Endocrinologia Japonica gave birth to Endocrine Journal

Endocrine Journal (EJ) took its name from volume 40 in 1993. The journal is a continuation of Endocrinologia Japonica, which had been first published from the Japan Endocrine Society Eastern Region, and then from the Japan Endocrine Society up to volume 39 as an English journal.

Since 1975, the Impact Factor (IF) has been used to evaluate academic journals. When I was appointed as editor-in-chief, one of the issues was “how to raise IF above 1.”

When I consulted with a fellow postdoc in the U.S. by phone, his immediate impression was “I won’t submit my paper to a journal carrying a strange name that doesn’t sound to be a scientific journal or that might bite my tongue.” Then soon after, I consulted again with him about the current name, Endocrine Journal. His first impression was “It’s weird, like a journal that secretes hormones!” But, after we talked quite some time, referring to the name time and time again, he finally said “It could certainly be a possible name.” Then I proposed the name to the society members and got acceptance.

Shortly after that, I was so surprised to find an advertisement in Nature saying that a new Endocrine Journal will be published from Springer under the former editor-in-chief of Endocrinology. Fortunately, however, our registration to the IF office was a little bit earlier than Springer’s, and we started with the name Endocrine Journal while they started with the name Endocrine.

By the way, Endocrine is currently working on 79 volumes ahead of EJ’s 70 volumes, because their volume is consisted of only 3 monthly issues. But unfortunately, as for the all-important IF, Endocrine’s is 3.6 and EJ’s is 2.8, which is a little behind.

Based on my experience as editor-in-chief for eight years, I would like to ask the editorial board members of EJ to behave certainly like supervisors for graduate students and to support to turn their submitted papers into scientific papers. And in the future, they will cite their published papers in EJ into their text in “famous journals.” I would like to ask you to create this kind of virtuous cycle.

Biographies

Michio Takahashi

Honorary Member, Ex Editor-in-Chief

Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo

E-mail: [e-mail]

Careers in JES

2009– Honorary Member

2005– Senior Councilor

1991–1997 Director (Publication)

1980– Councilor

1974– Member

JES Awards

1981 1^st JES Research Award

Contributions to EJ

1991–1998 Editor-in-Chief

1987–1990 Associate Editor-in-Chief

1979–1982 Editor