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in-cites,
August 2001
http://www.in-cites.com/journals/conservation-biology.html
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An
interview with:
Conservation
Biology |
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Gary K. Meffe, editor of Conservation Biology, discusses this journal’s citations and the
trends in the environmental field that have influenced the
journal’s content. In a recent ESI analysis, Conservation
Biology was rated as the most improved journal in the field
of environment/ecology over the past decade in terms of
increases in both overall citations and average citations per
paper (impact). According to current ESI data, Conservation
Biology ranks #19 among all journals in its field, with
17,475 total citations. Conservation Biology, published
by Blackwell Science, is the official journal of the Society
for Conservation Biology. Dr. Meffe also serves as a Courtesy
Professor in the department of Wildlife Ecology and
Conservation at the University of Florida in Gainesville.
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How would you account for the increased citation rate of your
journal?
 Conservation Biology
addresses arguably the most important
issue in the history of humanity: the loss of biological diversity and
its relationship to the human condition. The science published in Conservation
Biology directly confronts these losses and various means by
which they may be addressed. There is growing interest in the field by
students, professionals, and government and non-government
organizations, so it is natural that the citation rate should
increase.
Was there a change in policy or editorial direction that might
account for this?
We continually try to make the journal more interesting by
introducing new features and by publishing the most cutting-edge
articles. We have "Specials Sections," which focus a series
of articles on particular topics, a "Conservation Forum,"
which is an exchange of papers on particularly controversial issues,
and "Conservation in Practice," which publishes articles on
direct application of conservation science to immediate issues in the
real world. A new feature – "Conservation in Context" –
will appear later this year and will address conservation in its
broadest human contexts. We have numerous other features besides the
core of the journal ("Contributed Papers"), and these draw a
great deal of interest from our readers.
Have there been specific developments in the fields served by your
journal that may have contributed?
The field is constantly developing and changing, and we try to
track those changes through Editorials, Letters, and other up-to-date
features. Increasing numbers of people are realizing the relevance,
importance, and timeliness of the science and opinion pieces that we
publish.
How do you see your fields evolving in the next few years?
We will continue to address incorporation of science into good
public policy and real problem solving. This, perhaps more than
anything else, sets us apart from most other scientific journals –
we attempt to not only publish the best science of the day, but also
make that science do more by dealing with pressing issues that
humanity is facing and will continue to struggle with, such as
biodiversity losses, global climate change, overexploitation, and many
others that require innovative and insightful public policy.
What role do you see for your journal?
We see ourselves as a premier outlet for cutting-edge science for
what has been termed a "crisis discipline." We also see the
journal performing an important function in communicating that science
to where it is most needed: management of natural resources and the
policy that drives the management. Finally, we are continuing to
develop an important general education function that addresses how we
educate students and the public about conservation issues, and how we
learn about and improve education.
Conservation Biology
Dr. Gary K. Meffe, Editor
Blackwell Science, Publisher
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in-cites, August 2001
http://www.in-cites.com/journals/conservation-biology.html
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cites
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