Elsevier Proposal -For Distributing

Opportunities for collaboration between the

California Institute for Regenerative Medicine

and

Elsevier

January 2011

Simone Groothuis – Publisher

Bart Wacek – Executive Publisher

Carl Schwarz – Publishing Director

Contents

1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 3

2. Executive Summary ......................................................................................................................... 3

3. About Elsevier ................................................................................................................................. 4

4. Why we are the perfect partner: Elsevier’s position in stem cell science ...................................... 5

5. A dedicated Elsevier team to support this collaboration ............................................................... 6

6. Proposal for collaboration .............................................................................................................. 7

6.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 7

6.2 The launch of a new journal - ‘Translational Stem Cell Research’ .............................................. 8

6.2.1 The launch in steps ................................................................................................................. 8

6.2.2 Expected development ........................................................................................................... 9

6.2.3 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 12

6.3 Affiliation with an existing journal ............................................................................................ 13

6.3.1 Current scope ........................................................................................................................ 13

6.3.2 Current editorial team .......................................................................................................... 13

6.3.3 Journal strengths ................................................................................................................... 14

6.3.4 The launch in steps ............................................................................................................... 14

6.3.5 Expected development ......................................................................................................... 15

6.3.6 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 16

1. Introduction

Elsevier would be delighted to work with the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) in a publishing venture that is mutually beneficial. This proposal encompasses a number of initiatives aimed at supporting CIRM in achieving its underlying goals of:

Raising the priority and awareness of translational stem cell research

Fostering collaborations between stem cell biologists, clinicians and engineers

Acceleration of the field of translational stem cell research

In addition, Elsevier understands from discussions with Dr. D. Gibbons that CIRM would like to see a very rapid implementation and that there should be ample space to publish ‘negative results’.

The Elsevier proposal offers the following options:

a) The launch of a new journal, with both an online and a print component. b) An immediate collaboration/affiliation between CIRM and Elsevier’s journal Stem Cell

Research

2. Executive Summary

Elsevier is a publishing company with a wealth of experience and a bounty of resources. It is CIRM’s ideal partner in achieving its publishing goals. This proposal gives extensive details on two publishing options. The first is directly aligned with the RFP and provides a path to a new journal launch. The second, based on the proposal writers’ 40+ years of experience, offers a quicker, more efficient, and more comprehensive alternative to achieving the same goals. Elsevier is uniquely position to make either of these options a reality. And further, Elsevier, based on its storied history of success, is the perfect long-term partner to carry out and adapt goals for the decades to come.

3. About Elsevier

As the world’s leading publisher of science and health information, Elsevier serves more than 30 million scientists, students and health and information professionals worldwide. We help customers advance science and health by providing world-class information and innovative tools that help them make critical decisions, enhance productivity and improve outcomes. We produce 2,000 journals and 19,000 books. Every year we produce greater than 250,000 new articles and launch approximately 20 new journals.

Elsevier works with 7,000 editors, 70,000 editorial board members and 600,000 authors. We appoint more than 1,000 new editors per year. We publish the works of 12 million researchers working at 4,500+ institutions.

We provide our journals with Elsevier Editorial Services (EES), which is an online solution supporting journal author submission, editorial management, and peer review. It brings us closer to our customers by allowing us to receive and act upon feedback quickly, fuelling continual improvement of our journal services. As a result we work with 300,000 reviewers who produce 1 million review reports per year.

Elsevier is a pioneer in the development of electronic tools that demonstrably improve the productivity and decision-making of our science and healthcare customers – we are dedicated to helping them make a difference.

In 1997, we introduced the first large-scale electronic platform to the STM communities – ScienceDirect. Its success is shown by 11 million users worldwide who generate 250 million+ downloads per year. Today we offer more than 9 million articles now available on ScienceDirect. In 2001, we launched our search engine dedicated to science, Scirus. In 2004, Scopus was launched, the largest abstract and citation database of research literature and quality web sources. In 2010 we saw the integration of these tools into SciVerse. One of its key elements is SciVerse Applications. SciVerse Applications is a marketplace and developer network that allows the scientific community to build, find and use applications that enhance the research experience. Through SciVerse Applications, researchers and librarians can customize their SciVerse search and discovery processes and collaborate with developers to create an ever-expanding universe of new applications.

