Journal of Urology History Timeline

Pre 1917

1904

At the 3 ^rd Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA), Atlantic City, New Jersey, "Mr. F. H. Hitchcock, publisher, of 70 Fifth Avenue, New York, was invited to attend the meeting and submitted the following basis for the establishment of a monthly journal to be the organ of the Association, and issuing an annual report of the transactions: the urological Journal to be established as a monthly publication by the Grafton Press (Mr. Hitchcock, Treasurer), the Association agreeing that this Journal shall be the official organ of the Association and that they will pay to the publishers the sum of dollar 2.00 per year for each member of the Association as year's subscription to The Journal. The publishers will print in The Journal the papers and transactions of the Annual Meeting and at the end of the year will supply at not over dollar 100.00 extra, 200 copies of these papers and transactions, bound in paper; and for every additional copy ordered, fifty cents each. The publishers expect to begin The Journal as expensive in manner as seems to be needed and to increase the size and style as the growth of The Journal receipts seem to warrant. As long as The Journal is the organ of the Association, all matter, including advertisements, shall be subject to the approval of an editorial committee appointed and under the supervision of the Editorial Committee and the Executive Committee and the Executive Committee of the Association. No more stringent rules, however, regarding exclusion of certain advertisements, shall apply than are used by The Journal of the American Medical Association.

On motion, duly seconded, the proposition by Mr. Hitchcock was accepted."

1905

At the 4 ^th Annual Meeting of the AUA, Portland, Oregon, a request was made by the "editor of The Journal of Urology asking for a salary of $1200 per year from the Association." The Secretary of the AUA "stated that the income of the Society from all sources did not exceed $900 last year, and that the consideration of such a proposition was entirely impracticable." This issue, and whether to continue with The Journal, was referred to a special committee which was "explicitly instructed to remove all objectionable advertising from the pages of The Journal."

1906

At the 5 ^th Annual Meeting of the AUA, Boston, Massachusetts, it was recorded that "the Publications Committee... shall have full power over the publications of the Society, and shall, with the editor, manage The Journal of the Association.

1907

In a meeting of the Executive Committee of the AUA on July 8, during a discussion of annual dues, which were reduced to three dollars, "there was some doubt as to the possibility of the maintenance of a Journal." It was, therefore, voted "to empower the secretary and treasurer to contract such bills as may be necessary for the running expense during one year... "

Later, during the same meeting, the minutes state:

"As it appeared that with the surplus at present in the treasury it would probably be possible to continue The Journal during the current year, it was voted that the treasurer be authorized to pay bills, not to exceed one thousand dollars in amount for the conduct of The Journal if such should seem wise to the Executive Committee."

It was the sense of the committee that the title of The Journal "might without impropriety be changed by the omission of the word 'American' to read 'The Journal of Urology.'"

There was also the sense of the meeting that "the new Journal published should be in all respects the property of the Association, that the Association should either themselves be the publishers, or should copyright The Journal."

1909

At the 8^th Annual Meeting in Atlantic City, New Jersey, it was stated that there were "no funds available to meet expenses of editing a Journal."

1914

The transactions of the Annual Meetings continue to be published and a committee was appointed to again "take up the consideration of the publication of a Journal of Urology."

1917 – 1926

1917

"The Journal of Urology-Medical, Surgical and Experimental" is first published in February. "On April 6, the United States declared war on Germany. The associate editor was a member of the medical reserve corps and, along with Dr. J. A. Campbell Colston and Dr. William D. Jack of the staff of the Brady Urological Institute, applied for immediate service abroad. These applications were quickly granted, and in the latter part of April I had to turn over my duties as associate editor to Dr. William A. Frontz, who performed them so capably for a long time thereafter. Dr. Young was rather appalled by the inroads made and anticipated on his staff, but events moved so rapidly in those days that within weeks Dr. Young was in France and Dr. Jack and I were having dinner with him in Boulogne."
– David M. Davis

Hugh Young had been involved in the planning of a Urological Journal long before 1917. On December 14, an agreement was signed by H.H. Young and Edward B. Passano of the William & Wilkins Company of Baltimore, Maryland, that read, "bi-monthly publication of six hundred to six hundred fifty pages yearly, cost of four hundred dollars for the first year, six hundred dollars each succeeding year, to be paid by publisher. Subscription price per volume, five dollars."

1919

The Journal carried on under the care of Dr. Frontz. And, at the end of the war, the Editor found it in flourishing condition.

