As 2023 gets underway, I am pleased to report that daily life is returning slowly to the normality of pre-pandemic conditions. During 2022, our journal Invasive Plant Science and Management has continued its important role of serving as an outlet for sharing results on invasive plant biology, ecology, impact, management, and policy. Our new series Biology of Invasive Plants continues to be of great interest to both authors and readers of our journal. I would like to remind you that this new series was launched in issue 3 (July–September) of 2020 with a five-page editorial by co-Series Editors (Darren Kriticos, Cervantes Agritech, Australia, and David Clements, Trinity Western University, Canada) and me introducing the series. The first species account was published in the same issue and focused on the invasive evergreen shrub firethorn (Pyracantha angustifolia). To date, this account has been accessed nearly 2,000 times and is increasingly cited in published articles. In 2021, our second series species account was published in issue 2 (AprilJune) of Invasive Plant Science and Management. That article focused on the perennial shrub African boxthorn (Lycium ferocissimum). This account has been accessed nearly 850 times since its publication. There are currently three additional species accounts at various stages of development. The third account in the series is published in this issue and focuses on the highly invasive perennial swallowwort vines (Vincetoxicum nigrum and Vincetoxicum rossicum). Two more accounts (giant reed [Arundo donax] and silverleaf nightshade [Solanum elaeagnifolium]) are at various stages of the peer-review process and are likely to be published in 2023, so keep an eye out for them! As a reminder, these reviews are intended to collate published and unpublished information on the biology and ecology of emerging plant invasion problems globally. They assemble background material to lay a foundation reference source concerning the biology and ecology of the focal species. However, they go further, highlighting invasion risks and their management. The Biology of Invasive Plants series is intended to provide a useful resource for a broad range of readers, including biologists, ecologists, risk assessors, and policy advisors. The global nature of plant invasion risk means that the series appeals to a global audience. Publication of these accounts incurs no page charges and will be freely available to the public via Open Access.
We continue to feature “accepted manuscripts” and “FirstView articles” on our journal website to disseminate research findings as rapidly as possible to our readership. In each issue, we also select one article for which we develop a professional press release and blog so that the research can be highlighted and distributed to a worldwide audience. Press releases and blogs can be found on our journal home site, as well as on the WSSA home page. A photo related to the selected article is used as the issue cover photo. We continue to encourage our authors to include color figures and photos in their submissions, as there is no extra cost for their use.
In 2022, 56% of articles in Invasive Plant Science and Management were published Open Access, a substantial increase from the 39% and 13.5% of articles published Open Access in 2021 and 2020, respectively. Publishing an article via Open Access allows for the article to be accessed by anyone free of charge, thus increasing its visibility and impact. This trend has been accelerated by Read and Publish agreements that Cambridge University Press has made with university and other research libraries around the world. If your university has a Read and Publish agreement with Cambridge University Press, the price for publication is substantially reduced. To learn more and to see whether your organization has a Read and Publish agreement, please check this site: https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/open-access-policies/waivers-discounts.
The number of submissions (40) in 2022 decreased relative to the number of submissions (57) in 2021 and (54) in 2020. Our 2022 impact factor increased to 1.333 from 1.273 and 0.905 in 2021 and 2020, respectively. Our 5-year impact factor increased to 1.559 in 2022 from 1.347 in 2021. It certainly has been encouraging to see the impact factor steadily increase during the last few years in no small part due to the high-quality submissions and rigorous review process. On the other hand, I would certainly welcome a greater number of submissions to the journal and encourage all readers of this publication to consider submitting their work for possible publication in our journal and to encourage colleagues to do so as well. We continue to seek research findings from well-designed studies on all aspects of invasive plants from all regions of the world. Reviews on relevant and timely topics of interest to our readership are also welcome. Our manuscript acceptance rate increased slightly from 54% in 2021 to 56% in 2022. Of importance to authors is the time frame from the original submission of a manuscript to a first editorial decision. We continue to be competitive relative to other journals, averaging 50 days to first decision in 2022, albeit an increase from the 41 days in 2021.
We are maintaining the reputation of Invasive Plant Science and Management as a high-quality journal for research, case studies, notes, and commentary on the biology and ecology of invasive plant species as well as their environmental, economic, and regulatory impacts. Management of invasive plant species continues to be a central objective of the journal. In each article, we feature a “Management Implications” section that provides a succinct summary of the key management implications of the research that may be ready for adoption by land managers and other practitioners.
Undoubtedly, the ability to produce a high-quality and impactful journal would not be possible without the assistance of the many reviewers and editorial board of Invasive Plant Science and Management who gave of their time and expertise to assure the scientific rigor and accuracy of work published in our journal in 2022. Thank you!
Editorial Board 2022
Jacob N. Barney
David Clements
Catherine S. Jarnevich
Elizabeth LaRue
Rob J. Richardson
John Cardina
Stephen F. Enloe
Marie Jasieniuk
James K. Leary
Ryan M. Wersal
Chelsea Carey
Guillaume Fried
Darren J. Kriticos
Kelly G. Lyons
Invasive Plant Science and Management Reviewers 2022
Scott Abella
Edith B. Allen
Pedro Antunes
Jatinder Singh Aulakh
Graeme Wayne Bourdot
Richard L. Boyce
Nancy Cain
David R. Clements
Brian Colleran
Jennifer Dean
Cameron Douglass
Christopher Evans
Arthur Gover
Terri Hogan
Katherine Hovanes
Cynthia Huebner
Sara Kuebbing
Eric Lamb
Jo Latimore
Claude Lavoie
James Leary
Erik A. Lehnhoff
Edward Loewenstein
Nancy J. Loewenstein
Carolyn J. Lowry
Gregory MacDonald
Jane Mangold
Brian A. Mealor
Paul Meiman
Lindsey Milbrath
Michelle Nault
Scott Jay Nissen
Franklin Dane Panetta
Timothy S. Prather
Candice Prince
Dave Richardson
Vikki L. Rodgers
Carol Ann Rolando
Michael Schuster
John Scott
Ross Shackleton
Marie-Josee Simard
Benjamin Patrick Sperry
Marianna Szűcs
Matt Tanco
Kathryn Thomas
Sarah Ward
Bruce Webber
Samantha Willden
Dean Williams
