Dear Readers,
Hormone and Metabolic Research enters its 51st year of publication and celebrates its Golden Anniversary this year in 2019. This is a significant landmark and key milestone and provokes reminiscence and deeper reflection of what has been done in the past.
Back in 1969, the journal was founded as Hormone and Metabolic Research – Hormon- und Stoffwechselforschung – Hormones et Métabolisme , reflecting the language issue in scientific publications in Europe at the time: English was well on its way to becoming the lingua franca of scientific discourse, but it had not arrived there yet. The journal accepted papers not only in English, but also in French and German! If the main paper was not written in English, an English summary had to be supplied. Still, the first ever editorial ([Fig. 1 ]) was already written in English by the two editors-in-chief, Rachmiel Levine and Ernst F. Pfeiffer. Their aim in founding the journal is as essential today as it was then: in the face of an ever-growing body of scientific literature, how does one ensure that new, relevant and peer-reviewed data is made available as quickly as possible in a journal that satisfies the researchers’ needs. Back in 1969, endocrinology and metabolism questions were spread across many titles, and it was the editor-in-chiefs ambition to “improve communication between clinicians and scientists […], facilitate exchange of information between different countries” and to remedy the situation that “the scientific author is confronted with an unsatisfying market of journals to which his special (sic) manuscript might be profitably submitted.” [1 ]
Fig. 1 Editorial of the very first issue.
We can proudly proclaim that these initiatives have been successfully accomplished and the number of citations achieved by the papers in Hormone and Metabolic Research reflect the international importance of this journal and its aim to publish only work of the highest quality.
Over the past 50 years, HMR fulfilled these ambitions with great success. Under the editorship of such eminent scholars as Åke Lernmark, Werner A. Scherbaum and now with Stefan R. Bornstein, Matthias Schott and Constantine A. Stratakis, the journal became an international pillar of scientific research and discovery. This is not only reflected in a very stable impact factor, but also in the highly popular special topic issues that highlight and showcase the state of the art of the crucial endocrinological questions of today.
Over the last two decades we published more than 40 special topic issues, highlighting recent advances in endocrinology and metabolism. Important issues focused on metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, bone metabolism, thyroid disorders, endocrine tumors and other issues. Within the last couple of years, a special focus was given to endocrine tumors, e. g. of the neuroendocrine system including pituitary tumors and pheochromocytoma / paraganglioma. In addition, three issues were published on primary hyperaldosteronism focusing on the genetic cause of the disease as well as diagnostic and therapeutic options [2 ]
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Most recently, we also focused on thyroid diseases, e. g. autoimmune thyroid disease; here another three special issues were published highlighting the genetic cause as well as the immunological background, diagnostic procedures and therapeutic options in Graves’ disease and autoimmune thyroiditis, including a most recent special issue [16 ]
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Open access, eFirst publications and digital author offprints also show the digital transformation in a globalized world.
We are grateful to all authors, reviewers, editors, members of the Editorial Board, publishers and production staff to have dedicated their time and expertise to help the journal over the past 50 years to become what it is now!
Sincerely,
