Editorial

As another British summer dissolves into rain those of us in the academic world begin to look forward to the autumn term and the new challenges it will bring. The Research Excellence Framework, by which UK universities are rewarded for their research activities, will undoubtedly focus people's minds wonderfully and there will doubtless be a further flurry of last-minute paper submissions to journals. Given the very long lead times that many top-rated journals have, it will come as no surprise to find that much of this last-minute effort will be made too late to make a difference.