JPS Preprints Now Accessible (dated June 12, 2003)
Starting from May 19, papers to be published in the JPS are available as preprints at the stage of first galley proof. They are accessible from this HP.
Currently, the time between the acceptance of a full paper and its publication in hard copy has been shortened so that it can be published in the same time as short communications. Access to preprints recently made available will further accelerate the publication of accepted papers.
Access to preprints recently made available by the editorial board was started as a provisional measure to be continued until the development and implementation of access functions for J-STAGE, which is planned for at the end of this year.implementatio
You are cordially invited to contribute papers.
The Guidelines ?gRegarding requested materials for authors submitting papers discussing materia medica to the Journal of Pharmacological Sciences?h Have Been Established (dated June 12, 2003)
Regarding requested materials for authors submitting papers discussing materia medica to the Journal of Pharmacological Sciences
Recently, a considerable number of papers discussing pharmacological actions of ingredients of material media have been contributed to the JPS. Although not a problem in cases of mono-ingredient material medica, it is often difficult for various reasons to review efficacy assessments, investigation into action mechanisms, etc. of those with more than one ingredient. For example:
We have thus recently had Prof. Hiroshi Watanabe of the Division of Pharmacology, Institute of Natural Medicine, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University prepare the following guidelines:
[JPS 5ŒŽ?†‚©‚ç‘}“ü]
Note: The English version of these guidelines to be published in the JPS were translated, checked by Prof. Watanabe and promptly inserted into the contribution rules section in the JPS May issue. The revised contribution rules of the Folia Pharmacologica Japonica have been published in and after the July issue. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Prof. Hiroshi Watanabe for his prompt and appropriate advice.
Susumu Okabe, Editor-in-Chief
Link from PubMed Is Now Available (dated June 14, 2003)
A link from PubMed is now available also for the Folia Pharmacologica Japonica. This is expected to allow a broader use of research papers published in the journal.
JPS Electronic Submission System [Progress Report and Request] (dated August 12, 2003)
Since the start of partial operation of the online submission system through J-STAGE on February 25 of this year, there have been 38 submissions through the system as of the end of July (including 13 submissions from overseas). Compared to papers submitted by mail, the time required in the respective stages of transfer from the author to the editorial board, from the editorial board to the editor in charge of the paper, and from the editor to the referees is shorter. This is also true for the submission of revised papers. You are cordially invited to use the online submission system.
Currently, the system is limited to ?ginitial submission?h, ?gsubmission of revised papers?h and related subordinate functions, and ?greview/refereeing?h, the latter being operated under a provisional measure. Within this year, the stages of ?greview/refereeing?h, ?gsubmission of final papers?h, and ?gediting/production/publication?h will be developed, allowing performance of all work, from submission to publication, through the web starting from the beginning of next year. At the same time, the site for ?gearly publication (first galley proof)?h will be transferred to J-STAGE from the current ?gJPS Preprint Service?h on this HP and will be available along with past issues. Please look for these changes.
To Contributors;
*As this system is not yet complete, there are a considerable number of items to be entered at the initial submission. Before starting the entry, please read the ?gNotice to Contributors?h and the ?gInstructions for Electronic Submission?h (http://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/browse/jphs/ or the page for JPS at http://www.pharmacol.or.jp/). Upon full-scale operation of the system, there will be a different, improved version of the entry format.
*Please pay attention to the resolution of the image when you create figures/tables by PDF. In addition, following upload please always check on the screen that the image is sufficiently clear and that the entire figures/table is properly displayed. Please use reasonable care, since if any image is unclear or defective you will be requested to resubmit the paper.
To Referees;
As the system has currently been only partially constructed, requests for refereeing are made through the web in a provisional style. As a quick initial response is necessary so as not to lose the advantage of online submission, if you receive (two) e-mails requesting refereeing from the editor in charge, please immediately access the URL of the paper in question and report to the editor by e-mail whether or not your access was successful. We seek your understanding and cooperation for the considerable trouble the system may cause until its full-scale operation.