4. Why we are the perfect partner: Elsevier’s position in stem cell science

Stem cell science is a rapidly growing field with the number of publications in 2010 roughly at 20,000 papers.

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Figure 1 Articles in Stem Cell Research (2000-2009), based on SCOPUS search for the phrase “stem cell*”

Elsevier publishes roughly 20% of all science in this area, notably in journals like

Cell

Cell Stem Cell

Developmental Biology

Stem Cell Research

Current Biology

The Lancet

Cancer Letters

Experimental Hematology

Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation

The journals cover areas from very fundamental science to the more applied areas. Elsevier’s best cited article in 2009 in this field was: “Generation of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Using Recombinant Proteins” by Hongyan Zhou et al. (Cell Stem Cell, Volume 4, Issue 5, 8 May 2009, Pages 381-384). By January 3, 2010, the article has already attracted 234 citations.

Elsevier has been very successful in leveraging its breadth in coverage in the field to successfully launch two new titles specifically aimed at stem cell science: Stem Cell Research and Cell Stem Cell. Any collaboration between CIRM and Elsevier would benefit from Elsevier’s vast network in the scientific community.

5. A dedicated Elsevier team to support this collaboration

Elsevier employs 7,000 people in more than 24 countries. Any journal will have a large number of people assigned to it. There will be multiple staff members in marketing, sales, advertisement, production, and publishing.

The Publisher will be your first point of contact and your partner in the establishment, development and promotion of the new journal.

The Journal Manager, based in our office in San Diego, will be the day-to-day contact for the journal editor when it comes to the review process, individual journal articles and the editorial system.

The Publishing Content Coordinator, based in our office in Beijing, will coordinate the compilation of any special issues or series of review articles.

A marketing manager will put together campaigns to promote the journal via targeted e-mails, direct mail, and scientific conferences.

Administrative staff will handle the maintenance of the Web site, process editorial fees, and can make necessary travel arrangements and other duties associated with editorial board meetings.

A commercial sales representative will sell advertising and work with industry, where applicable webinars, supplements, etc, might be appropriate.

Finally, a bevy of professionals in information technology (IT), product development, strategy, sales, etc, are always at the ready for any issue that might arise with this partnership.

6. Proposal for collaboration

6.1 Introduction

Elsevier is well position to provide a flagship journal for CIRM, which provides not only a vehicle for publication, but also gives more credibility to the already strong CIRM brand. A well-respected journal is the cornerstone for any scientific profession. It also serves as a stepping stone to other platforms of scholarly communication channels such as live events, assessment and education.

Elsevier is delighted to offer CIRM two options for collaboration:

a) The launch of a new journal, with both an on-line and a print component. b) An immediate collaboration/affiliation between CIRM and Elsevier’s journal Stem Cell

Research

Depending on need, Elsevier could also jointly develop both options. Each option has its advantages and some drawbacks.

6.2 The launch of a new journal - ‘Translational Stem Cell Research’ Elsevier offers the launch of a new journal with the working title “Translational Stem Cell Research”.

The scope of the journal would be directly aligned with the CIRM RFP. The journal will focus on translational aspects of stem cell science, stem cell-based regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, stem cell-based predictive toxicology, and cancer stem cell investigation, and would provide ample space for also publishing ‘negative results.’

A new journal in stem cell research will enter into a very competitive market. We would like to point towards an article which appeared in a Springer journal: Stem Cell Reviews and Reports, Volume 6, Number 4, 497-499, “The Proliferation and Differentiation of Stem Cell Journals” by Paul R. Sanberg and Cesar V. Borlongan. This article shows the growth of the science as well as the number of publications in the field. (see Appendix 1)

If CIRM decides that it wants to enter this competitive market, Elsevier and CIRM will typically take the following steps.

