Crops: A Growing Global Community of Crop Scientists

It has been two years since the inaugural issue of Crops was published. During that period, crop scientists throughout the world have contributed articles to this journal. In 2023, we published our 50th article, which is an important milestone for a new academic journal. We are now considered to be an established journal and can look forward to receiving an Impact Factor in the coming year. As with many new endeavors, growing a new journal takes time. We must attract papers in an environment where journal statistics are of key importance to authors, and we are only able to provide these after a critical number of papers have been published. We expect submissions to grow exponentially now that we are nearly through the startup lag phase.

Crops is realizing our vision of being a truly global journal of crop science. What sets us apart from other journals is a broad scope that is inclusive of all plant species grown for food, fiber, feed, and industrial products. We are open to all disciplines focused on crop production, improvement, and utilization. We are committed to open access, and our aim is to publish timely experimental and theoretical research results in a rapid and readily accessible manner. We achieved this due to an outstanding and committed Editorial Board that is representative of the diversity and scope of the journal and reviewers who have volunteered their time and expertise to evaluate papers and assist authors in communicating their science. We appreciate everyone’s service and are grateful to the many authors that have supported our mission by entrusting their papers with us.

Crop scientists working throughout the world are essential to solve many of the existential crises facing humankind. This journal was designed to break down barriers to communication in this important undertaking. We intend to continue bringing together the many disciplines involved in crop sciences, from molecular biology to ecosystem science and everything in between. We intend to continue publishing original articles about all plants that are grown as crops. We look forward to entering this new phase in our development. We aspire to publish the best crop science research from throughout the world. We hope that you will continue to support and grow with us.

If you want your work to reach a global audience of crop scientists, consider submitting it to Crops, the international journal of crop science.