I like to thumb through old issues of JAOCS. There is something gratifying about the smell of old journals, the history contained within their pages, and sitting quietly reading to understand the challenges and issues of days gone by. I recently came across “New Year” greetings published in JAOCS by past presidents of AOCS. In particular, I want to share a quote by second AOCS president, David Wesson (1911–1912) [1]:

One of the greatest joys in life is starting something. To get the full measure of enjoyment, the thing started must be worthwhile. If started right and it succeeds, the pleasure of having accomplished something comes as a matter of course.

With the New Year upon us, I feel Wesson’s thoughts are timely as the New Year typically signifies the start of “something” for many of us. This is no exception for the editors and staff at JAOCS as we continue the worthwhile work started in July 1924 with the first issue published many years ago.

Starting something can be scary and overwhelming, especially, if you can’t clearly see the end through the myriad of details and dynamic nature of the project. But there is something exciting and enjoyable in traversing this terrain too. For the editors at JAOCS, we are committed to moving forward with the plans and directions for the journal this year in an effort to continually improve the journal as a valuable resource to you.

With the introduction of our new cover and look we are excited to have added new categories to the journal and now focus on these main areas overseen by the following Senior Associate Editors:

  • Analytical and Physical Chemistry, Mr. Christopher Dayton.

  • Biotechnology and Biocatalysis, Dr. Douglas G. Hayes.

  • Edible Applications and Physicochemical Properties, Dr. Silvana Martini.

  • Genetics, Genomics and Biological Mechanisms, Dr. Richard F. Wilson.

  • Lipid Oxidation and Antioxidants, Dr. Jill Winkler-Moser.

  • Nonfood or Industrial Applications, Dr. Richard Ashby.

  • Processing and Engineering Technology, Dr. Michael K. Dowd.

Our team has been working hard behind the scenes to bring interesting reviews on important topics of interest for this year. Please keep an eye out for these! We have updated our instructions to authors to better clarify to authors the types of manuscripts JAOCS wants to publish, what needs to be included within the manuscript, in an effort to help authors submit their highest quality research. We are planning to publish a special online collection examining alternative protein processing technologies with the help of the Protein and Co-products Division of AOCS. This is an exciting endeavor to me as it is an intentional collaboration meant to strengthen the relationship between the Society members and JAOCS as it publishes Annual Meeting presentations. We are hoping this sparks interest from other AOCS Divisions, highlights important research of the Divisions, and grows as a tradition. There are other interesting changes afoot that promise to be the start of other “new somethings”. As always, we are continually striving to improve processing time for papers with better communication between editors, reviewers and authors.

We hope these advances will make the journal more attractive and improve its quality. However, what makes a journal alive are really the authors. A final thought from David Wesson [1]:

This is the time for New Year’s resolutions. Let each of us resolve that during the year we will endeavor to make at least one contribution to the usefulness of our Society either by publishing the results of original work or initiating some new activities. The way to begin is to start. Let everybody try to start something worthwhile.

Together with the members of the Editorial Board, the Editorial Office team, and the Publisher of JAOCS, I am wishing you, our readers, a Happy New Year! Thank you to the many expert reviewers from around the world who have helped evaluate the manuscript submissions received at the journal. I would also like to thanks the editorial team of JAOCS for their friendship, support, and dedicated work to the journal. Truly, an amazing group working for you!

Best wishes in 2017,

James A. Kenar

Editor-in-Chief

Journal of the American Oil Chemists’ Society