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‘The European Society of Cardiology is a manifest success’—this is what Desmond G. Julian, as the newly appointed Editor-in-Chief, wrote in his first Editorial in the very first issue of the European Heart Journal that appeared in February 1980.1 He was referring to the tremendous support given by its members to the then 4-yearly (!) Congress of the Society and to the many meetings of the Working Groups—but obviously this was just the beginning of what we experience today. Shortly thereafter, thanks to visionary leaders such as Paul Hugenholtz, Henry Denolin, and others, the European Society of Cardiology grew considerably in the following 30 years—despite the scepticism of many—into one of the most influential and prestigious bodies in medicine. Today, the European Society of Cardiology holds a highly successful annual congress with a growing number of participants, currently >30 000, and its flagship, the European Heart Journal, has turned from a Cinderella of medical literature to centre stage. Over the last three decades, the number of manuscript submissions initially grew slowly, then steadily, and recently markedly from 500 to >3500 a year (Figure 1A). Accordingly, the acceptance rate fell from >50% to currently 12%, allowing the selection of the best manuscripts for readers of the journal. As a consequence, the impact factor of the European Heart Journal grew from 1.0 slowly, but then considerably to its current 9.8 (Figure 1B). The European Heart Journal now, together with Circulation and the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, belongs to the top three of 95 journals in the field of cardiovascular medicine—what a birthday present! Manuscript submissions (A) and impact factor (B) of the European Heart Journal over the last 30 years. This success was possible only with the help of dedicated editors and reviewers. After Desmond Julian, Herny E. Kulbertus took over in 1989, followed by Kim Fox and then Frans van der Werf and his team (Figure 2). Since 2008, the Editorial Office of the European Heart Journal has been located in the Zurich Heart House which is affiliated with the Department of Cardiology of the University Hospital. Editors-in-Chief of the European Heart Journal over the last 30 years. From left to right: Desmond G. Julian (1980–1988), Henry E. Kulbertus (1989–1994), Kim Fox (1995–2002), Frans van de Werf (2003–2008), and the current Editor-in-Chief, Thomas F. Lüscher, Zurich (since 2008). What were the questions and topics which concerned cardiologists all those years ago? The first issues of the European Heart Journal published a number of papers on the role of calcium antagonists in coronary artery disease,2 on the use of the intra-aortic balloon pump in acute myocardial infarction,3 on the effects of hydralazine in chronic heart failure,4 and on serial electrophysiologcal drug testing in ventricular tachycardia.5 Many crucial issues facing cardiology are similar today, but obviously the possibilities of diagnosis and management have changed dramatically, as has the outcome of cardiac patients with various clinical conditions. Remarkably, mortality from myocardial infarction has declined in the last five decades from >50% to <5%.6 Following a 3-month transition period, the European Heart Journal has been managed from the Zurich Editorial Office since 2008 by the first author of this editorial, with the invaluable support of five Deputy Editors (i.e. Josep Brugada from Barcelona, Bernard Gersh from Rochester, Minnesota, USA, Ulf Landmesser and Frank Ruschitzka from Zurich, and Patrick Serruys from Rotterdam), 19 local and 19 international Associate Editors based in Europe, the USA, Canada, and Asia, as well as with the assistance of two Managing Editors (i.e. Susanne Dedecke and Sam Rogers). As promised in the inaugurational Editorial of the incoming Editor-in-Chief, the European Heart Journal7 has become a global journal run by an international community of editors, reviewers, and submitting authors. While the European Heart Journal still receives two-thirds of its manuscripts from Europe, 13% and 16%, respectively are from the Americas and Australasia. Through the appointment of American, Asian, and Australian editors, we hope to receive an increasing number of manuscripts from these regions in the future. Thanks to a shorter review time of currently 14 days and a sophisticated reminder system, the turnaround time for manuscripts is 24 days at present. The editors of the European Heart Journal are most grateful to their reviewers who have allowed such an improvement to take place. At the Editorial Board meeting in Barcelona during last year's ESC Congress, the European Heart Journal for the first time awarded its top 20 reviewers with an Elite Reviewer Certificate.8 To ensure we have optimal reviewers for the manuscripts submitted, we have further refined the reviewer profiling with the introduction of an expanded number of classifications. The new team has introduced a variety of changes and new features in both the editorial process and content of the European Heart Journal (Table 1). First of all, more options for decisions on submitted manuscripts have been introduced. It has now been defined more clearly that manuscripts which are reconsidered as revisions are not necessarily accepted (a change from decision, ‘Accept minor/major’ to ‘Revise minor/major’), but also the ‘Submit de novo’ option has been used more widely. As in the past, 30–40% of manuscripts are rejected without review. However, some are recommended for submission to an ESC subspecialty journal. Some of the best cited European Heart Journal papers will be presented in Special Features Sessions at the ESC Congress in Stockholm. Features of the European Heart Journal Features of the European Heart Journal Most importantly, an efficient manuscript transfer system within the ESC journal family and affiliated publications has been introduced (Figure 3). While many manuscripts submitted to the European Heart Journal are either too specialized or too technical for a broad readership, they are still valuable for specialists in different areas. To that end, the decision tree of editors was expanded to include options such as, ‘Transfer to EP-Europace’ or ‘Transfer to European Journal of Heart Failure’, etc. (Figure 4). The decision proposed by one of the Deputy or Associate Editors has to be approved by the Editor-in-Chief and—once transferred—by the Editor-in-Chief of a given subspecialty or sister journal (Figure 5). If the Editor-in-Chief of the subspecialty journal agrees to reconsider a revised manuscript based on the initial comments of the reviewers of the European Heart Journal, the decision is sent back to the authors. Using this system—effectively implemented by Oxford University Press—232 manuscripts have been transferred to subspecialty journals within a 14-month period. Overall, ∼25% of these manuscripts have eventually been accepted in one of the subspecialty journals (Table 2). The manuscript transfer system