Actas continues to go from strength to strength. The decision of the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI), received early last year and announced at that time, does not seem to have had a negative impact on our growth. In 2011, we received 425 manuscripts (15% more than in 2010), of which 51.6% were accepted for publication. At 48.4%, the rejection rate was 12% higher than in 2010. Altogether, 743 referees participated in the peer review process (an increase of 26% over 2010 and of 56% over 2009).

Despite the rise in both the number of manuscripts received and of reviewers, the average interval between manuscript submission and the initial editorial decision became shorter, continuing a tendency to decrease annually by 15% since 2009. In 2011, the first-round of review took an average of 43.2 days (compared to 50.7 in 2010 and 63.7 in 2009). This downward trend, which we hope to sustain, has been influenced not only by the generalized use of the Elsevier Editorial System for online submission but also by the editorial board's many hours of work and our referees’ willingness and commitment. At some point it will be essential to ascertain the maximum workload our current editorial structure can handle and what changes will have to be made to adapt to the needs and demands of a competitive international journal.

Actas has an international projection that extends beyond the journal's print readership and beyond our borders. At present, Latin America is the source of the majority of online consultations (43%), followed by Spain (39%). The growing number of articles submitted by Latin American authors, who are linked to us and each other by a common language, reflects the recognition of our journal as a forum for scientific publication and debate in dermatology in Spanish, emphasizing our responsibility in this task. However, like last year, we still face the challenge of increasing our journal's impact in Europe and the United States (18% of page views), despite the effort made by the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (AEDV) in translating the journal into English and making the articles freely available through PubMed.

Our work has no meaning if you, the readers of Actas, are not interested in the articles published. Consequently, we are firmly committed to maintaining and improving editorial quality, but this is only possible thanks to the disinterested contributions from authors of both original and commissioned articles. The growing interest of Spanish dermatologists and ever larger numbers of foreign specialists in our journal means that we are attracting more important articles with greater scientific impact. Our thanks go to all our authors. At the same time, we would like to thank those who submitted manuscripts that were not published and express our regret. The number of manuscripts received now far exceeds the space available in the journal. In 2011, only 5 of every 10 manuscripts submitted were published, in most cases after significant changes proposed by the reviewers and the editorial team. Our aim is to sustain excellence in Spanish dermatology, and this leaves us no choice but to be selective, an approach guaranteed to enhance the quality of the journal and ensure that it gains a wider readership. We apologize to any authors whose articles took longer than average to review. Inevitably, some topics do pose particular difficulties in the review process, and we are bound to exercise caution when doubts arise.

Neither can we forget the disinterested contribution of the referees whose work ensures the scientific rigor of our publication. Quality peer review, which is increasingly becoming the norm, requires a generous gift of time and effort from our reviewers and their readiness can only be explained by their commitment to the overall undertaking Actas Dermo-Sifiliográficas represents. Our thanks goes, therefore, to all the members of the journal's advisory panel, who are asked to review a number of articles every year. Likewise, we extend a heartfelt thanks to all our external reviewers. Table 1 lists all who served on the advisory panel and all the external reviewers for 2011. One of our objectives in the medium term is to make advisory panel participation a true reflection of the work of those dermatologists who choose to dedicate time and effort to the task of making Actas Dermo-Sifiliográficas a better journal.

We would also like to acknowledge the work done by the editorial team at Elsevier Doyma—in particular the dedication of our editorial assistant Marisa del Barrio—and the invaluable support of the pharmaceutical industry, particularly in the current difficult economic climate.

Please accept our heartfelt thanks.

In a changing and competitive world it is difficult to maintain a standard of quality without specializing and drawing on the expertise of the top professionals in each field. Therefore last year saw the creation of 4 new sections, each one representing a specific subspecialty of dermatology and coordinated by experts in each area. These new sections are Dermatologic Surgery and Cutaneous Laser Therapy (Manuel Ángel Rodríguez Prieto, Francisco Russo, and Magdalena de Troy), Dermatopathology (Luis Requena, María Teresa Fernández-Figueras, and José Carlos Pascual), Pediatric Dermatology (Ángela Hernández, Eulàlia Baselga, and Asunción Vicente), and Evidence-Based Dermatology (Urbà González, Kim Thomas, and Jaime Piquero). By involving some of the best area specialists more closely in the work of Actas, our aim was to increase the number and quality of articles in these subspecialties and to achieve a level of excellence in both general and specialist dermatology. We also hope to draw on everyone's enthusiasm in the search for new ideas and proposals, and to achieve a fairer, more enriching, and, if possible, more efficient review process. In some of these sections we intend to start working with new formats, including streaming video that will complement the text and allow us to fulfill the educational and informative aims of the journal to the best of our ability. Time will tell what the eventual scope will be of these and other initiatives.

It is only fair that the effort and influence of Actas Dermo-Sifiliográficas should be recognized by quality indicators other than obtaining an impact factor. Statistics related to a number of measurable variables attest to our journal's successful implementation of good practices, and authors can refer to them when fulfilling requirements for career promotion and competing for official posts. The editorial board of Actas recently circulated a statement on this topic by way of info-AEDV; the statement was also sent by email to all authors and reviewers. Of particular interest is the fact that the journal is well indexed. It is presently included in Index Medicus/Medline, the Índice Bibliográfico Español de Ciencias de la Salud (IBECS, the Spanish Health Sciences Bibliographic Index), and the Índice Médico Español (IME, Spanish Medical Index). Furthermore, Actas has a Source Normalized Impact per Paper (SNIP) index of 0.450 and a SCImago Journal & Country Rank (SJR) of 0.048 based on the Scopus database. Also relevant is the presence of a large international advisory panel, and we emphasize the fact that research articles comprise 32% of the journal's content and that a growing number of submissions are coming from abroad. Furthermore, publication in Actas is accredited by the Spanish National Health System and the National System for the Accreditation of Continuing Medical Education (SEAFORMEC) (14.8 credits, 80hours).

The media and pathways through which information reaches the user today are vastly different from the ones familiar to those of us who have been in the field of dermatology for several decades. The traditional editorial structure can no longer meet the needs of a scientific community that does not settle for reading to learn, but which demands continuous training, updated information, and a forum where individuals can interact, discuss issues, share insights, and play a role in the communal project of Actas. What we are witnessing is a shift away from the classic vertical structure in which information is transmitted to users from academic institutions. Our future is a much more open, horizontal, and dynamic paradigm in which everyone can be a teacher and everyone should continue to learn. This is certainly an exciting adventure, but also a very demanding one. And Actas must respond to the challenge with leadership and excellence if we are to become a discussion forum of reference in a new communications culture that has clearly come to stay. Aram Boada, Juan Garcia Gavín, and Ana María Molina will work together on this new mission with the support of Patricia García Gavín, an online marketing expert who will help us meet the technical challenges. We trust that all of you will share our enthusiasm and support us in this new venture into an area where so much still needs to be done.

The challenges we talked about a year ago are now upon us. In addition to the rapid changes in the very concept of information, we are also facing new difficulties and challenges in our society and in this context Actas Dermo-Sifiliográficas will continue to meet the challenge of serving as the academic reference representing the excellence and leadership of the AEDV.