To Contributors to JPS [Request of Designation of Overseas Referees] (dated August 12, 2003)
As the Editor-in-Chief reported in the blue page of the 2002 December issue of this journal, the editorial board for this fiscal year has established a system under which the author(s) should recommend candidate referees at the time of submission. Thanks to your cooperation, this system has taken root by now and is contributing to the prompt request of refereeing to appropriate referees. Unfortunately, however, there have not been many recommendations of overseas researchers as candidate referees. As we hope to receive recommendations for appropriate referees from overseas to ensure more effective refereeing as is appropriate for an international journal, we request that you choose at least two overseas researchers out of four candidates.
Impact Factor for Year 2002 [JJP 1.230] (dated August 12, 2003)
The IF value for the year 2002 is an indicator of how many times a paper published in the JJP in 2000 and 2001 was referred to in 2002 (The number of JJP papers referred to in 2002/the number of JJP papers published in 2000 and 2001). The IF value of the JJP for 2001 was 1.347. The renewed JPS has set as a goal an IF value of 2.0, for the time being. We hope that JJP/JPS papers will be referred to in your papers as often as ever.
Establishment of Correspondence Section (September 21, 2003)
As you members know, the English journal of the Japanese Pharmacological Society has always, from the time of the JJP to that of the JPS, consisted of original papers and reviews. Recently, we received an inquiry from overseas asking whether the contribution of a correspondence is acceptable. This being very welcome, we immediately replied that it was acceptable, in response to which we received text and tables. The authors of the relevant paper expressed their opinion that the comment in question was very good, so we decided to accept the comment and publish it in the issue immediately following (Vol.93, No.1, September).
Overseas journals usually carry both contributed comments and the relevant authors?f responses to such comments in the same issue. We hope that in the future the JPS will be able to carry comments in such a way.
At this opportunity, we have decided to officially establish a correspondence section to publish comments on published papers. We hope that the addition of this new section will further vitalize the JPS and make it an international journal. Of course, we welcome correspondence from members as well and cordially invite you to contribute comments. We will make a quick response.
In addition, we hope that you members will start or maintain your subscriptions to the JPS and exhibit its copies at your research institutions, and we also await the contribution of your papers.
Susumu Okabe, Editor-in-Chief
Vancouver Style Will Apply to Reference Section of JPS and FPJ (dated March 28, 2003)
At the Editorial Committee meeting held on March 24, it was determined that the style of the reference section will be changed to the Vancouver Style. This change will be applied to the JPS from Vol.92, No.1 (May issue) and to the FPJ from Vol. 122, No.7 (July issue). Please be aware of the change when you prepare your papers.
An example of the Vancouver Style (see N Eng J Med. 1997;336:309-315):
[Note 1] All names of the authors should be listed if there are six or less authors; otherwise list the first three authors followed by ?get al.?h
Journals:
Amano H, Ando K, Minamida S, et al. Adenylate cyclase/protein kinase A signaling pathway enhances angiogenesis through induction of vascular endothelial growth factor in vivo. Jpn J Pharmacol. 2001;87:181-188[Note 2] The journal name should be followed by the description of ?gyear;volume:page-page?h, which should be written as one word with no space between any two items.
Textbooks:
Phillips SJ, Whinsnant JP. Hypertension and stroke. In: Laragh JH, Brenner BM, editors. Hypertension: pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management. 2nd. New York: Raven Press; 1995. p. 465-478[Note 3] Follow the order of ?gcity of publication: name of publisher; year. pages?h, and insert one space between any two items.
The contribution rules for the journals will be changed from the May issue for both journals.
Contribution Through the Web to JPS Is Now Available (dated February 25, 2003)
The long-awaited operation of the web submission system has been started for the English language journal. As we have developed and started the operation of this system ahead of the other journals on J-STAGE, the operation of the system will require a great deal of labor from the editorial office. Please note that some of the functions of the system may not be satisfactory.
The editorial office will continue to work hard to complete all processes of the system. Please use the web submission system for contribution of your papers.
Link from PubMed Is Now Available (dated December 18, 2002)
As we informed you this news section on July 12, 2002, links between JJP and other journals are under construction, and following the link with CrossRef, a link from PubMed to J-STAGE was established on November 7. (One from J-STAGE to STN is also under construction.)
