This is our first issue of 2006, and it brings with it a new sponsoring academy, the introduction of Operative Dentistry online and, as you have come to expect, some apologies. Our editorial family has worked very hard to constantly improve this journal, and we truly believe that this will be a landmark year.
The first order of business is to welcome the Academy of RV Tucker Study Clubs as a sponsoring academy of Operative Dentistry, and their logo will be a permanent addition to our cover. The Tucker Academy certainly needs no introduction, as they are internationally known as the premier cast gold study group. Their founder, Dr Richard V Tucker, is a legend and inspiration for excellence in restorative dentistry, and their membership includes many of the finest clinicians in the world. The Academy of Operative Dentistry, the American Academy of Gold Foil Operators and the Academy of RV Tucker Study Clubs have always shared a strong clinical orientation, a philosophy of excellence and attention to detail, a love for quality restorative dentistry and an international scope of membership. We are very excited that they have joined us and are confident that they will play an important role in the future of your journal.
This is also the first issue of Operative Dentistry as an online journal. We have been working for several years, gradually moving almost all aspects of the journal toward electronic processing. We started with our review process, added all of our communication with our printer and, last year, began requiring electronic submissions of all manuscripts. We also transferred all issues to CD as PDF files for the benefit of our readership. Throughout this process, we have been working with various agencies to find the best way and appropriate timing to introduce Operative Dentistry as an online journal. Last year, we felt that all the pieces were finally in place to make the big leap to web placement. Please review the following page for information on subscribing and accessing Operative Dentistry online.
Finally, the apologies. This issue is late because of two things. The good news printed above took a lot of time and energy to complete, which was in addition to all our normal duties. We also wanted to stay with our policy of publishing accepted articles as quickly as possible even with our constantly escalating submission rate. This (larger) issue wraps up all articles submitted in 2004 and obviously took more time in the page-setting process. Sorry for the delay, but we are trying to do our best to not only maintain the quality you should expect, but to continually strive to improve the journal.
Lastly, we know that there will be problems to be solved with our new online publication. Please let us know if you experience any difficulties, and bear with us as we eliminate the “bugs.”
We wish you a happy new year and hope that 2006 is a prosperous and productive year for all!