摘要
Launched by the Oxford University Press on behalf of the Botanical Society of China and the Institute of Botany of Chinese Academy of Sciences,the new Journal of Plant Ecology(JPE)publishes original research articles,reviews and forum pieces covering the entire field of plant ecology.We feel there is a great need for this journal in a time when many other journals are only able to publish a small amount of suitable manuscripts,often those for which they expect the highest impact in terms of citations.To achieve this,these journals focus on concepts and novelty.However,science,in particular the science of ecology,does not simply advance by accumulating concepts and novelty.In the long run,it is the sound results obtained in well-designed studies with sufficient replication and careful measurement and analysis which increase the base of knowledge on which interpretation,understanding and eventually the advancement of science depend.A key criterion by which sound scientific results can be judged is repeatability(a contrast to novelty!).One of the greatest threats to scientific advancement is nonpublication and exclusion of results from subsequent synthesis.By publishing sound scientific results,JPE aims to contribute to the advancement of plant ecology beyond concepts and novelty.