6.2.1 The launch in steps

A new journal will only be successful when it is accepted and supported by the scientific community. Elsevier will work with CIRM to take several crucial steps in achieving this. The below schedule indicates how a new journal could publish its first issue on January 1st, 2012. We stress that this schedule is extremely tight, and that small delays early in the process can very easily lead to larger delays later, even up to postponing the entire launch by one year.

February 1st, 2011: Signing the agreement with the CIRM

For the journal to officially launch on January 1st, 2012, the agreement will have to be signed no later than April 1st, 2011. Elsevier reserves the right to make modifications (including eliminating options based on competitive analysis) to the proposal and budget during any interim leading to this signing.

June 1st,, 2011: Appointing the right chief editor and editorial board

The appointment of the right chief editor and editorial board are crucial to any new journal’s success. Obviously they must be familiar with translational science, stem cells, stem cell-based regenerative medicine and tissue engineering and/or cancer stem cells. In addition, they must have an appeal in the community and be willing and able to proactively solicit particularly the first submissions, scrutinizing them to ensure high quality. With its extensive network in stem cell research, Elsevier is highly equipped for this task. Elsevier’s network would be cross-checked in cooperation with CIRM and its close relationships with thousands of researchers in the field. To stress the relationship between Elsevier and the CIRM, we would look for a chief editor based in California. Appointing a chief editor within this time frame will likely be challenging. Given the number of competing journals in the field, many candidates will already be affiliated with existing journals.

June 1st, 2011: Launching the marketing campaign Our marketing department is highly experienced with launching new journals, and the marketing campaign can be launched immediately after the appointment of the chief editor and editorial board. Campaigns will make use of our large databases of journal contacts, communicating via channels ranging from traditional print to modern social media such as Twitter and Facebook. We would ideally want to launch the marketing campaign at the 2011 ISSCR Annual Meeting in Toronto (June 15-18). This implies that the editorial team should be in place by then. As the journal will be competing with a large number of established journals that are already in PubMed and have a Thomson Reuters Impact Factor and a community linked to it, attracting authors will be extremely challenging. July 1st, 2011: Opening the online submission system With greater than 1200 journals using Elsevier Editorial System on a day to day basis, we have the infrastructure to open a site for a new journal within weeks, provided that the Editor is available for training and for reviewing the site. January 1st, 2012: Launching the journal on ScienceDirect

The journal will be made available as an Open Access journal on ScienceDirect. Readers can freely access the journal content when the authors pay a publication charge. For the first two years, we would waive the publication fees, and after that, we’d gradually increase them to conform to the Elsevier standard.

For a journal to launch on January 1st, 2012, a strict requirement is that a reasonable number of articles should be accepted before November, 2011.

June 1st, 2014 at the earliest: Impact Factor and inclusion in PubMed

In the view of many scientists in the community, a journal has not really established itself until NIMH has included the journal in PubMed and Thomson Reuters has calculated the journal’s first Impact Factor. A requirement for the Impact Factor is that the journal was at least two years old at the start of the year. As NIMH and Thomson Reuters are external parties, even if applications are timely submitted, there is no guarantee that the journal will be accepted by these services. Nevertheless, with thousands of journals indexed by Thomson Reuters and PubMed, Elsevier is very successful in getting its journals indexed, and will therefore be a strong partner for CIRM in achieving these goals.

6.2.2 Expected development

The number of papers published by a new journal depends on a large number of factors, and as such, it is always difficult to predict. However, from recent experience with the launches of Cell Stem Cell and Stem Cell Research, both in 2007, some extrapolations can be made.

The number of published articles in Cell Stem Cell and Stem Cell Research is shown in the graph below.

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We expect that the new journal will be able to count on community loyalty due to its link with the CIRM. However, given the number of competing journals in the field that have already established themselves, we do expect the journal will particularly in the beginning need to very actively and strategically solicit submissions.

