The opening issue of Volume 9 registers the publication of 8 volumes of Contemporary Political Theory. It is a good time to record our pride in the success of the journal. It is a journal that has established itself as valuable reading, covering a range of styles, and pointing to the force and subtlety of political theory as a discipline.

The editors are very pleased to report that our sense of the impact of the journal is supported by what now may be styled objective indicators. Palgrave Macmillan report that CPT has been accepted for coverage by Thomson Reuters in the following:

  • Social Science Citation Index

  • Journal Citation Report – Social Science Edition

  • Current Contents – Social & Behavioural Sciences

To be accepted for these citation indexes is indeed an index of the respect that the journal has now earned in the profession. Added to this, a recent survey discussed at the latest American Political Science Association conference reported that CPT was read widely by American political theorists. In addition, in 2009 CPT was registered as a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics, a UK registered charity concerned with the integrity of peer-reviewed scholarly publications.

I would also like to let you know some important news about the journal that we announced at the recent Board meeting. There will be a change in the editorship of CPT at the beginning of July this year, when Maria, Raia and I have chosen to stand down as Editors. We are very pleased to say that Palgrave have appointed Terrell Carver (Bristol University, UK) as General Editor, supported by Samuel Chambers (Johns Hopkins, USA) and other members of his team. Raia, Maria and I have all enjoyed our work in editing the journal. Raia and I have been editors from the outset, seeing the journal grow from an aspiration to recognise the various aspects and styles of contemporary political theory to its realisation as a mature and respected part of the political theory scene. The journal continues to attract an ever-growing number of submissions and CPT's feature articles elicit interest and high-quality contributions. Maria has been an outstanding editor of the Reviews section over the last year and collaborated productively with the other editors in the efficient and effective running of the journal. She too has enjoyed the experience but is taking this opportunity to stand down.

Raia, Maria and I would like to acknowledge the wonderful support of previous co-editors, namely Kimberly Hutchings and Simon Tormey and the associate editors, past and present, Geoff Stokes, Avigail Eisenberg, John Maynor, Xavier Guillaume and Simon again, who have done much to spread the word about CPT and to make it an international journal. We also want to record our heartfelt thanks to all Board members for the excellent support that they have given to us over the years. We have received useful feedback and many valuable suggestions, which have contributed to innovations in policy. We have also relied on them to contribute to the supply of reports and reviews that has enabled the journal to function smoothly and effectively. We are confident that the journal will continue to grow and flourish and we are very grateful for Board members’ help in making our vision of a political theory become a reality. We would also like to thank the hard-working editorial and production staff at Palgrave, including Guy Edwards, David Bull, Emma Jones and Emma Ross.

We have all enjoyed editing the journal. We are pleased that Terrell will be taking over, for he has been an active and helpful member of the Board from the outset, understands very well what the journal has tried to accomplish and appreciates it and, importantly, has plans to develop it further. It is good that the journal will have a new Editorial team, who will have the energy to develop new ways of promoting and delivering the journal.