New Science, New Features, New Advisors

If you are reading this issue of Cell in print, you may have already noticed in flipping through to get to this editorial a dramatic change on our masthead page. If you are accessing the issue via the new Cell website, I encourage you to click on the Editorial Board and Contacts link to check it out. With the new year, we have revised and greatly expanded the Cell editorial board. We would like to take this opportunity to officially welcome the new editorial board members and to thank the current members and those who are retiring their commitment for all of their efforts on behalf of the journal over the years. In the last 5 years we have introduced a number of changes at Cell, most importantly in terms of expanding the overall scientific scope of the journal with the inclusion of new and emerging disciplines. Along with this expansion and the global growth in science, we have seen a significant increase in the diversity of our author and reviewer pool. In recognition of this changing landscape, we are proud to welcome 67 new members to the Cell editorial board. Among them are established senior leaders and rising stars hailing from all corners of the world. Board members serve a vital role for the journal. They provide advice to the team of professional in-house editors on difficult or complicated editorial decisions, weigh in with opinions on general editorial policy, and help define appropriate conceptual and technical standards for the journal. Of course they also act as reviewers on individual manuscripts. Most importantly, we ask that editorial board members be committed to the success of Cell and to helping us ensure that Cell continues to serve the community by providing the highest standards of scientific publishing. When I took over the Editorship of Cell 5 years ago, we set a new editorial vision for the journal, to keep our eye on the scientific horizon and be open to unexpected discoveries, to make bold decisions, and to take informed risks in helping move science forward rapidly. This means weighing in actively with our own scientific expertise and editorial perspective when necessary and not simply shuffling papers between authors and reviewers. It also means focusing on the story the paper tells and not on what we think the next installment should be. While some may think the work of an editor is …