ERJ Open Research receives its first impact factor and plans for the next step

We are proud to announce that ERJ Open Research received its first impact factor (IF) of 4.2 in the 2021 Journal Citation Reports. ERJ Open Research is an open access, original research journal of the European Respiratory Society, and a sister journal of European Respiratory Journal, European Respiratory Review and Breathe. ERJ Open Research was launched in May 2015 [1]. It was initially led by Prof. Anita K. Simonds (Imperial College London, London, UK) in 2015–2018, followed by Prof. Alyn H. Morice (University of Hull, Hull, UK) in 2018–2021. Since early January 2022, Esther Barreiro is serving the journal as the Chief Editor and Woo-Jung Song continues his role as the Deputy Chief Editor (since June 2020), and we will continue to hold these positions up until the September 2024. Readers may have observed that ERJ Open Research has continued to build on its success, and is publishing more and more high-quality research articles. This achievement has come about through the joint efforts of its authors and peer reviewers, the international editorial board, the ERS Publications Office and the ERS Publications Committee. We thank everyone whose hard work and commitment have helped ERJ Open Research to continue to grow and succeed.

ERJ Open Research aims to become the best open-access journal in the field of respiratory medicine. Because all its articles are freely accessible, it can contribute to the wider dissemination of up-to-date knowledge. This is illustrated by the increasing number of visits to the ERJ Open Research website and the number of downloaded articles, with 620 598 visits and 402 505 downloads in 2021 (figure 1a and b). For an open-access journal, numbers of visits and downloads are excellent metrics of visibility and reputation in society and in the professional community.

• Download figure
• Open in new tab
• Download powerpoint

FIGURE 1

Trends in a) the number of visits to the ERJ Open Research website (Google Analytics sessions), b) the number of articles downloaded (PDF access events) and c) the number of submitted manuscripts. YTD: year to date (as of 11 October 2022).

In addition, 2020–2021 saw record submissions to ERJ Open Research. We witnessed a huge increase in the number of submissions during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, as did most respiratory journals, but the high numbers continue as of this editorial writing; we have received >600 submissions over the past 12 months, much more than we used to receive before the COVID-19 (figure 1c). The number of submissions is another indicator of the journal's reputation. We are very much encouraged by the growing number of authors who want to publish with us.

While IF is not a perfect indicator of scientific quality [2, 3], it may reflect how well a journal has selected and disseminated its content. Additionally, IF is a key factor for authors who are considering submitting their work and are choosing a publication. Hopefully, the quality of published articles will increase together with the IF, forming a virtuous circle. Our aim is to increase the journal's IF to 5.0 over the next few years, while preserving a high academic reputation. We will continue to publish the best original research, reviews, study protocols and opinions. We also encourage the submission of editorials, along with correspondence articles, and do hope that our journal will serve as an open forum for active academic discussion.

Our editorial board, assisted by expert peer reviewers, is working hard to ensure a rapid decision process for authors. Currently, the median time from submission to first decision for manuscripts is 22.1 days. The median time from manuscript assignment to immediate decision is 2.6 days, thus allowing authors to move on to an alternative choice of venue quickly. Once a manuscript is accepted and edited, it is made available for an early view on the journal's website, meaning that it will be rapidly accessible and citable. Our aim will continue to be to shorten the journal's turnaround and publication times for the benefit of authors and readers.

We strongly believe that ERJ Open Research will continue to contribute to the dissemination of relevant, robust and up-to-date knowledge in respiratory medicine all around the world. We thank again everyone who helped, and read the journal's content. We welcome feedback from you, the authors and readers, to make this journal yours. We look forward to continuing to work in partnership with you in 2023. All the best!