On changes, challenges and collaboration: Introducing a new Editor‐in‐Chief and moving to Open Access

It is both an honour and privilege to introduce myself as your new Editor-in-Chief. Although somewhat of a cliché, I'd like to open my first editorial with an inspiring quote by T. H. Huxley FRS, ‘Physiology is the experimental science par excellence of all sciences; that in which there is least to be learnt by mere observation, and that which affords the greatest field for the exercise of those faculties which characterize the experimental philosopher’ (Huxley, 1871). Recent trying times have certainly brought out the experimental ‘philosophysiologist’ in me, having wrestled with the challenges imposed by the recent pandemic, and we all now look to a new world, slowly emerging from the crisis (McNally et al., 2021). Like so many of us, it has given me precious time to reflect on the important things in life, including what ‘matters’ most in work. And for me, it's the people that matter the most, none more so than the authors, editors and anonymous reviewers, who have given up their time selflessly to contribute to the success of our journal. I take this opportunity to thank you all for your sterling efforts. And I would like to thank Professor Mike Tipton, our former Editor-in-Chief, a captain who has steered our ship to new successes, having skilfully navigated through the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) storm. His achievements during his 6-year tenure with the journal stand as clear testament to his leadership and championing of whole-body integrative human physiology. Under his stewardship, Experimental Physiology has seen record submissions and acceptances, published impressive special issues on Extreme Environmental Physiology (Tipton, 2020) and COVID-19 (Tipton, 2022), and implemented numerous policies and initiatives to improve author and reader experiences. As recently outlined in my welcome piece to Physiology News (Bailey, 2022), my vision for Experimental Physiology is for it to be recognized as the world's leading journal that publishes ground-breaking research in integrated translational physiology, challenging the boundaries of basic, applied and clinical research across the spectrum of health and disease. I want the journal to address the big societal questions that really matter, with a focus on translational impact, not impact factor, how research informs and transforms factors that we can measure and weigh. My primary aim will be to extend the current reach of Experimental Physiology and increase quality submissions as we transition to Open Access (see next section), tapping into our collective networks of prestigious specialists working in allied disciplines while expanding the representation of clinical scientists on our Editorial Board. We need to cast our creative net ever wider to help expand current communities while introducing new ones, broadening the remit of Experimental Physiology to include clinical (e.g., surgical, public health and ‘big data’ epidemiological) and applied (e.g., exercise and elite sports, space biomedicine including industrial links with science technologists, environmental and comparative) physiology, to forge new partnerships with groups in Northern Europe (in particular, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway), South America, the Middle East and Asia. It is also important that we reflect upon and consolidate those strategic initiatives championed by the former Editor-in-Chief that have proved successful, including exercise and extreme physiology. A final, important point relates to cross-journal collaboration within The Physiological Society's extended family of journals. Professor Peter Kohl (Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Physiology) and I are keen to forge synergistic links, to capitalize on the translational elements of basic mechanistic physiology and to formulate consensus approaches to improve quality and governance; very different from the gladiatorial history that the journals shared in the distant past (Whitteridge, 1983). Experimental Physiology has faced many challenges over the course of its distinguished history, and its adaptability has allowed it to survive by navigating changes in scope, ownership and publishers, including the early adoption of the online-only publishing model (McLoughlin & Ward, 2013). Although the journal has evolved considerably since it first published Florence Buchanan's seminal work on the transmission of reflex impulses in the frog (Buchanan, 1908), its mission remains constant: to serve the physiology community by acting as a home for world-leading research that informs our understanding of health and disease. As the journal started by Sir E. A. Sharpey-Schafer FRS (Editor-in-Chief for no less than 27 years!) nears its 115th year of publication, a new change draws near. From January 2023, we will be fully Open Access. This means that from 18 October 2022, any article submitted and accepted for publication will be published Open Access under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution licence (CC BY), which permits its use, distribution and adaption in any medium, providing its proper citation (Creative Commons, (n.d.)). In plain terms, authors retain the copyright to their work, which can now be accessed by anyone wishing to read it, anywhere in the world. Rather than libraries/subscribers paying for this content, these articles will be subject to an Article Publication Charge (APC) to cover the cost of publishing. Authors benefit from this change in publishing model through improved visibility, reach and impact, evidenced by increased downloads and citations to their work (Wiley, 2021). We acknowledge that this author-pays model can introduce a barrier to publication for those lacking the funds to cover an APC. However, our publisher, Wiley's, partnership with Research4Life will provide automatic waivers and discounts on APCs for authors from low- and middle-income countries (Wiley, (n.d.)). Additionally, Wiley has already signed agreements with many universities globally to cover these fees automatically (Wiley, (n.d.)). These agreements extend to a high proportion of our existing author base, and more agreements are expected, but for those lacking APC funding for whom these agreements do not apply, we have a number of discretionary waivers. These waivers must be agreed in advance with the Publications Office. The Open Access model is likely to be nothing new to you. The publishing landscape has been changing rapidly in recent years, and many more journals are likely to ‘flip’ to Open Access to comply with the mandates of various agencies. By flipping now, Experimental Physiology underlines its commitment to the Open Science movement. The journal was one of the first in the physiology field to publish Registered Reports; it requires data availability statements, permits submission of articles hosted on preprint servers and also offers Open Science badges to authors. This latest change will help to position Experimental Physiology at the very forefront of the Open Science movement in physiology journals. Our Editorial Board (including the former Editor-in-Chief) are fully supportive of this change. Indeed, we are energized by the opportunity it provides for Experimental Physiology to continue to grow, diversify and connect the physiological community it serves under the auspices of The Physiological Society. We are aware of the perception (fuelled by the increase of ‘predatory’ Open Access journals) that the author-pays model can result in a dilution of scientific quality. Our Editor-in-Chief wishes to stress that we retain complete editorial independence, and to assure you that in no way will ‘the quality bar be lowered’ to increase publication volume and profits. Instead, our team look forward to the challenge of increasing submissions by engaging both new and existing communities, as highlighted. We have a distinguished past to protect and an equally distinguished future to forge. Now, as always, our mission remains constant, and we look to you to join us in this enterprise by submitting manuscripts and contributing to reviews. None. None declared.