In 2016, Heart, Lung and Circulation (HLC) celebrated 25 years of continuous publication [1]. Special events included ''Meet the Editor'' sessions at the 2016 Annual Scientific Meetings of the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ) and of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons (ANZSCTS) [2]. Led by Robert Denniss, Editor-in-Chief of HLC, the sessions featured panels of editors from several other internationally recognised cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery journals. These sessions gave both prospective early career and experienced authors direct insight into what Editors-in-Chief of peer-reviewed publications are looking for when identifying papers for publication in their journals.