Beginning with this issue (Vol. 94, No. 1, March 2015) there will be a change at the helm for the Journal of Genetics as Prof. Amitabh Joshi steps down after seven years of outstanding service as Editor-in-Chief. Prof. Rajiva Raman, an eminent cytogeneticist, presently Scientist Emeritus at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, will take charge as the new Editor-in-Chief.

Among the journals published by the Indian Academy of Sciences, the Journal of Genetics has a unique history. It was founded in England in 1910 by the great geneticist William Bateson along with R. C. Punnett. In later years it came under the Editorship of J. B. S. Haldane and when Haldane and his wife Helen emigrated to India in 1957 they brought the journal with them. After Haldane’s death in 1964, the journal appeared intermittently until 1977 and was revived only in 1985 when the Indian Academy of Sciences secured permission to publish it.

A number of distinguished colleagues have contributed greatly to the resurgence of the Journal which has now earned an impact factor of 1.013. In addition to the previous Editors-in-Chief, Profs H. Sharat Chandra, K. VijayRaghavan and Amitabh Joshi, the large body of contributors, both in India and elsewhere, have been crucial in helping sustain this truly international journal at a high level of academic quality.

As the journal evolves, there have also been several structural changes in its management. From 2010 onwards, the journal has published a special category of papers termed ‘Online Resources’. These are brief reports on the development and the routine use of molecular markers for assessing genetic variability within and among species, and may also include reports outlining pedagogical approaches in genetics teaching.

In the postgenomic era, there has been a revival in the area of genetics with new challenges and new opportunities. To keep pace with the times and to accommodate more papers, from this year onwards, Journal of Genetics will increase the number of issues per volume to four. We look forward to your continued support in making Journal of Genetics representative of the continuously growing discipline of genetics.

RAM RAMASWAMY

Editor of Publications