The nomination as an editor for a scientific journal is certainly a public recognition of the scientific reputation of a person. But in return for the honour, one has to make a strong commitment to serve for the journal in various respects, such as handling manuscripts, choosing referees, evaluating the papers and the referee reports, communicating with authors, settling the various cases of disagreement and disconsent between authors and referees. This takes time, but requires also a profound knowledge about the recent achievements in the area, upcoming trends, etc.

The situation becomes even more demanding for the editor-in-chief who in addition also takes responsibility for the journal's scientific profile and attractiveness to authors, its further development and standing in the competitive market of scientific publications.

On the other hand, it is great a opportunity to shape the future of such a journal, by addressing the right trends at the right time, by attracting the right authors, and by making the journal known for its distinct profile and quality. We are very happy to have such different opportunities as listed below.

The particular emphasis is on journals with a strong interdisciplinary profile, which allow researchers with different scientific background to publish in the same journal for the mutual benefit of the contributing areas. The impact of such a 'bridge' cannot be simply measured in numbers such as the impact factor, rather the value is seen in fostering the collaboration of a multidisciplinary community.