Assuming that, based on its affiliation with the CIRM, the journal will initially develop 50% faster than Elsevier’s Stem Cell Research did, we can (optimistically) hope to publish roughly 15 papers by the end of 2011.

Based on the developments of Stem Cell Research, the growth is plotted below. We plotted the data from 2011 to 2019, where the expectations for 2015 and beyond are very much dependent on the success in the earlier years, especially the release of the Impact Factor in 2014 (at the earliest).

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Expected Number of papers in "Translational Stem Cel Research"

The journal will appear as an electronic journal on ScienceDirect. It will be an Open Access model, whereby the readers can freely access the journal content and the authors have to pay a publication charge. The first two years we would waive the publication fees, and gradually increase them to conform to the Elsevier standard.

Fee per manuscript

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In this model, the journal will become self-sustainable after 2014, where we predict a small surplus. The total investment associated with this journal launch up to 2014 is US$ xxxxxxx.

In 2011, we will mainly be looking at the costs associated with the marketing and the appointment of the editorial team. In addition, we will be faced with costs associated with setting up the various Web sites for the journal, i.e. submission, marketing, ScienceDirect. In 2012, we would still expect start-up costs, and in addition, costs associated with marketing, and production of the articles. In the current model we do not foresee any revenues from authors, those we will start to see in 2013, where most start-up costs have been addressed, and the revenues from the authors will start to make the journal self-sustainable.

6.2.3 Conclusion

Elsevier launching a new journal in collaboration with CIRM is certainly do-able, and will create recognition for CIRM. However, the launch of a new journal in any field has risks, especially in a field like stem cells where there are so many journals already. Publishing the first issue at the start of 2012 is challenging but attainable, but the journal will not establish itself with an Impact Factor and by Thomson Reuters than June 2014, and inclusion in PubMed a few months earlier.

Launching a new journal will always have inherent risks. Normally, Elsevier would perform market research to see whether there is a need for a new title in the field. A new journal in stem cell research will need to establish itself in an already very full field. It will not be immediately recognized as a preferential space to publish the original research. While the journal will be featured on ScienceDirect, it will not be immediately accepted by both PubMed and Thomson Reuters, and therefore will struggle to acquire the first papers.

If it is CIRM’s goal to be aligned with a brand new journal then it would certainly be Elsevier’s goal, too. Elsevier is very respectful to the institution’s mission, and would be up to the challenge of making a successful launch in a crowded marketplace.

6.3 Affiliation with an existing journal

Elsevier understands the need of CIRM to support the development of translation stem cell science, and would like to offer an affiliation with our existing journal Stem Cell Research (www.elsevier.com/locate/scr). This route offers instant exposure and credibility, as it would be a partnership with a newly formed journal. The journal, while young, has already gone through the difficult transition period of trying to recruit manuscripts without an impact factor. The editorial board is energetic and willing to expand both in scope and consequently in representation on the editorial board. There will be made ample space for ‘negative results’.

6.3.1 Current scope

The scope of the journal is currently as follows: Stem Cell Research is dedicated to publishing high-quality manuscripts focusing on the biology and applications of stem cell research. Submissions to Stem Cell Research, may cover all aspects of stem cells, including embryonic stem cells, tissue-specific stem cells, cancer stem cells, developmental studies, stem cell genomes, and translational research. Stem Cell Research publishes 6 issues a year. The journal publishes • Original articles • Short reports • Review articles • Communications • Methods and reagents articles Stem Cell Research collaborates with journals published by Cell Press. Our editorial board is happy to consider submissions reviewed at Cell Stem Cell or other Cell Press journals which are considered to be scientifically sound, but not impactful enough for the readership of Cell Press journals. Authors should include their Cell Press reviews (which will be confirmed by Cell Press) for fast-track consideration. In SCR's fast track system, the SCR office will inform you within 3-5 days if the manuscript warrants further consideration for publication. The editors reserve the right to (a) reject the manuscript, (b) accept the manuscript with no further review, (c) send the manuscript out for further review, (d) require revisions based on the Cell Press or further reviews.

