What do you think when you hear of a magazine called Molecular Plant? Is it about molecular cuisine or growing molecule-size plants?Neither of them! Molecular Plant is an internationally renowned plant science journal founded in China, with an impact factor that has topped all research journals in its field globally for three consecutive years. Let's go to the editorial office of Molecular Plant to know more.

Molecular Plant, sponsored by the Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Chinese Society for Plant Physiology and Molecular Biology, was established in 2008. Its latest impact factor is 17.1 and it has consistently topped the research journals in its field globally for three years. The journal closely monitors research developments and technological breakthroughs in the global plant science field, particularly focusing on research outcomes that address the challenges we face in food, environment, energy, and health.

Since its launch 16 years ago, Molecular Plant has covered a variety of remarkable achievements, including rice plants that traveled to space on board the Shenzhou-14 spacecraft, the versatile Calabash Brothers, a cover in the shape of the Chinese character for rice, made with different rice seeds, and amusing science cartoons by international cartoonists.

Cui Xiaofeng, Executive Editor-in-Chief of Molecular Plant, says the editorial team has eight members with international perspectives and strong academic backgrounds. Xiao Yang, Managing Editor of the journal, is one of them. "Their participation has bolstered our confidence in building a world-class journal and provided a solid talent foundation."

In addition to editorial work, Yang Xiao frequently visits laboratories, communicates with researchers, learns about scientific developments, and offers suggestions for new research topics from a science editor’s perspective. Xiao says through communication with young scientists, he has strengthened his scientific judgment and become more integrated into the development of the discipline.

"Editorial work may be obscure, but when I see authors presenting papers that I have edited at academic conferences and receiving attention and praise from their peers, I feel a spontaneous sense of closeness and pride." Now walking side by side with Molecular Plant for the sixth year, Yang Xiao anticipates that in the future, more high-level young scholars will join the editorial team to make the journal “deep-rooted and flourishing”.