The establishment of cross-links seems to be one reason for the two-fold increase in the number of PDF downloads within the number of times our homepage was accessed in November.
No Publication Charge for Contributions to FPJ Except Originals and Theses (dated December 18, 2002)
In order to promote the use of the journal, the Editorial Committee has decided not to charge for the contributions of reviews, experimental technologies, recent topics, etc. Your contributions are welcomed.
FPJ Price Change (dated December 18, 2002)
Since 1991, the September issue of FPJ has been published as a special issue for reviews planned by the Chairman. Initially, the price for the issue was set at \2,000 as it had 1.6 to 2.0 times as many pages as the other eleven issues. However, as the September issues published during the last five years have not always met this condition, the price for all issues has been changed to \1,100. There is no change in the annual total price of \12,000, i.e. previously, \1,000 x 11 issues + \2,000; from 2003, \1,100 x 12 issues.
Determination of Logo (dated November 19, 2002)
Following the selection of design No.1 on November 13, we requested the printing house to modify the design. One design was selected among possible designs and was determined as the logo for the Society with the consent of the designer of design No.1 producer and the approval of the Chairman.
Susumu Okabe, Chairman of the Editorial Committee; and Yoshihisa Kudo, Chairman of the Public Relations Committee
[Modified points]
Monochrome version
Color version
Results of Logo Selection (dated November 13, 2002)
Twelve entries for our logo were shown on pages 48A-49B of the last issue (November issue) and members were invited to vote for their favorite choice. Following the deadline at noon on November 5, entry No.1 (designed by Dr. SUGIYAMA Atsushi, Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi Faculty of Medicine) was determined to be the winner. We are grateful to those who voted, many with comments. Entry No.1 will be finalized after a modification by designers, taking into consideration the comments of those who chose the design, and will be used initially in the January issue of the EPJ and the Journal of Pharmacological Sciences.
Susumu Okabe, Chairman of the Editorial Committee; and Yoshihisa Kudo, Chairman of the Public Relations Committee
Details of selection: Total number of votes was 83.
1st place (27 votes) NO.1 2nd place (14 votes) NO.4 3rd place (13.5 votes) NO.5 4th place (13 votes) NO.3 5th place (5 votes) NO.6 6th place (4 votes) NO.7 7th place (3 votes) NO.12 8th place (2.5 votes) NO.2 9th place (1 vote) NO.8
Winning design (aspect ratio = 1:2)
The design by Dr. Sugiyama is shown above. The design was shown in monochrome as were other entries when votes were invited. Whether Society?fs colors will be determined or how the colors will be arranged, among other things, are under consideration.
To Those Who Contribute to English Language Journal (dated November 13, 2002)
As we reported in EPJ (Vol.120, No.4, 45A, issued in October), it has recently been determined that the name of the Japanese Journal of Pharmacology will be changed to the Journal of Pharmacological Sciences (abbreviation: J Pharmacol Sci) as of the January 2003 issue. All Editorial Committee members and staff members earnestly hope that this name change will help the Society?fs English language journal become an even more international journal and we will make a concerted effort to announce this name change to all quarters so that the new name will be internationally recognized as soon as possible.
In EPJ (Vol.120, No.2, 14A, issued in August), a former Chairman of the Editorial Committee wrote, ?gAlthough I don?ft think that a name change will result in a noticeable increase in the number of contributions from overseas within a few months, ?cI think it may be effective one measure in promoting such an increase.?h I too think that this opinion is justified and sincerely hope, before anything, that the number of contributions from domestic researchers will increase.
Concomitantly with the name change, the referee system also underwent a major change from the former system. As you know, many overseas scientific journals have recently adopted a referee system in which contributors should designate referees, and if you fail to designate referees you will be requested to do so by the editorial office. You can also name researchers who you do not wish to referee your work. It seems that this system is being established because it saves the time in selecting appropriate referees for contributed papers and gives priority to the contributor?fs designation of referees out of respect for contributors who have obtained state-of-the-art knowledge and drawn up a paper.
