Editorial - Reflecting on three years of M&TOD - Where we are and where we are going

Three years ago, the launch of our inaugural editorial^[1] and the original artwork inspired by a picture of Norwegian painter Edvard Munch [Figure 1] marked the beginning of the novel journal “Metabolism and Target Organ Damage” (M&TOD). At that time, with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and numerous competing editorial initiatives, the future of M&TOD seemed uncertain.

Figure 1. Cover of the first issue of M&TOD. M&TOD: Metabolism and Target Organ.

Today, as of July 2024, we can proudly say that M&TOD has established itself as a successful biomedical journal with a global membership, authorship, and readership. With 77 published articles and 236 citations (80 of which have been received this year alone), our journal has gained an impressive 3.0 citation score. This accomplishment reflects the tremendous effort of everyone involved and validates our hopes for further progress in the near future. My sincere thanks to you all! Without your invaluable contributions, these achievements would not have been possible.

Thanks to our Honorary Editors-in-Chief, Professors Giovanni Targher and Christopher Byrne. Thanks to the 53 Editorial Board members from 10 different countries, and to the 43 Junior Editorial Board members. Thanks to the Guest Editors of our three completed Special Issues and the 25 ongoing Special Issues. Thanks to our 226 reviewers, whose voluntary support has contributed in a determinant manner to our journal’s elevated scientific ranking. Thanks to all our 320 authors from Northern and Southern America, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa, whose worldwide prestige has shaped the history and current state of MASLD research. Their excellent work has been crucial to M&TOD’s success. Thanks to all the colleagues involved in our Webinars and Interviews, which have generated substantial interest.

Special thanks to the Editorial Office, particularly Alani and Jennifer, together with their colleagues, whose kindness, efficiency, and professionalism have been instrumental in maintaining communication with our extensive network of colleagues - including Editorial Board members, authors, reviewers, lecturers, and interviewees. The Editorial Office has also efficiently relayed suggestions to the Technical Office, ensuring that our journal’s graphical format remains up-to-date with the evolving needs of a growing publication.

In my inaugural editorial^[1], I concluded with the following statement: “The Editorial Board of this journal is committed to working hard to guarantee accurate and fair evaluation and prompt publication of papers received, with the aim of creating a scientifically solid and successful scientific journal.” I am proud to say that we have fully honored this commitment. The remarkable achievements noted above represent just a fraction of M&TOD’s exciting progress, as detailed in our recent journal activities analysis^[2]. I am also proud to mention that I have had the honor of co-authoring 7 of the 10 most cited articles^[3-9].

These attainments clearly demonstrate that everyone involved in running this journal has not only diligently fulfilled their responsibilities but has also exceeded them with dedication and passion for the journal! Therefore, we are now well-positioned to apply for inclusion in the PubMed database at the earliest favorable opportunity. To this end, we remain dedicated to continuously improving the quality of the papers we publish, with the goal of ultimately increasing citation rates.

In an era when research independence and freedom may face potential threats, our journal remains steadfast in ensuring autonomy and meritocracy for all researchers who, in various capacities, are involved in M&TOD. We welcome scholars from around the world who wish to collaborate with us to achieve excellence in publishing, which is the core mission of our loved journal.