https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3589-4414
Dear Readers and Friends of The Plant Cell,
It is with immense pride and happiness that I write to you as the new Editor-in-Chief of The Plant Cell. For over 36 years, this journal has been a cornerstone of plant biology, publishing transformative discoveries that have shaped plant science as we know it and inspired generations of scientists—including me. As a young researcher, I marveled at the groundbreaking work published here by many of my scientific heroes.
I still remember the first time I read the marvelous Petunia's Chalcone Synthase co-suppression paper from Jorgensen's lab (https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.2.4.279) in The Plant Cell. This paper, besides being a milestone in my own research field, represents the spirit I would love to see in all our papers. It exemplifies the kind of research I value, in that it uncovered a fascinating phenomenon and rigorously dissected it, sparked curiosity in many scientists, and opened new questions and research venues that ultimately led to the full elucidation of a novel pathway through the collective efforts of multiple labs. While not providing a final model, its innovation and ability to push the boundaries of knowledge made it a hallmark of impactful science.
The concept that a paper can be extraordinary while still leaving loose ends is very important for me and the journal. Your paper does not need to answer all the questions on a topic; we look for groundbreaking and innovative papers that spark other scientists' curiosity. This, for example, happened with the Petunia paper, and The Plant Cell was later the home for many of the discoveries that followed (DOI: 10.1105/tpc.003210, 10.1105/tpc.12.12.2351, 10.1105/tpc.010480, 10.1105/tpc.104.022830, 10.1105/tpc.13.3.571, 10.1105/tpc.104.023614, just to cite a few), each of them their own foundation stones in the small RNA research field. And while small RNAs have been my academic passion, and the pages of our journal were witnesses to the history of its discovery, the same holds true for nearly every aspect and pathway of plant biology—where The Plant Cell has been a trusted home for pioneering research.
Now, as I take the helm of this extraordinary journal, I feel both honored and responsible. Honored to continue the legacy of my predecessors, and responsible for ensuring that The Plant Cell evolves to meet the changing needs of our community and once again become the home of the most influential papers in plant science.
I’m very aware of the popular belief that “you need a mechanism to publish in The Plant Cell.” Although we will always value mechanistic insights, let me be clear: a detailed mechanism is not a prerequisite for publication with us. Fields like genomics, synthetic biology, and single-cell biology are good examples because papers in those fields often report transformative findings that redefine our understanding of plant biology, even without pinpointing every molecular detail. Our mission is to provide a platform for groundbreaking work of this kind—work that pushes boundaries and opens new avenues of research. Thus, I hope The Plant Cell will continue to be your first choice for transformative research that redefines plant sciences.
The Plant Cell has long been a home for research in plant biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, and genetics, as well as for studies exploring plant interactions with the environment. Innovations by my predecessors—such as the addition of the “Large-Scale Biology” section—have expanded the journal's scope to embrace high-throughput and systems-level approaches. Building on this legacy, we are eager to welcome studies in genomics, synthetic biology, and technically oriented research that addresses compelling biological questions. Our mission remains constant: to publish work of the highest quality and broadest impact, submissions that push the boundaries of current knowledge and provide our community with groundbreaking discoveries. As we move forward, I want to build on this foundation. I am deeply grateful for the visionary leadership of my predecessors, especially Blake Meyers, whose initiatives have broadened the journal's scope and impact. Their work inspires me to continue innovating while preserving the high standards that define The Plant Cell.
The publishing landscape is evolving rapidly, and so are the needs of our authors. Scientists today seek journals that not only uphold rigorous standards and publish the very best science but also those that provide visibility, accessibility, and added value to their work. To meet these expectations, I am committed to ensuring that The Plant Cell remains a partner to authors, offering benefits that go beyond our reputation. Our editorial process—driven by a large board of academic editors who are also your colleagues—prioritizes fairness and thoughtful feedback over sheer speed. While many submissions may not reach the journal expectations on novelty or impact to merit publication, we rarely desk-reject manuscripts. Why? Because we believe every submission deserves thoughtful consideration and constructive feedback reached by more than a single pair of eyes. Of course, this means our process might take a bit longer, because no fewer than two editors (often more than 5) discuss every submitted manuscript. But I think the tradeoff is worth it: decisions that prioritize scientific quality over trends or metrics. Every author can expect a constructive evaluation and feedback on their work by our editors, ensuring fairness. Unlike many commercial journals, our editorial team is composed of your colleagues. You likely know many of them. You are likely to meet our editors at conferences or in the corridors of your institute, and I assure you, we are all happy to discuss your work and evaluate it with empathy. After all, we share the same frustration when our manuscripts are declined, and thus, we don’t treat your manuscript lightly. Of course, we must keep in mind that editors and reviewers make mistakes, and even when you disagree with our decision, know that we do review your manuscript with the best intention and considerable diligence lightly. Even more, if fundamentally wrong, we are always happy to read your appeal to our decision.
Although you may see The Plant Cell as an elite venue in which to publish your work, I want to highlight its communal nature and the openness of our editors. Personally, as EiC, I’m eager to listen to the plant biology community and learn where you think the journal should innovate and what expectations you have of it. After all, The Plant Cell is a community-oriented journal, owned by a professional association that exists to nurture the global community of plant scientists.
