BioEssays
| BioEssays | |
|---|---|
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| Abbreviated title (ISO) | BioEssays |
| Discipline | Biology |
| Language | English |
| Edited by | Andrew Moore |
| Publication details | |
| Publisher | John Wiley & Sons (Germany) |
| Publication history | 1984–present |
| Frequency | 12/year |
| Open access | No |
| Impact factor (2009) |
5.125 |
| Indexing | |
| ISSN | 0265-9247 (print) 1521-1878 (web) |
| Links | |
BioEssays is a review-and-discussion monthly scientific journal publishing novel insights, forward-looking reviews and commentaries in contemporary molecular and cellular biology. Areas covered include genetics, genomics, epigenetics, evolution, developmental biology, neuroscience, human biology, physiology, systems biology, and plant biology. BioEssays also publishes commentaries on aspects of science communication, education, policy and current affairs.
Contents |
[edit] Historical Overview
BioEssays was founded in December 1984 by Editor-in-Chief William J. Whelan under the auspices of the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, one of the component units of the International Council of Scientific Units (ICSU). The founding editor of BioEssays and John Kendrew, former President at ICSU, believed that the emerging realization that the individual disciplines of fundamental biology could unify biological science rather than fragmenting it required a monthly journal devoted to reviewing and discussing the advances in molecular biology. BioEssays was created to fulfill that necessity. Adam S. Wilkins replaced William J. Whelan as Editor in January 1990. Originally published by ICSU Press (Oxford) and The Company of Biologists, BioEssays began publishing under John Wiley & Sons in January 1998.
[edit] Relaunch
As Adam S. Wilkins retired in August 2008, BioEssays moved from Cambridge (United Kingdom) to the Wiley–VCH office in Weinheim (Germany), and Andrew Moore took over the Editor-in-Chief position. The journal was re-designed, in stages, thereafter: changes included a significant revamp of the journal’s rubrics, new sections and a color-coded graphical layout, and a larger involvement of the Editorial Board in commissioning and determining the journal’s content.
[edit] Slogan
BioEssays’ slogan—“Ideas that Push the Boundaries”—reflects the involvement of the journal in publishing hypotheses, ideas and speculations that foster discussion.
[edit] Structure and Content
[edit] Rubrics
[edit] Insights & Perspectives
- Ex laboratorio
- Hypotheses: Essays putting forth a novel hypothesis that is credibly supported by published data.
- Ideas & Speculations: Presentation of an idea, speculative concept, or prospects on a very recent development or emerging area of research.
- Think again: Calls to critically reinterpret data or reassess dogma, warnings related to dogma interpretation, presentation of long-forgotten or neglected research that is of high impact, and historical perspectives.
- Commentary
[edit] Prospects & Overviews
- Recently in press: Mini-reviews using very recent papers as their point of departure.
- Review assays
- Problems & Paradigms
- Methods, Models & Techniques: New methods, techniques, and model systems, and overviews of a particular methodological field.
[edit] Reports & Opinion
Meeting reports, book reviews, and letters to the Editor.
[edit] Special collections
BioEssays produces Special Collections online, which are compilations of articles that highlight a topical area of interest.
[edit] Submission process and rejection rate
Papers in BioEssays are primarily commissioned. However, BioEssays accepts enquiries for contributions, particularly hypotheses. The overall rejection rate (including pre-submission enquiries) is about 50%. The mean time to first decision is 22 days.
[edit] Media
Articles of particular interest to the society or the scientific community occasionally attract the attention of the popular media.
[edit] Post-publication commenting on articles
BioEssays currently offers an article-commenting facility via its website. Topics of particular current attention are often highlighted for commenting.
[edit] Indexing
The journal is indexed in:
- AGRICOLA Database
- Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts
- BIOBASE
- BIOSIS
- CAB Abstracts
- Cambridge Scientific Abstracts
- Chemical Abstracts Service
- CSA Biological Sciences Database
- Current Abstracts
- Current Awareness in Biological Sciences
- Current Contents (Life Sciences)
- EMBASE/Excerpta Medica
- Institute for Scientific Information
- Medline/Index Medicus
- SCOPUS
- SIIC
- Zoological Record
