Volume 24 of the Professional Animal Scientist (PAS) was completed recently with 684 pages. There were fewer pages than the 742 pages published in volume 23, largely due to smaller issues early in 2008 compared with 2007. Review papers were published on animal identification systems, diurnal grazing pattern, body condition scoring of dairy cattle, and heat-treating colostrum for calves. Additionally, papers on air and water quality in animal feeding operations that were presented at the 2007 ARPAS Symposium were included. There were 57 research articles and 21 case studies published during 2008. The average time required was 38 days to the first decision and 81 days from submission to the final decision (acceptance or rejection) of a manuscript.

The PAS journal seeks articles from a broad base and includes experiments that relate to applied problems in the animal sciences, including dairy, poultry, meat animals, horses, and other species. In 2008, the 51 articles concerning the beef industry dominated the issue. However, there were 17 articles relating to dairy cattle, 10 applied to swine, 4 were about other species (sheep, yak, and goats), and 4 about forages.

The research papers should be about procedures on important topics that are ready, or nearly ready, for application. Admittedly, applicability is difficult to determine in some cases. Research papers must be based on adequately replicated studies, and that has been the primary cause for rejection of a manuscript. Data on which papers are based must be from original unpublished research, case studies, field trials, scientific literature, or a combination thereof. Data gleaned from the literature are acceptable only if pooled for the purposes of analyzing, summarizing, and interpreting. Any member of FASS may submit articles; otherwise, articles must be sponsored by an ARPAS member or the ARPAS Governing Board.

Case studies and technical notes are acceptable when they have unique applications in any area of animal agriculture or a related discipline. These manuscripts should have literature citations, although they are usually more limited and generally more recent than technical reviews or original research manuscripts. The topic of the case study can be biological or economic, or it may deal with public or producer attitudes and perceptions. 

Letters to the Editor, policy, statements, or book reviews from ARPAS members or PAS subscribers will be published in a special section. Letters may offer comments or questions about articles previously published in PAS, technical questions requesting a scientist’s response, or educational notes about new or innovative approaches in teaching, extension, or industry programs.

A long-standing criticism of the Professional Animal Scientist has been accessibility of the information. As more issues were published, this became a greater problem to readers. In early September 2008, we completed the transition to HighWire Press, and PAS can now be accessed at http://pas.fass.org/ . Issues are available from 1997 to 2008, and searches for articles can be made by author or by topic. The list of selected articles is presented, and you can designate those for which you want the abstract or listing for a citation manager. Additionally, you can request notification of new articles matching your search. HighWire also provides a gateway to other services, and requests have been made to improve visibility of PAS via abstracting services.

So, spread the word! We would like more high-quality, applied research papers submitted to the journal at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/pas.