The Executive Committee appoints a special committee (Drs. Braasch, Buerger and Fowler) in March to "discuss arrangements for an official Journal of the Association." In December, the Executive Committee receives and approves the report by this special committee to make The Journal of Urology the official organ. The Journal will also publish papers read at the Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association, as well as those read before the branch societies. An Executive Editorial Committee is established. It is decided that the editor-in-chief will be elected by the American Urological Association for a five-year term, but, the General Assembly changes this to one year.

1920

H. H. Young writes: "At the Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association [it] was proposed to publish a journal devoted to Urology in which could be put the papers and discussions presented at the Annual Meeting. Realizing that it would be difficult for us to maintain The Journal of Urology if the second journal came into the field. I proposed to the Association that they take over The Journal of Urology without reservations." The Journal of Urology becomes the "official organ of the American Urological Association."

The Editorial Committee suggests "negotiations with other publishers to reduce price while increasing the size of The Journal. These lead to a considerable reduction of the subscription rates together with an increase in the size of each volume." This is accomplished through the cooperation of the AUA and the publisher, Williams & Wilkins.

The Executive Committee meets in June and decides that transactions will be discontinued "owing to the fact that a large percentage of all papers read before the Annual Meetings of the Association will appear in The Journal of Urology..."

Dr. Hugh Young is re-elected to the position of editor-in-chief.

The transfer of the private Journal to become the official organ of the AUA is detailed by Dr. H. L. Sanford, Secretary of the AUA, in the foreword to the Journal in the January issue. Hugh Young comments in the same issue that the original Editorial Board remains while an Executive Editorial Committee will be responsible to the Association for the management of The Journal.

1921

In January, The Journal becomes the property of the American Urological Association.

The Journal is enlarged into a publication of a monthly issue with six issues per volume and two volumes per year. This schedule continues to the present time.

1922

At several executive meetings, both the Editorial Committee and Dr. Hugh Young report that The Journal costs more than the subscription covers. On several occasions, this deficit was initially paid by Dr. Young and subsequently by the Association. The Association finally decides that it is important to increase circulation in order to lower the subscription fee, hoping to attract more subscribers.

1923

On several occasions, the Executive Committee minutes reflect a lack of cooperation between the Editorial Office and the AUA's Editorial Committee. However, Dr. Young is re-elected as editor-in-chief on an annual basis.

1927 – 1936

1929

The Editorial Committee contacts the Wilde's Publishing Company of St. Paul to print The Journal at a significant reduction in the cost of reprints, illustrations and, possibly, the cost of The Journal itself.

1930

In June, the Editorial Committee discusses establishing a section devoted to articles appearing in other journals. This is tabled until it is "unanimously requested by a majority of the members."

1931

On May 20^th, Dr. Young is re-elected as Editor-in-Chief of The Journal for a one-year term. It is discussed whether to appoint Dr. Frontz as Associate Editor . This passes with the provision "that this arrangement is only temporary until Dr. Young should regain his health."

1933

In June, the Executive Committee decides "that the Editorial Committee be empowered to abrogate the contract with the present publishers of The Journal of Urology if their wishes are not respected."

Also in June, Dr. Frontz is officially elected as Associate Editor; the position of Associate Editor is then confirmed through a By-Laws amendment.

1934

The annual report of the Editorial Committee, made in May, comments that "The Journal had run in the red during the last few years... it is evident that no more concessions will be made by the present publishers. If the Executive Committee thinks it will be necessary to increase the size of The Journal still further, other arrangements for publication will have to be made." The Editorial Committee also reports, "Dr. Young made a plea for the appointment of his associate, Dr. Colston, as Associate Editor. He thought it would be quite impossible for him to cooperate with an Associate Editor situated several hundred miles away. He stated emphatically the selection of Dr. Colston as Associate Editor would in no way ensure his continuation in office if Dr. Young should cease to act as Editor. The other members of the Editorial Committee, for personal reasons, disliked to refuse his request, and recommended the appointment of Dr. Colston as Associate Editor.

1937 – 1946

1940

Dr. Hugh Young is elected to a five-year term as Editor of The Journal. Dr. J.A. C. Colston is elected to a five-year term as Associate Editor.

1942 – 1946

No Executive Committee meetings take place. Business is transacted by mail and by polling its members. Dr. J. A. C. Colston is elected Editor-in-Chief and Dr. Hugh J. Jewett Associate Editor of The Journal for five year terms.

