The first issue of Arrhythmia & Electrophysiology Review (AER) was very successful judging from the encouraging responses of readers around the world. Interest in the journal was not merely reflected by the attitude of readers; more important, in my view, was the willingness of experts of international reputation to contribute with articles of high quality and educational value. On certain occasions, a measure of success of a subspecialty journal also lies within the diversity of its readership. In the first issue, AER attracted papers for the general cardiologist, the interventional electrophysiologist and the basic scientist. Aristotle started his Metaphysics with the statement, "all men by nature desire to know" and this notion was the philosophical background of scientific rationalism as conceived by the great philosopher and scientist. Ascholarly produced review article addresses exactly this need - to concentrate existing knowledge on a particular subject, and present it in a systematic but concise and reader-friendly manner. We shall try to keep up with this tradition by means of intensive peer-reviewing and editorial involvement.
In an effort to reflect on the current reality of networked and facilitated communication, AER has recently entered into an agreement with the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) - the voice of European arrhythmologists - to become an official partnership journal. In addition to its free-to-access availability at www.aerjournal.com, this partnership will see the journal disseminated even more widely among EHRA membership as well as at key EHRA events, including EUROPACE 2013 in June.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to our contributors and colleagues for the tremendous support shown to date. It has enabled AER to take the first steps towards fulfilling its goal of assisting timepressured physicians in continuously developing their knowledge, effectiveness and productivity.
We very much welcome speculative submissions from professionals in the field. For further information, visit www.AERjournal.com