Editorial for the 70th anniversary of Marine and Freshwater Research

Abstract

As we celebrate the 70th year of Marine and Freshwater Research, I'd like to reflect a little on our history supporting the publication of high-quality research. It has been a long journey and much has changed, and some things have not, such as the commitment to producing a high-quality journal, and one that is recognised as such. This recognition comes from our research peers and reflects well on both the manuscripts we publish as well as the quality of the publishing processes and the appearance of the journal itself. This is not just nice to know-it is part of our heritage, part of Australia's research-publishing history, and worth hanging onto as we look ahead to the opportunities and challenges of coming years as journals further develop their online presence and features-rather than publish hard copy-to suit an era of open science. Journal publishing is a proven avenue for sharing research findings and, in my opinion, favours those who can both write well and compile their data in an interesting and attractive manner. Imagine a future where other skills or talents are able to come to the fore when presenting your research-a future where it is norm to accompany written text with sound, animation or film, or any combination of their many variants? I certainly think we could entertain and develop such ideas as we seek to further share our research findings and opinions, and to engage with a wider set of communication skills. Now back to the beginning. In 1950, the first issue of the Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research was published, derived from the successful publishing partnership that was established between the then newly formed Australian Academy of Science and CSIRO to establish the Australian Journals of Scientific Research. As explained by Jenny Foster in a tribute to the Australian Journal of Chemistry (see http://www. publish.csiro.au/ch/virtualissue/2482), this partnership led to the publication in 1948 of the Australian Journal of Scientific Research, which had a rapid growth in subscriptions, demonstrating the value to Australian researchers of having a local and high-quality publishing outlet. The success of this publishing exercise led to this journal being joined in 1950 by the Australian Journal of Agricultural Research, the Australian Journal of Applied Science and the Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research. The history of the publishing partnership is, in itself, as fascinating as it has been successful, but back to our journal, which continued to develop under the same name until 1995, when the title was shortened to the current Marine and Freshwater Research as part of a successful move to internationalise the journal. In doing this, the initial aim of the journal to provide a vehicle for the incredibly diverse research undertaken in the marine, estuarine and inland water environments was extended, and allowed for further 'crossover' readership between fields, CSIRO PUBLISHING