6.3.2 Current editorial team

The editors of the journal are of international standing: Professor A. Elefanty ( Monash University, Clayton, Australia) and Professor C.L. Mummery (Leids Universitair Medisch Centrum (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands). The two Associate Editors, Professor Markus Grompe and Professor Paul Simmons are based in the United States, at the Oregon Health and Sciences University in Portland and the University of Houston Texas Health Sciences Center in Houston, respectively.

The international editorial board currently has three Editors based in California: Professor H. Mikkola at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, M. Pera at the University of Southern California, and last but not least Professor A.O. Trounson, based at the CIRM.

http://www.elsevier.com/locate/scr

6.3.3 Journal strengths

Stem Cell Research is currently covered by Thomson Reuters and PubMed. The Impact Factor is 3.368. The submission and publications of the journal are rapidly increasing. The journal shows a very healthy development in the number of papers submitted and accepted. We see currently an increase of 70% of submissions.

Stem Cell Research is also seeing a very rapid development of the usage. Over the last two years the usage multiplied by a factor of three. The graph below shows the usage development in arbitrary units. Over 6,000 accounts and/or institutes have access to Stem Cell Research on ScienceDirect.

Full text download development- Stem Cell Research -

6.3.4 The launch in steps

We would promote the affiliation between Stem Cell Research and the CIRM in the same way as we would promote a new journal, with the major difference that we can move much faster and have from the start far more to offer to authors than any new journal would ever be able to offer: an established journal already in PubMed, with an impact factor.

February 1st: Agreement of affiliation

We could immediately begin with a press release following a signed agreement.

March 1st: Revision of the aims and scope, editorial team and call for papers

The aims and scope of the journal can be revised anytime, and changes can technically be made within a few days. The current journal editors have already indicated that they are willing to do this. A call for papers (targeted to translational stem cell researchers) can go online within days. Also new editors can be appointed within days.

May 1st: First accepted articles online

June 1st: Dedicated marketing campaign at ISSCR

6.3.5 Expected development

By affiliating itself with CIRM, including opening up the scope to include negative results, we expect to see an even faster increase in the number of published articles in the journal.

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As shown in the graph above (by the red bars), in 2011 we expect an additional 50 articles, in 2012 more than 175 and in 2013 more than 400.

The articles will be included in the journal and will be published on ScienceDirect. The journal offers authors the option of making their article freely available to all via the ScienceDirect platform at a fee of $3,000. Authors do not have to take advantage of this option, and can opt for publishing their article through the traditional subscription model. If the number of articles from the CIRM collaboration becomes so large, CIRM and Elsevier can jointly decide to separate the two journals, and have CIRM affiliate itself with both journals.

As we do expect to see dramatic increase in the number of articles published, we will see an increase in the costs associated with the journal. As most of our journal subscription rates have been agreed with libraries for a number of years, we will not be able to off-set this by additional subscription revenues immediately. We have set these costs at a total of US$ xxxxx. The graph below shows how these extra costs develop over time. These numbers stem predominantly from marketing and production costs. There are very few star-upstart costs in this scenario.

6.3.6 Conclusion

The advantages of a clear collaboration between CIRM and Stem Cell Research are manifold.

a) Immediate recognition by a large audience of the CIRM contribution to stem cell science b) Large visibility of CIRM provided short articles on Stem Cell Research c) There will be no start-up delays d) The operation is very low risk and relatively low cost e) If the collaboration proves successful, a sister journal can be launched, enabling CIRM to be

affiliated with two journals. The writers of this proposal (Groothuis, Schwarz, and Wacek) have more than 40 years of publishing experience, and they strongly encourage this second option as the more preferable option. It gives CIMR instantaneous access to an established journal while at the same time having flexibility in scope and editorial board personnel due to the journal’s relative youth. Through a lot of hard work by the editorial and publishing team, this journal achieved a very respectable Impact Factor score in its first year of eligibility. Alignment with this journal based on its current impact and stature in the community, would give CIMR instant credibility in the publishing world.

