JNeurosci Editor Shares Vision for the Journal
Since taking the helm of JNeurosci earlier this year, Editor-in-Chief Marina Picciotto has begun to implement her vision for SfN’s flagship publication. Learn about her goals for the journal in the above video and this Q&A.
What makes JNeurosci a leader in neuroscience publishing?
JNeurosci’s strengths are profound and rooted in the fact that it’s a society journal, supporting the mission of SfN. We think it is absolutely essential that the journal represents the field as a whole, so JNeurosci is committed to publishing high-quality work from as many disciplines in neuroscience as possible. We are able to accomplish this with the assistance of an international contingent of editors with specialties across the field. As scientific publishing evolves, we will continue working to make sure JNeurosci remains a place where we as neuroscientists want to send our strongest work.
What opportunities and challenges does the evolving scientific publishing environment present for JNeurosci?
In a rapidly changing publishing world, we have the responsibility to ensure that JNeurosci continues to maintain its many strengths, while also incorporating innovations that will help us serve the neuroscience community. The Society for Neuroscience offers two great choices for neuroscientists to publish their work, and JNeurosci is partnering with eNeuro, SfN’s open-access journal, to make certain that we innovate in ways that support SfN members’ needs and values.
What types of new innovations are you exploring?
We are experimenting with new approaches to present data, facilitate peer review, and evaluate the strongest science. These issues are always at the forefront of our editorial meetings.
Some of the areas we will be focusing on include:
- Determining how to include extended datasets in manuscripts as neuroscience becomes even more data intensive;
- presenting new types of review articles to provide a dialogue about topics in neuroscience not being discussed elsewhere;
- developing standards for presenting statistical analyses; and
- finding more ways to bring newer PIs and trainees into the review process.
How will you communicate to the field about your vision for JNeurosci?
We need to be as open and transparent as we can. To ensure that our readers, authors, and the neuroscience community are informed about new JNeurosci initiatives, I write a monthly column about changes taking place at the journal and in the field of scientific publishing more broadly. I also encourage our community to send me their thoughts on what we are doing well and what we can do better.
