Going Legit: MI Now Indexed in PubMed

Thanks to the contributions of our authors and readers over three years of publication, Molecular Interventions has proven that it has something to offer. Consequently, as we begin the fourth volume, we are delighted to announce that Molecular Interventions has been approved for indexing, through the National Library of Medicine, in PubMed/Medline. Those of us who regularly work to produce the publication are, of course, thrilled by the imprimatur of legitimacy that the NLM gives us. But above all, being indexed in PubMed means that ASPET’s original intent in launching MI —to communicate concepts and trends that will matter to scientists—is an important step closer to realization. Like the other ASPET periodicals, MI will from now on be accessible to students and researchers who search the NLM databases for comprehensive, readable coverage of the interdisciplinary subfields that define pharmacology.

Just about four years ago, the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET) made the decision to launch MI as the newest member of the ASPET family of publications, then consisting of Drug Metabolism and Disposition, Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Molecular Pharmacology, and Pharmacological Reviews. This decision was among several new initiatives that the Society had implemented to further its commitment to pharmacology at the dawn of the new millennium, not the least of which had been the implementation of an ASPET Journals Department, which very quickly took on all aspects of journal production, previously handled by contract with a commercial publisher. ASPET Journals also went online, through a partnership with HighWire Press, the foremost online publisher of science, technology, and medicine periodicals. The success of these moves—along with a still booming economy—prompted ASPET’s Board of Publications Trustees to consider what further publication projects might be undertaken in the service of Society members.

But to have readers, a new publication must prove that it has something to offer. It has to be taken seriously. Especially if its goal is to maintain a readership that consists of natural-born skeptics—that is, scientists. Luckily, natural-born skeptics can prove to be exceedingly kind, which is why MI not only has established a stellar Editorial Advisory Board, but also has been able to present articles from many, many excellent scientists in its first three volumes.

Still, MI ’s long-term sustainability will depend on its ability to continually increase its quality. With the higher visibility that PubMed/Medline will now give us, we will likely be able to continue to depend on the kindness of scientist authors. And so, it is the kindness of our readers that we now beseech.

Let us hear from you! What do we do right? And where could we do better? Our ability to measure the extent to which we satisfy (or fail) our readers will be the ultimate determinant of our sustainability.

• © American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Theraputics 2004