Appendix 1

The Proliferation and Differentiation of Stem Cell Journals

Paul R. Sanberg & Cesar V. Borlongan

# Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010

Abstract As scientists position themselves in translatingthe therapeutic potential of stem cells from laboratory toclinical applications, publishing companies have taken thisrapidly evolving field as a unique opportunity to launchnew journals for dissemination of stem cell research. Overthe last decade, the significant increase in the number ofstem cell-based journals has created a conundrum. At stakeis the pressure for these new journals to build theirreputation by maintaining publication standards, while atthe same time attracting a cadre of stem cell researchers toconsider their journals as the publication of choice. Wediscuss here a prophetic path of survival for these journalswhich likely will closely mimic the core scientific andtranslational value of stem cells, namely their capacity toproliferate and differentiate into something meaningful!

Keywords Stem cells . Plasticity . Development .

Public policy

Nascent stem cells reside and, under certain pathologicconditions, proliferate and even migrate to the site of injuryin the mammal [1]. Moreover, stem cells can be expanded,differentiate into all germ lines, and hold therapeutic

potential for human and veterinary diseases [2], althoughlab-to-clinic translational challenges remain [3–5]. Theseunprecedented observations largely led to the birth of stemcell-based regenerative medicine, ending the dogma that thehuman body becomes stagnant in adulthood. A surge inpublications in stem cell biology and therapeutic potentialover the last decade has prompted an influx of new journalscatering to stem cells.

With the entry of new journals to the field, undoubtedlythe quality of science becomes a concern. Most articles finda publishing home, which may dilute quality and continueto stratify high and low impact journals. Most of these newjournals have little history because they are so new. Howshould authors choose the journal in which to publish theirwork, since the majority of these new journals have notexisted long enough to determine their quality? We suggestfollowing Good Publication Practices (GPP) across alljournals, particularly since stem cell articles seem prefer-entially to get the attention of the worldwide media, as wellas to influence public policy. So many journals have “stemcell” in their titles that it may be difficult for the public,governments, and scientists outside the field to determinethe quality of what they are reading, and the caliber of stemcell science and medicine.

Here, we review these stem cell journals, noting theirinitial circulation year and impact factor, in an effort tocapture the status of this rapidly evolving field. We found18 journals directly focused on publishing stem cellresearch and another 16 journals with relevant overlaps tostem cell research, although these lists are not exhaustive(Fig. 1). In both lists, we did not include the more generaljournals such as Nature (and sister journals), Science, Cell,Neuron, PNAS, PLoS journals, BMC journals, Journal ofNeuroscience, Annals of Neurology, Blood, Circulation,and American Journal of Transplantation, among others,

P. R. Sanberg (*) : C. V. Borlongan (*)Office of Research & Innovation, University of South Florida,3702 Spectrum Boulevard, Suite 175,Tampa, FL 33612-9444, USAe-mail: [email protected]: [email protected]

P. R. Sanberg :C. V. BorlonganCenter of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair,College of Medicine,12901 Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, MDC78,Tampa, FL 33612-4742, USA

Stem Cell Rev and RepDOI 10.1007/s12015-010-9181-y

although these journals have been top choices for thepublication of stem cell studies.

Interestingly, except for Stem Cells, Cloning and StemCells, and Stem Cells and Development, initially released in1993 and 2001, respectively, the rest of the stem cell-focused journals have only been circulated from 2004.Despite the short publication period, impact factors have

already been achieved by five of these journals, Cell StemCell (23.563), Stem Cells (7.747), Stem Cell Reviews andReports (5.083), Stem Cells and Development (4.146), andCloning and Stem Cells (2.692). This may indicate that thejournals have produced highly cited articles and overallgive testament to the field of stem cells as a hot researcharea, making landmark scientific discoveries. Traditional,

Fig. 1 The rise of stem cell journals. Left table shows stem cell focused journals, while right table captures stem cell related journals. Bottompanel corresponds to a graphical representation of the increase in stem cell journals since the early 1990s

Stem Cell Rev and Rep

prestigious journals, such as Nature and Cell, have alsorecognized the need for specialized venues to highlightstem cell studies, with Nature Reports Stem Cells (finalissue in late 2009) initiating a rapid reports platform andCell devoting a subjournal, Cell Stem Cell.

