Coronavirus - Interview with Virus Research

ccording to our Special Topics analysis on coronaviruses, Virus Research ranks at #14 among journals publishing in this specialized field over the past decade, with 31 papers cited a total of 197 times. In the ISI Essential Science Indicators Web product, Virus Research has 1,272 papers cited a total of 9,246 times to date in the field of Microbiology. Below, Editors-in-Chief Dr. Brian W.J. Mahy, Dr. Yoshihiro Kawaoka, and Dr. Ulrich Desselberger discuss the citation record of Virus Research.

Why do you think Virus Research is so highly cited?

Due to very sensitive and specific detection methods, new emerging or re-emerging viruses are constantly being characterized.

Virus Research is an international journal on molecular and cellular virology, founded in 1983. It publishes articles of original, hypothesis-driven research by virologists from many countries and is peer-reviewed. Recently, it has started to publish Special Issues, composed by invited Guest Editors, on particular topics in areas of rapid recent research development.

Have there been specific developments in the field of microbiology that may have contributed?

The area of virus research has been very lively since its inception almost 100 years ago, and relevant virological research is steadily expanding. The field has benefited enormously over the past 30 years by the developments in cloning, sequencing, viral replication and morphogenesis, molecular viral pathogenesis, cell biology, proteomics, phylogenetic analysis, viral immunology, etc. Increasingly, viruses can be reconstructed in vitro from their various components, further improving their characterization.

How do you envision the state of our knowledge in this particular field 10 years from now?

Like all molecular biological sciences, basic virology is developing rapidly. Increasingly, knowledge accumulates on the detailed interaction of viral and host cell components (nucleic acids, proteins, enzymes etc). Due to very sensitive and specific detection methods, new emerging or re-emerging viruses are constantly being characterized. The threat of bioterrorism may lead to further improvements of detection methods. There is still a lot to do in and to expect from vaccine development.

What would you like to convey to the general public about the work of Virus Research?

Virus Research promotes the science of virology and serves the need of researchers occupied by it. It does so in healthy competition with other virological journals. Through its Special Issues, Virus Research endeavors to bring research in a particular area of virology to the attention of a wider audience.

Virus Research

Dr. Brian W.J. Mahy, Editor-in-Chief
National Center for Infectious Diseases
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Atlanta, GA, USA

Dr. Yoshihiro Kawaoka, Editor-in-Chief
Department of Pathobiological Sciences
School of Veterinary Medicine
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, WI, USA
and
Division of Virology
Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Institute of Medical Science
University of Tokyo
Shirokanedai, Minato-Ku, Tokyo, JAPAN

Dr. Ulrich Desselberger, Editor-in-Chief
Virologie Moléculaire et Structurale
UMR 2472, CNRS
Gif-sur-Yvette CEDEX, FRANCE
Elsevier Science, publishers

ESI Special Topics, October 2003
Citing URL - http://www.esi-topics.com/coronavirus/interviews/VirusResearch.html