Papers contributed to Jpn J Pharmacol had formerly been refereed by Japanese members or professionals in related fields, but those that were contributed very recently have been refereed by an overseas referee as well as a domestic one. Being a section editor, this writer has already been involved in the examination of six papers. If no referee is designated for a contributed paper, we ask the contributor, by telephone or otherwise, to designate appropriate referees, one domestic and the other overseas. As soon as we are informed of the overseas referee?fs name, we carry out a brief search for the referee?fs specialty through Medline or other search engines and immediately ask the referee if he/she is willing to referee the paper. Unless the potential referee is absent due to attendance at a society meeting or a similar reason, we receive approval for refereeing in most cases and immediately send a copy of the paper by international courier. The time allowed for a referee to review a full paper is two weeks. Our experience so far includes some cases in which the overseas referee reported the results earlier than his/her Japanese counterpart. Although there was a concern that the designation of referees might result in indulgent, careless examination of papers, this has turned out to be an imaginary fear, and some papers have unfortunately been rejected by designated referees.
In addition, we are currently calling the attention of contributors to Jpn J Pharmacol to the following point concerning English writing: Standard English should be used in all English papers, as stated in the contribution rules. In particular, some English papers written by young researchers as their first work seem not to be understood sufficiently because of the English used, although they may be adequate in substance for publication in the journal. This results in a great disadvantage to such contributors as well as referees who have to waste many hours reading through the papers. Very recently, there was a case in which we received comments from an overseas referee by e-mail, while the paper was returned by airmail with many, many corrections of English composition. We had no intention of asking the busy overseas referee to proofread the English, and I am sure that the referee was surprised too.
It is expected that contributed papers will be reviewed by overseas referees more often in the future. If requested by the contributor, both referees may be overseas referees. We strongly encourage you to have your English paper proofread by a native speaker before contribution. Our suggestion would be to have a British or American friend proofread your paper, or to leave the matter to a company whose business includes English proofreading. Such a company can proofread an English paper in a short time (usually in one week or so) for a charge that is apparently 15,000 to 20,000 yen, or 30,000 to 40,000 yen at most, depending on how well the English paper is written. At the least, we expect articles and singular/plural and tense forms to conform to Standard English so that we can have our domestic and overseas referees examine the substance of the paper. As the Japanese proverb says, ?gif you want to hurry, take a long but steady road.?h Please do not think that editors or referees will proofread your English, or that you can depend on the English proofreaders of the Society. Please understand that our English proofreaders proofread a paper only after the referees have completed their examination, just to standardize the written English so that it will fit the journal.
In addition, with the introduction of this new referee system, we now request domestic referees as well as overseas referees to write their comments in concise English. Therefore, authors, too, are requested to write their responses in English.
I remember that when I was working in a lab in the U.S., whenever my boss finished writing a paper, his secretary used to check the authors?f names, paper titles and names of journals in references by reading the letters aloud one by one to research students. Recent software has an English spell-checking function that facilitates spell-checking. Please remember to use this function before contributing your paper.
Furthermore, as your paper will be reviewed by an overseas referee, it is recommended that you always think of who may be an appropriate researcher whenever you communicate with overseas researchers or read literature in preparing your paper.
If you need an English proofreader, please contact the editorial office and we will introduce one to you. Please of course pay your own expenses.
Finally, the designation of referees is also strongly recommended when contributing requested papers, reviews, experimental technologies, etc. as this will result in extremely prompt and appropriate examinations. Such cases have also resulted in extremely fair examinations. As the phrase a ?ggentlemen?fs agreement?h indicates (maybe a ?gresearchers?f agreement?h?), we have rarely seen a designated referee give a careless comment on a research paper. Indeed, when read between the lines, these comments often give a sincere impression that is respectful of the author(s).
The editorial staff members are earnestly awaiting for your contributions to our renamed journal, the Journal of Pharmacological Sciences.
November 1, 2002Susumu Okabe, Chairman of the Editorial Committee
PS: We received the following letter from an overseas (European) editor:
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