Transparency will be a cornerstone of my tenure. Although perhaps well known to those colleagues that have ever served on an editorial board, many aspects of the publishing industry remain obscure to most people, especially early-career researchers (ECRs). It is imperative that everybody fully understands what is behind a paper. The whole editorial process is often one of these aspects that is opaque to authors. In our case this is particularly true because in The Plant Cell we use an approach that is not common for most journals, including prereview consultations among editors and post-revision consultations with reviewers. Although the journal has made an effort to bring transparency to this process (you can read, for example, this excellent editorial by my predecessor Blake Meyers explaining TPC's editorial procedures in detail [https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koac233]), authors do not always have the time to read editorials, not to mention that some may not even have access to them. So, as “a picture is worth a thousand words,” a phrase attributed to the journalist and editor Arthur Brisbane, I aim to create infographics and modernize our guidelines with the objectives of increasing transparency, enhancing the author's experience, and facilitating the author's comprehension of the journal's policies and procedures. A quick explanation of our editorial process is in Fig. 1.
The Plant Cell editorial process from submission to final disposition.
Article processing charges (APCs) are also frequently a mystery for authors. I believe this is an aspect that needs the highest degree of transparency. The debate about subscription vs. open access publishing, APCs, and why authors pay them, has been extensively discussed before, and this editorial is not the place to bring that topic to the table again. However, I firmly believe that it is important that journals clearly explain where the charges go, as most of the authors' payments are from tax-funded grants. Opposite to commercial journals with exorbitant APCs that end up mostly in the pockets of shareholders, The Plant Cell is a nonprofit society journal that reinvests publication revenues into supporting the scientific community. In this sense, both the journal—through its Editor-in-Chief sponsoring scientific conferences or supporting ECRs through our Assistant Features Editor (AFE) program—and journal owner ASPB—through initiatives such as fellowships, travel grants, the Plant Biology conference, and educational programs—seek to return the community their support. The nonprofit ethos allows us to support programs and events that otherwise struggle for funds. This ethical use of resources, which ensures that tax-money originally destined to support science ends up doing so, underscores the value of choosing to publish in society journals over for-profit alternatives. I’ll admit publication fees can sometimes feel like a black box. As a means of changing that, we will design clear infographics that break down where your money goes so you can be proud of seeing how your paper is supporting a broader scientific ecosystem.
The shift to open access publishing is another area where transparency is critical. While I wholeheartedly support the principles of open science as they reflect a positive trend in democratizing science, we need to strike a balance that maintains the journal's accessibility and sustainability, as open access publishing presents challenges, particularly for society journals. We must avoid that, in an effort to reach open science, we end up creating inequity at the moment of covering publication fees for ECRs and scientists from low-income countries. Thus, I aim to work closely with our publishing partners to strike a fair balance between Open Access options and subscription models, ensuring that The Plant Cell remains accessible to all while maintaining the quality and sustainability our community values.
Plant science is evolving rapidly, and so must we. Over the next few months, you’ll notice some exciting changes at The Plant Cell. We have transitioned to the Editorial Manager submission management system to increase the journal's ability to engage new tools and technology throughout the submission and review process. We have also initiated continuous publication, so accepted papers will be available online immediately after acceptance and indexed in an issue more quickly. And, as enhancing the author experience is another of my priorities, we are exploring new ways to amplify the impact of your research. So, in the coming months, we will implement new tools to increase the visibility of your work, including graphical abstracts, AI-assisted summaries, and editor-curated highlights. We want to make your research accessible to both specialists and our broader readership. Because, let's be honest, your work deserves to be celebrated, not just cited. In today's interconnected world, effective communication is key to amplifying scientific discoveries. We aim to harness social media, blogs, and other platforms to share the remarkable work published in The Plant Cell with a broader audience, ensuring it reaches specialists and the public. But most importantly for your benefit: in a time when visibility, impact, and citations of your work, and not the metrics of the journal, are becoming the principle mechanisms for evaluation, we aim to make your paper reach the largest audience possible.
Our commitment to diversity and inclusion will also guide every decision. We aim to amplify voices from underrepresented regions, ensuring that our editorial board reflects the global plant science community. By fostering open dialog among authors, reviewers, and editors, we hope to create a journal that feels accessible, inclusive, and deeply connected to its community. Personally, I’m also committed to supporting events that feature speakers from the global South or, even better, international events in such locations. Supporting ECRs is also central to my mission. Initiatives like the AFE program provide invaluable opportunities for young scientists to engage with cutting-edge research and develop their skills in science communication. I am committed to expanding such initiatives to nurture the future leaders of our field.
None of this would be possible without the tireless efforts of our reviewers. I want to recognize their invaluable contributions, whose expertise forms the backbone of our journal. In collaboration with the Editors-in-Chief of our sister journals, Plant Physiology and Plant Direct, I hope to introduce initiatives that better acknowledge and reward reviewers across our journals, fostering a spirit of collaboration and community.
To our readers, authors, reviewers, editors, and journal staff: thank you for your trust and partnership. I am deeply honored to lead The Plant Cell and am here with an open-door policy, ready to listen and learn from you what you need from me. The next chapter of The Plant Cell begins now. Let's write it together—with innovation, collaboration, and of course by enjoying the journey.
Warmly,
Pablo Manavella
Editor-in-Chief, The Plant Cell
Author notes
Conflict of interest statement. None declared.