is useful both for authors and the ESC journals alike. Not only do authors whose manuscript would otherwise be rejected have another option with rapid resubmission based on the initial reviews, but the system also increases the manuscript flow to the subspecialty journals, allowing for the selection of better and better papers for publication. The ESC Journal family and associated journals such as EuroIntervention involved in the manuscript transfer system of the European Heart Journal. The manuscript transfer system of the ESC journal family. Editors of the sister and subspecialty journals of the European Heart Journal. Manuscript transfer by the European Heart Journal to its sister journals CVR, Cardiovascular Research; EJCN, European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing; EJCPR, European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation; EJE, European Journal of Echocardiography; EJHF, European Journal of Heart Failure; EP, EP-Europace; EuroInter, EuroIntervention. Manuscript transfer by the European Heart Journal to its sister journals CVR, Cardiovascular Research; EJCN, European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing; EJCPR, European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation; EJE, European Journal of Echocardiography; EJHF, European Journal of Heart Failure; EP, EP-Europace; EuroInter, EuroIntervention. Further, the new European Heart Journal provides its readers with improved illustrations which can be downloaded into Power Point format for appropriate use. Such figures are now an integrated facet of editorials and review articles. In contrast to the past, review articles are now mainly commissioned by invitation, with a preference for authors with extensive experience and an excellent reputation in the field. Typically, two review articles co-authored by a European and US or Asian scientist or clinician are published per issue. Finally, the ‘Fast Track’ feature has been expanded considerably since this option is now extended to the presenters at the Hotline Sessions and Clinical Trial Update Sessions of the annual congress of the European Society of Cardiology. Last, but not least, we introduced ‘Cardiopulse’ managed by Dr Andros Tofield, which reports on professional issues in different countries around the world, historical vignettes, presents personalities, and discusses novel developments of cardiovascular medicine. At the age of 30, there is time to think about the next steps. What will make the European Heart Journal even more successful? First, and above all, its authors submitting their best manuscripts, but also, fair, competent, and efficient reviewers allowing for a further reduction in turnaround time and timely publication. We are proud that we can publish an increasing number of clinical trials, either as regular or ‘Fast Track’ manuscripts. We will also expand the ‘Fast Track’ option from clinical to basic science papers with clinical impact. We aim at a 5-day review period for such clinical or basic manuscripts, allowing ultrarapid publication of the data. To attract more basic science papers with clinical impact, Professor Stephanie Dimmeler was specifically appointed Associate Editor Basic Science this year. The internet platform has been improved, but needs further refinement. Starting this year, we will provide interviews with the presenters and discussants of the Hotline and Clinical Trial Update sessions in Stockholm. There are also further plans to make the platform more attractive and interactive. Editors assume that authors of submitted manuscripts report, analyse, and discuss the data they obtained accurately and honestly—scientific integrity is the basis of science. Only solid and reproducible data can survive the test of time and further advance medicine. To ensure proper statistical analysis, every single paper considered for publication therefore undergoes additional reviewing by one of our expert statisticians, a team led by Deputy Editor Sabina Murphy. Furthermore, we will publish educational review articles on statistical issues to foster proper statistical analysis in cardiology. Published data should not only be sound and solid, but should also provide incremental novelty as compared with what we already know. Indeed, the level of innovation of submitted papers determines to a large extent their priority for publication. To help our reviewers assess the novelty of submitted papers, the editorial manager platform provides a unique feature, ‘Similar articles in Medline’ which determines the degree of overlap with published papers. This feature also allows detection of so-called ‘salami publishing’, whereby authors slice their database into ever smaller pieces to increase the number of published papers. Finally, conflict of interest issues on the part of authors and reviewers may endanger scientific quality and integrity. It is obvious that particularly clinical research requires substantial funding, which in many areas cannot be obtained without close collaboration with the pharmaceutical or device industry. Additionally, we have to acknowledge that in recent decades, industry has—with the help of academic researchers and under the scrutiny of registration agencies—provided a substantial number of effective drugs, imaging tools, and therapeutic devices that we all use daily to the benefit of our patients. Nevertheless, industry by definition is profit oriented, while it is the mission of academia to promote knowledge independent of financial interests. Pressure from industry therefore remains an issue and was indeed just recently discussed in the European Heart Journal.9 Conflict of interest, if present, should therefore be declared for each manuscript by all authors. Furthermore, as of now, the European Heart Journal will ask all Editors and members of the Editorial Board to declare their interests before assuming their position. Indeed, bias within the reviewing process may arise from such conflicts. We thus expect our reviewers to decline requests, if such conflicts exist. However, while financial conflicts dominate this debate at a time when money is a dominant value, we should acknowledge that other conflicts may be just as important.10 Indeed, we all have our favourite topic, our preferred concepts and tools. It might be just as difficult for a CT enthusiast to provide a balanced review of a paper dealing with its competitor modality MRI as it is for a Miller Pharma consultant to assess the quality of a Smith Inc. study properly. Similarly, significant intellectual conflicts exist. Indeed, history has shown numerous examples of colleagues who would not accept seminal discoveries of fellow scientists.11 At the age of 30, one is most productive, and thus the team of the European Heart Journal looks forward to working with its authors, editors, reviewers, and readers towards an even brighter future. We are happy to receive comments and suggestions from the entire cardiovascular community to make our journal even better.
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