A careful examination of the 2009 Journal CitationReports (JCR), published by Thomson Reuters, reveals sixjournals bearing the title word “stem”, with both Stem CellReviews and Stem Cell Reviews and Reports cited andranked 3rd and 6th, respectively. However, under the JCRsubject category of Cell & Tissue Engineering, Stem CellReviews and Reports ranks at the bottom of 11 journalsdespite garnering such high impact factor, which is likelydue to the recent change in the journal name from Stem CellReviews to Stem Cell Reviews and Reports.

The proliferation of stem cell journals may be relatedto the current trend of publishing open access and onlinejournals. Do we really need so many journals, whichpotentially dampen publication standards? Some stemcell-based medical enterprises around the world maywish to exploit publications in lower-tier journals toadvance their clinical treatments, thus contributing tosome of the negativity associated with medical tourism.As the stem cell field sets the pace for a formidableemerging technology with direct clinical application, wesuggest that these new journals be continually assessed,particularly in light of the delayed release of journalmetrics, which may not be available until a journal hasbeen published for as many as 3 years or more. Otheraspects of GPP, such as the publisher, editorial boardmembership, manuscript review process, and associatedorganizations, should be given more immediate exami-nation. But as important, every potential author shouldcarefully evaluate the scientific soundness of studiespublished by relatively young journals.

With new journal proliferation comes competition. It hasrecently come to light that publishing stem cell studies hasbeen fierce and sometimes hostile, with allegations of

biased reviewers blocking competitors’ novel findings,leading to significant delay in publication or outrightrejection (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8490291.stm). Newstem cell journals and traditional journals must amend theirpolicies to allow more transparent review and editorialdecision handling of stem cell and similar cutting edgeresearch. Stem cell research is one of the most entrepre-neurial areas of medical science. It is therefore notsurprising that entrepreneurial publishers have developednumerous publication outlets for this rapidly expandingfield. Ultimately, whether this stem cell journal proliferationcontinues, and aids the field of stem cells to “differentiate”into a more mature research arena, will depend on thequality of peer review and science of stem cells.

Acknowledgements The authors thank Ms. Cate Bae for excellenttechnical assistance in manuscript preparation. CVB is funded byJames and Esther King Biomedical Research Program.

Disclosures PRS and CVB serve as Editor and Associate Editor ofCell Transplantation, respectively. PRS is also an Associate Editor ofStem Cells and Development, while CVB is an Editorial BoardMember of Stem Cells.

References

1. Sanberg, P. R., Park, D. H., & Borlongan, C. V. (2010). Stem celltransplants at childbirth. Stem Cell Reviews and Reports, 6, 27–30.

2. Vieira, N. M., Brandalise, V., Zucconi, E., Secco, M., Strauss, B. E., &Zatz,M. (2010). Isolation, characterization, and differentiation potentialof canine adipose-derived stem cells. Cell Transplant, 19, 279–89.

3. Leeb, C., Jurga, M., McGuckin, C., Moriggl, R., & Kenner, L.(2010). Promising new sources for pluripotent stem cells. Stem CellReviews and Reports, 6, 15–26.

4. Mandai, M., Ikeda, H., Jin, Z. B., Iseki, K., Ishigami, C., &Takahashi, M. (2010). Use of lectins to enrich mouse ES-derivedretinal progenitor cells for the purpose of transplantation therapy.Cell Transplant, 19, 9–19.

5. Telugu, B. P., Ezashi, T., & Roberts, R. M. (2010). The promise ofstem cell research in pigs and other ungulate species. Stem CellReviews and Reports, 6, 31–41.

Stem Cell Rev and Rep

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8490291.stm

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