1946

Hugh Hampton Young's goal had been to publish a Journal dedicated to "experimental, medical and surgical" Urology. As The Journal continues to grow, the orientation of The Journal of Urology becomes more clinical. Also, "by the end of World War II, many Urologists without ready access to medical libraries" find it difficult to keep abreast of the expanding field. Jewett conceives the idea of a bi-monthly journal of abstracts of important articles contained in various publications, selected by prominent and knowledgeable department heads throughout the country. The first issue of this "Quarterly Review of Urology" appears in March.

The Executive Committee recommends that a contract be negotiated with William P. Didusch as Art Editor for The Journal of Urology.

During and Executive Committee meeting, the transfer of $17,430.00 from The Journal earnings to the permanent treasury fund of the AUA is authorized.

1947 – 1956

1951

The enterprise of the "Quarterly Review of Urology" is transferred to Williams & Wilkins under the new name of "Urological Survey."

1952

The offices of The Journal of Urology, which were located from its inception at the Brady Urological Institute of the Johns Hopkins Hospital, are relocated to 1120 North Charles Street, Baltimore, Maryland. From 1952 until 1954, Ms. Bertha May Trott spends part of her time at the new Journal office and after 1954 works there full-time.

1955

The Journal of Urology becomes a collection of clinical case presentations and review articles, shifting away from Young's vision of a Journal "Experimental, Medical and Surgical."

1956

"Founded in 1917 by Hugh Hampton Young" first appears on the cover of Volume 75.

1962

Dr. Colston reports the circulation of The Journal as approximately 7,900 copies with 500 subscriptions going to Mexico, Central and South America and Spain.

1957 – 1966

1963

In the early 1960s, W. W. Scott contacted about a dozen Urological Department Chiefs with a keen interest in research, feeling the need for a separate publication. The first issue of "Investigative Urology" is published in July.

Page 628 of Volume 89 contains the first socioeconomics article.

It is now mandatory to publish circulation figures. Page 770 of Volume 90 states that there are 8,180 paid subscribers.

1967 – 1976

1967

Dr. Jewett reports a monthly circulation in excess of 10,000 with about 3,000 subscriptions outside the United States. Of the 566 manuscripts submitted, 354 are printed.

1969

Hugh Judge Jewett's editorial states that, "Because of an increasing number of manuscripts of varying length and complexity submitted to The Journal of Urology, the Board of Editors has decided to list for the benefit of authors the principal requirements for the acceptability of a paper."

Monthly subscriptions for The Journal slightly exceed 11,000 of which 2,342 are member subscriptions, and 376 articles are published, or 60% of those submitted to the Editorial Board. Of 96 articles on Pediatric Urology, 77 are published.

1971

Dr. Jewett comments on the new contract, which guarantees the AUA 23% of all income to Williams & Wilkins for The Journal. The remainder is used by Williams & Wilkins to pay for printing, publishing and promotion charges.

Beginning in May, The Journal is to be printed by offset rather than by letter press. At the same time, it is recommended not to start a special Journal of Pediatric Urology but to continue the pediatric section within The Journal which began in September of 1969.

1972

The Journal, which was designated as the "Official Organ" of the Association in Volume 13 of 1925, is changed to "Official Journal" in Volume 107 of 1972 after Playboy had, not unpredictably, poked fun at this designation.

In the beginning of January, The Journal initiates a new page format and a change in type page makeup which allows us to print in 1,800 pages what formerly required 2,000 pages. It is Dr. Jewett's main goal to reduce the waiting period from acceptance of a paper to printing of a paper from 12 months to six months by the end of the year.

1973

The editor refers in his report to the Executive Committee to attempts by the IRS to "secure a tax on unrelated business income on the money coming into The Journal Fund by way of advertising in The Journal." Since the contract with the publishers gives the copyright to Williams & Wilkins Company, The Journal is legally able to avoid paying unrelated business income tax.

Public criticism of the contract between the publisher of The Journal and the AUA leads Hugh Judge Jewett to write another editorial stating that "Unsupported accusations leveled against The Journal of Urology and our publisher serve no useful purpose in preserving or advancing the interest of this Journal and those of the Association. We therefore recommend that future criticisms and suggestions concerning the operation of The Journal of Urology, which we welcome, be cleared first by our editorial office."

