Editorial Advisory Board has reinstituted the $75 submission fee for all manuscripts. In addition,