Copyright © 2007, European Society of Cardiology
The Oxford years—The last of the Quarto!
Cardiac Department, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headington, Oxford OX3 9DU, United Kingdom
* Tel.: +44 186 576 0564; fax: +44 186 576 8844. peter.sleight{at}attglobal.net
The following is an account of my tenure as Editor-in-Chief of Cardiovascular Research, which began in 1983. I took over from Ron Linden, who followed the first editor, Jack Shillingford; I quit after almost 10 years on the 25th anniversary, in 1991. That was 16 years ago and with the passage of time (incredibly rapid) it is hard to come up with very good recollections! ’ Particularly since I had handed over all the journal files and correspondence to the new team. My only aide-memoire is the nicely bound copy of the 25th volume which was presented to me by the publisher, the BMA. It included a piece by Prof Shillingford on the birth of the Journal, and another by me on the first 25 years.
The first issue in January 1967 contained papers which still are relevant today, from an impressive international collection of authors (Eugene Braunwald, Ed Sonnenblick, John Ross, Sture Bevegärd, Irvin Page and James McCubbin, with Abe Guz, Mark Noble, Ivor Gabe, Edgar Sowton, Grant Lee, Donald Heath, Robin Shanks, Eleanor Zaimis, and Derek Bergel amongst others from the UK).
In my article I defended the use of only one referee (in addition to the small editorial team) on the grounds that the more referees one sought, the more one received completely different opinions! The whole operation was typically amateur ’ with none of the computerised reminders and professional help available today. Research assessment exercises and impact factors were mercifully absent or less regarded. The Journal was typical of scientific journals at the time ’ somewhat conservative and fusty looking, no advertisements or colour, and in the old-style quarto size.
I am afraid I cannot recall any huge fights, although editing a journal is not a way to make or keep friends. It was a constant chore, and depended on a lot of unselfish (and unpaid) help from one's friends and departmental colleagues. As I look back on that 25th issue I am struck by the continuity of lines of research. There are undoubtedly stellar contributions, but much of the progress comes from step by step re-examination of the work started by others, but with more sophisticated methodology, which has led to the continuous and spectacular progress in cardiology which I have witnessed in the 55 years of my professional life ’ and which shows little sign of stalling (the progress I mean ’ not my life!). I regret that some of my colleagues are no longer alive, but take pleasure in their scientific legacy. It is also clear that a great deal of the really important advances have come from "blue skies" basic research, as opposed to the politically fashionable goal-oriented or directed research.
The business of editing is now much different, and journals have become financially big business, with all the pressures and competition for readers and authors that that implies. The impact factor has rocketed since, with the then new A4 size, jazzier format, and particularly with the patronage of the European Society of Cardiology. I wish the Journal well.
Peter Sleight, Oxford, June 2007.
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