Beginning with the January 2013 issue, there will be some changes in the editorial leadership of Skeletal Radiology. Dr. Daniel Rosenthal will take over for Dr. Murali Sundaram as Editor for articles originating outside of Europe, and Dr. Mark Kransdorf will assume the role of editor for case reports. Dr. Juerg Hodler will continue as European editor.

Times of transition are an opportunity for reflection. We would like to use this opportunity to reflect upon the quarter-century of extraordinary service that Dr. Sundaram has given to our journal.

Beginning on the Editorial Board in 1988, Dr. Sundaram became editor for case reports in 1997, and then editor for all articles originating outside of Europe in 2006. Each of these roles represents a substantial commitment of time and effort, and to each of them he has brought a unique blend of passionate commitment and collegiality. All of us who have served as peer reviewers for the journal will recall how eloquent, persuasive, and relentless Dr. Sundaram could be in recruiting the very best people to contribute their efforts to the production of a quality journal!

During his tenure, the journal has prospered. The year he began as editor for case reports (1997) was the first year in which the journal published an issue every month. Each issue was 62 pages long. As he steps down, he leaves behind a journal that has doubled in size—each monthly issue now comprises 150 pages. The journal is not only bigger, it is also better. The much maligned impact factor (see editorial Skeletal Radiology. 41(2):125–6, 2012 Feb.) has more than doubled as well, climbing from 0.717 to 1.541, and according to the Google H-factor, a relatively new measure, Skeletal Radiology ranks 13 in the universe of radiology publications.

Electronic publishing came into being. The SpringerLink content platform was launched. Articles are now initially published online, with the DOI citable before printing. Electronic online submission was started in 2003. OpenAccess publication is now offered, and purely electronic subscriptions are available. Dissemination and usage of the journal has increased over the years, and today Skeletal Radiology is a well-established and successful journal with world-wide 24/7 presence.

Through all of these changes, Dr. Sundaram has remained committed to the basic principles that make Skeletal Radiology what it is. Although many journals have chosen to eliminate case reports in an effort to increase their impact factor, we have decided not to do so because we believe that case reports are a distinctive feature of the journal and part of its mission.

The near future holds many challenges. The economic implications of the increasing demand for open-access publications are largely unknown. When this is combined with increased reliance upon bibliometric indices (such as the impact factor), particularly in Europe, it is possible that small journals will be severely tested. However, the editors remain optimistic that there will continue to be a need for a specialty journal such as ours, and that Skeletal Radiology will remain what it became under Dr. Sundaram’s leadership—the premier publication in its field.