In the early 70s, the number of advertisements for The Journal begins to slip because of The Journal's trim size. Presses are being phased out by the printers and advertisers only want the so-called "A size" and not the "B size" that The Journal of Urology has been printed in since its inception. The Editor at this time vehemently refuses the change in size and actually throws the representative from Williams & Wilkins out of his office when he comes to explain and propose the change.

1974

In January, Dr. Jewett reports on the difficulty of getting qualified people to write review articles as they are too busy. Likewise, he finds it "almost impossible to get good editorials every month from highly qualified men with interest in a certain area."

The Executive Committee approves Dr. Jewett's proposal to establish a Board of Consultants to The Journal. "The Board of Consultants is in no way to affect the work of the present Editorial Board."

1975

Dr. Brendler serves as the first Chair of the newly formed AUA Publications Committee.

Hugh Judge Jewett announces a format change; letter to the editor, editorials on pertinent subjects, review articles and comments by experts with the rebuttals of the authors will be published in the future.

The contract between the AUA and Williams & Wilkins stipulates that the annual royalty paid to the Association by the Publisher instead be directed to the improvement of The Journal.

In May, the Executive Committee discusses the possibility of insuring The Journal in case it would be sued in order to protect the assets of the AUA. This is approved in January of 1976.

The content of The Journal is divided into sections, letters to the editor, urodynamics, pediatric articles and single case reports, review articles and editorial comments with replies by authors.

The first review article is published.

1976

Hugh Judge Jewett writes in another editorial that "difficulties experienced by our publisher and his legitimate concerns have made it necessary to change the size of The Journal of Urology. Consternation, disappointment and even grief may be felt by many of our readers, long accustomed to the old familiar style which fits so readily on the shelves of standard book cases. In this changing world all we can be sure of is change itself."

1977 – 1986

1977

H. J. Jewett announces his retirement as editor of The Journal. Dr. William W . Scott assumes the position. A Festschrift is published – as a supplement to The Journal – in honor of H. J. Jewett (Vol. 118, 1977).

In January, the Executive Committee reports that Williams & Wilkins is undertaking a subscriber survey to get reactions to the proposed merger of The Journal of Urology, Urological Survey and Investigative Urology for a proposed subscription price of $47.00 a year.

Subsequently, the three separate publications are printed as sections of The Journal, thus re-establishing H. H. Young's "aims, hopes and ambitions" to create a Urological Journal of experimental, medical and surgical scope.

1978

"Ad Wells" are first published in the January issue. Ads are grouped and placed at the end covers, as well as between the sections of the Journal itself, the Urological Survey and the Investigative Urology section.

The first clinical pathological conference is published.

1983

Dr. Brendler computerizes the editorial office with a manuscript tracking system that is still in use today.

The first guest editorial on a group of articles within the issue is published.

1984

The Journal begins publishing the AUA program abstract book and continues to do so.

1986

The first "Urologists at Work" section is published.

1987 – 1996

1987

The Section on Urology of the American Academy of Pediatrics begins publishing supplements to The Journal.

1989

From 1917 to 1975 the trim size of The Journal was 10" x 7" with the contents on the cover page. In 1975, the trim size was changed to 11" x 8"; the contents were still kept on the cover page. In 1989, the AUA places its logo on the cover and the contents are moved to the inside of the issue.

1993

Waverly Press, located in Baltimore, Maryland, sells its printing division to Cadmus Press, now located in Easton, Maryland. From the early beginnings, Waverly Press has been the actual printer for the Journal, Williams & Wilkins the publisher.

1994

Pediatric Urology had been a separate section from 1970 to 1975; it then was blended into the overall contents of The Journal but became a separate section again in 1994.

The first peer-review seminar is conducted by the editorial staff of The Journal in Houston. These seminars continue biennially.

The first "This Month in Clinical and Investigative Urology" pages are published.

The first "AUA Guidelines" are published (Staghorn Calculi).

The first Spanish edition of The Journal of Urology is published on a quarterly basis.

1995

Of 845 accepted manuscripts, 302 are submitted by foreign authors, making The Journal a truly international Journal. The first CME questionnaire is published.

1996

Subscriptions to The Journal increase to 18,357.

1997 – 2006

1997

Major papers presented at the Annual Meeting are distributed in abstract form on CD ROMs.

The AUA Guidelines Panel Summary Reports on the Management of Vesicoureteral Reflux in Children, Surgical Management of Female Stress Urinary Incontinence and Management of Ureteral Calculi are published in The Journal.

