A year has passed since Polymer Journal (PJ), the official journal of the Society of Polymer Science, Japan (SPSJ), entered a publishing partnership with Nature Publishing Group (NPG). With the successful transition to NPG in 2010, PJ underwent a redesign online, in print and in the editorial systems and processes used, and it is due to the hard work of all involved that each issue of the journal has been published as planned. I would like to thank the authors, readers, editorial board members and the editorial office staff for their continued support and contribution to PJ. It is my great privilege to work with these dedicated colleagues.

We have been working on many changes and improvements since late 2009. In July 2009, we started using a new electronic manuscript tracking system. In December 2009, the journal’s website was launched on nature.com, containing the online archive for all content from 2006 to present and presenting advanced online publication articles to the readership. As mentioned, with the changeover to NPG, the journal was redesigned with a new look, both in print and online, to enhance the reader’s experience. I think the effects of these changes are starting to be felt. The number of submissions to PJ has steadily increased and we are now receiving around 20% more manuscripts than we were in 2009. Similarly, the global diversity of those submissions has increased by about 33% compared with 2009. We have also seen an increase in online usage and in the number of recipients who have signed up for Table of Contents e-alerts. These are positive signs for PJ as we strive to become a truly international journal.

Our aim to reflect the diversity and richness of global polymer science within the pages of PJ will drive us to continue to improve the journal and user interface. One of the changes you will see from the January 2011 issue onward is regarding how we produce the image on the front cover. After a year of producing a series of striking three-dimensional structure frontispieces, taken from papers that appeared in each issue, we have realized that many readers and authors like to also see frontispieces that clearly communicate science. We have therefore decided to change the cover production process and make the space available to authors again. From now on, the editorial office will invite authors of accepted articles, by recommended of editors, to submit the image for the cover frontispieces. I look forward to admiring the beautiful, informative and interesting cover images.

I would also like to mention the PJ ZEON Award, which is the SPSJ Award for three outstanding papers published in PJ each year and is sponsored by ZEON. The award is open to young authors who are the first authors on the papers they publish in PJ and the winners are chosen by the selection committee and the board of directors of SPSJ. Applicants from all countries are welcome. In addition to a certificate of merit and a memorial medal, US$3600 (300 000Yen) is also given as a supplementary prize. Furthermore, the award winners are invited to speak at the annual SPSJ meeting.

As we look forward to 2011, we are striving to build an excellent foundation from which to enhance PJ’s presence in the world. Therefore, we will continue to work to improve the journal’s interface for authors and readers, enabling speedy publication of high-quality papers and interesting review articles.

Finally, I would like to thank all the anonymous reviewers who have helped us to examine, understand and scientifically review the hundreds of submitted manuscripts.

A Happy New Year to all.