Connectionists: Submit to Network via Manuscript Central

[Geoffrey Goodhill]

Dear Connectionists,

I am delighted to announce that the journal "Network: Computation in
Neural Systems" is being relaunched by its new publishers, Taylor &
Francis. As part of this the journal now has an online manuscript
submission site based on Manuscript Central, which can be found at

http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ncns

This is linked from the journal's new homepage at

http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/0954898X.asp

Below is the Editorial that will appear in the March 2006 issue
introducing the new Network. Among other things it outlines some new
categories of papers Network will now consider.

The new contact address for the Editorial Office is ncns at uq.edu.au.
HOWEVER, during the transition period, please continue to send
resubmissions of existing manuscripts and any related correspondence
to net at tandf.co.uk as before.

Regards,

Geoffrey Goodhill
Editor-in-Chief, Network: Computation in Neural Systems

---------------------------------------------------------------

EDITORIAL: WELCOME TO THE NEW NETWORK

Computational approaches are now accepted as useful, important, and
sometimes even indispensible in most areas of neuroscience. It has
become common to see papers in primarily experimental journals
"garnished" by a modelling component. However, sometimes such journals
are not equipped to do justice to the many details that are required
to fully evaluate a mathematical/computational model. The role of
Network is to present models in neuroscience which one can trust have
been rigorously evaulated not just for their relevance to biology, but
also for their mathematical and computational correctness, novelty,
and elegance.  It provides an indispensible port of call for both
experimentalists and theoreticians who are eager to keep abreast of
the latest developments in this fast-moving field.

In July 2005 I was honoured to step into the large shoes of the
previous Editor-in-Chief, David Willshaw. David's history is almost
the modern history of computational neuroscience. He was there
"battling", as they say in Australia, when theoretical approaches in
some areas were often considered not just dispensible but downright
dangerous. However he persevered and ultimately triumphed,
establishing many of the basic theoretical foundations for areas
including associative memory and topographic maps. Since 1998 he has
devoted a huge amount of his time to the success of Network, for which
I for one am extremely grateful.

I now have the great pleasure of introducing you to a new era of
Network.  Taylor & Francis, the journal's new publishers, have made a
considerable investment in relaunching the journal with a new design
and a new online submission system based on Manuscript Central.  To
the already impressively staffed Editorial Board we have newly
recruited two eminent senior neuroscientists (Chuck Stevens and
Mu-ming Poo), and two new rising stars (Max Riesenhuber and Nick
Brunel).  We have also introduced a number of new categories of
articles we will consider for publication.  In addition to regular
Articles, Network has a distinguished tradition of disseminating more
lengthy Reviews. Besides continuing with these, we will now regularly
publish Editorials, Viewpoints, and Historical Perspectives.
Editorials will usually be contributed by a member of the Editorial
Board, and will provide a "bully pulpit" for these leaders in the
field to discuss issues they feel are of importance to the future of
computational neuroscience.  Viewpoints allow a more personal view of
an area than is appropriate for a Review, and will often be
opinionated and controversial. Occasional Historical Perspectives will
briefly outline people and/or events that have been crucial in the
past development of computational neuroscience, but which are perhaps
not as well known or understood by neuroscientists at large as they
should be. Usually Reviews, Viewpoints and Historical Perspectives
will be invited by the Editorial Office. However unsolicted proposals
will also be considered, which should consist in the first instance of
a 1-page summary sent to ncns at uq.edu.au.

Since becoming Editor-in-Chief I have been extremely impressed by both
the commitment and enthusiasm of the Editorial Board, and the very
thoughtful and thorough evaluations generously provided by many of our
reviewers. I offer my most heartfelt thanks to everyone who
contributes their valuable time to protecting and developing the
scientific quality of the papers we publish. Besides taking on the job
of Editor I recently moved my own lab to the University of Queensland,
and my new responsibilities to Network seem ideally served by my joint
appointment between the School of Physical Sciences and the new
Queensland Brain Institute. I am looking forward with relish and
excitement to the development of Network, and of computational
neuroscience more generally, in the years to come.

Geoffrey Goodhill, Editor-in-Chief
University of Queensland, Australia