The AUA history exhibit on The Journal of Urology (1902-1997) by Dr. Rainer M. Engel, AUA Museum Curator, is displayed at AUA meeting in New Orleans.

A special issue celebrating former editor, Dr. William W. Scott, Sr. on his 85^th birthday is published as part 2 of the December issue.

The AUA Board of Directors approves a peer review training seminar in Europe.

1998

The Journal adopts AUA's new Disclosure/Conflict of Interest Form to be used by authors.

The first international peer review seminar is held in Europe.

Before being bought by Wolters Kluwer, Williams & Wilkins recommends to the AUA to publish The Journal twice monthly in efforts to reduce issue size and increase advertising revenue.

Wolters Kluwer acquires Williams & Wilkins and combines it with Lippincott-Raven to form Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW).

1999

A new section, "Female Urology," is introduced into The Journal.

AUA Clinical Guidelines Panel Summary Report on Management of Nonmuscle Invasive Bladder Cancer is published.

Contract negotiations begin in earnest with LWW after the decision not to self-publish is made.

2000

New 5-year publishing agreement is signed with LWW to continue publishing The Journal.

After completing two 5-year terms, Dr. Patrick Walsh is replaced by Dr. Ralph V. Clayman from St. Louis, Missouri as editor of Urological Survey.

The Journal, along with BJU International, Urological Research, European Urology and World Journal of Urology co-publish "Guidelines on Good Publication Practice," developed by COPE (Committee on Publications Ethics).

The second international peer review seminar is held in Asia.

2001

The table of contents listed on The Journal issue cover is replaced with an illustration from an article within the issue.

After serving more than 15 years as editor of Investigative Urology, Dr. Stuart Howards names Dr. Anthony Atala from Boston, Massachusetts, as his successor.

2002

A third Associate Editor is added to the editorial board as well as a committee of Specialty Society Editors comprising 11 representatives from national and international specialty societies.

A special supplement of "classic articles" on urology is published with the February issue to commemorate the bicentennial of the AUA.

Also to commemorate the AUA's bicentennial, two sections are introduced for this year only. "Milestone in Urology" and "Classic Articles in Pediatric Urology" feature articles of significance to the field of Urology reprinted in their entirety from other journals.

The AUA's Best Practice Policy for Male Infertility is published.

The AUA Board of Directors agrees that should The Journal exceed its page allowance, the Convention department will be allocated the excess page expense associated with publishing the Program Abstract Book.

First recorded Impact Factor (cites to recent articles/number of recent articles) for The Journal is 3.030.

2003

A new group of 8 Assistant Editors to work with the 3 Associate Editors (2/Associate Editor) joins the Editorial Board of The Journal.

As many as 4 Review Articles per issue are published.

Rapid review process is implemented for which authors pay a fee of $250 to learn of the disposition decision within 72 hours of submission.

Industry sponsored supplements are now allowed.

Approximately 2,700 manuscripts from around the world were submitted to The Journal and the acceptance rate is 44%.

Part 1 of the AUA guideline on Management of BPH and the AUA guideline on Management of Priapsim are published.

A joint Advisory Statement is published by the AUA and American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons on antibiotic prophylaxis for urology patients with total joint replacements.

Impact Factor is 3.297.

2004

The AUA decides to put The Journal out for bid to other publishers after 87 years with the same publisher. Based on an outside consultant recommendations and after reviewing 2 bid proposals from Elsevier and Springer, the Board of Directors voted not to renew the current agreement with LWW, not to self-publish The Journal and to negotiate further with Elsevier and Springer-Verlag as the future JU publisher.

Dr. William D. Steers is promoted from Assistant Editor to Associate Editor, bringing the total number of Associate Editors to four.

Printing the volume indexes is discontinued in an effort to make The Journal smaller.

Dr. Martin Resnick from Cleveland, Ohio and former JU Associate Editor succeeds Dr. Jay Gillenwater, who has completed his final second 5-year term, as Editor of The Journal.

Major changes are implemented following a strategic planning meeting held this year, including online only manuscript submission and review; reducing the size of The Journal by publishing only the best articles; greater visibility for Urological Survey; and a complete redesign , introducing more color, new format, new sections and new features (Pathology Page and Radiology Page).

2005

For the first time in the history, the AUA puts The Journal out for bid to other publishers. A field of 10 publishers submitted proposals, which was narrowed down to 5 and then 3 top contenders. After a rigorous vetting process by AUA key staff, editors, Publications Committee and Board of Directors, Elsevier, Inc. was selected as the new publisher.

