We are pleased to announce that Molecular Cytogenetics has received its first official Impact Factor of 2.36 in June 2013.

We sincerely thank our distinguished international editorial board for their efforts on behalf of the journal, and our publisher, BioMed Central, for their in-house contribution to the speed and efficiency with which manuscripts are processed. Most important of all, of course, are our authors and reviewers [1], and to them we extend our particular thanks.

Since it was launched in 2008, Molecular Cytogenetics has considered 204 and published 179 articles, giving an acceptance rate of 86%. This exemplifies the journal’s inclusive editorial policy to publish manuscripts that are scientifically sound, and not just based on perceived impact. These articles cover a wide range of topics in molecular cytogenetics, including clinical and tumor cytogenetics, interphase architecture and karyotype evolution studies not only in human but also in other vertebrates. The journal is also open for molecular cytogenetic-based studies in any species, including invertebrates as well as plants. A rapid review process ensures that papers are published in a timely manner [1]. Our average time from submission to the first decision is 20 days, even under our stringent peer review process. As an open access journal, all papers are made immediately and freely available and articles are being accessed more than ever, with around 27,000 accesses per month. Table 1 shows the 10 most highly accessed articles published in Molecular Cytogenetics during the journal’s 5 years of publishing and Table 2 shows some additional highly cited articles. Authors can also access statistics about their article, such as how many times it has been accessed and discussed on social media websites. These statistics can be viewed by selecting ‘Article metrics’ in the right hand column of each article. In addition, all Molecular Cytogenetics articles are mobile-device optimized to facilitate easy reading on phones and tablets.

Table 1 Highly assessed/cited papers published in Molecular Cytogenetics (information valid for the end of June 2013)
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Table 2 Highly cited papers additional to those highly accessed
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Recently an obituary of a key person in our field, Prof. Dr. Lore Zech, inventor of banding cytogenetics was published and highly recognized in the community [19]. To reflect the needs of our community, in addition to publishing articles recognizing key contributions from the field of molecular cytogenetics, we are very pleased to launch our new journal blog to promote interaction among researchers. In this blog, we will engage in specific discussions with regards to new directions in the field and newly emerging technologies, as well as feedback from recent meetings/articles and more. The blog can be accessed at [20], and also through the journal homepage.

The field of molecular cytogenetics is now entering an exciting time. Following various large-scale sequencing projects that have revealed a high level of genetic heterogeneity, it is clear that single-cell resolution and cell population dynamics are essential to understanding the mechanisms of many common and complex diseases. Thus molecular cytogenetics has become increasingly important as it provides information on both individual cells and cell populations. We hope our journal Molecular Cytogenetics will promote the popularity of the molecular cytogenetic approach during the post-genomic era.

With the help of its readers and authors we look forward to the continuing growth of Molecular Cytogenetics.