A major benefit of collaboration with the new publisher, among many others, is a newly customized Journal website offering full-text online access to Journal articles to member and non-member subscribers.

The Urological Survey Section moves from the back of the issue to throughout the issue such that each area of commentary is published with its appropriate topic section.

Editorials written by Associate and Section Editors are published each month on a rotating basis.

A complete list of abbreviations is printed at the end of each article instead of each abbreviation being buried in the text for easier reference.

Eulogy for G. James Gallagher, AUA Executive Director, who acquired ownership of the title The Journal of Urology® for the AUA, is published.

2006

The Board of Directors amend the section on honoraria and related activities, as well as conflicts of interest in the editor's agreement with the AUA as follows:

"(c) At no time during the term of this Agreement shall the editor undertake any employment or consulting arrangement in conflict with or inconsistent with his primary duties to the AUA [as identified by the Board of Directors] under this Agreement.

"(d) During the term of this Agreement, the editor shall not agree to serve in any capacity as expert witness nor reviewer, in any matter involving professional liability, though he may serve as a fact or medical witness for his own patients."

Dr. Resnick asks the AUA to encourage other journals to print summaries of the AUA guidelines with reference to the complete documents published in JU as well as on the AUA website as a way to promote guidelines instead of allowing duplicate publication in competing journals with which the Directors agree.

Elsevier hosts a reception at the AUA annual meeting honoring the 2015 outstanding and best peer reviewers; this reception continues annually to this day.

CME credits are offered to peer reviewers of manuscripts as a way of thanking these volunteers for their hard work.

Papers presented at the biennial meeting of the International Children's Continence Society are published in the July issue.

For the first time, the Best Peer Reviewers are recognized in a special editorial, an annual tribute that continues to the present day.

Best of the Rest in Urological Survey is published, featuring commentaries of the most important advances in the field based on the literature searches performed by the Survey editors.

Dr. Peter Carroll completes his term as Associate Editor and Dr. Jack Elder completes his term as Pediatric Urology Section Editor.

2007 – Present

2007

Dr. Joseph A. Smith, Jr., becomes Associate Editor and Dr. H. Gil Rushton, Jr, becomes Pediatric Urology Section Editor.

A review of the proceedings from the Prostate Cancer Biomarker Conference on the current status of biomarkers potentially associated with prostate cancer outcomes is published.

A total of 12 articles from the first Urologic Diseases in America Project are published. The Project addresses health issues affecting men, women and children, and took 5 years to complete.

Impact Factor reaches its highest value to date at 4.053.

Dr. Resnick discusses possible strategies for transitioning his position to a new editor. The Board of Directors creates a search committee for a new JU editor. Formerly this function had been performed by the AUA Publications Committee and Journal Editorial Board. Members of the new search committee will be appointed by the AUA President. A timeline is established to ensure effective transition of the editor's responsibilities.

2008

Dr. William D. Steers is appointed Editor of The Journal of Urology®.

Dr. Deborah Erickson, former Assistant Editor, is promoted to Associate Editor and becomes the first woman to hold that position.

A retreat is held with the JU editor and associate editors, and Elsevier, the publisher, during which enhancements to The Journal's appearance and content are discussed.

State-of-the Art Lectures are published and Historical Articles begin to be phased out.

New initiatives to the Pediatric Urology Section are introduced, including expansion of the reviewer database, monthly pediatric guest editorials and invited pediatric urology review articles.

Dr. Tony Atala and Dr. Ralph Clayman complete their final term as editors of Investigative Urology and Urological Survey, respectively, and are replaced by Dr. Karl-Erik Andersson and Craig Niederberger.

2009

The Journal of Urology® was chosen by the Special Libraries Association as one of the top 100 most influential journals in medicine and biology during the last century.

Commencing with the January 2009 issue, JU features a larger font for ease of reading and a redesign that looks much more professional with less red, cleaner lines and the use of gray; Opposing Views are introduced, which are articles on controversial topics with pro and con sides written by experts in the field; the time to review manuscripts decreases from 4 to 3 weeks; and JU's impact factor is calculated by sections to determine which ones are not being cited.

Historical Articles are no longer published in The Journal and the option of a compendium of historical articles to be published as a supplement to The Journal was proposed.

An International Editorial Committee is appointed.

The Board of Directors informed the editor that AUA Guidelines and Best Practice Statements prepared through the AUA PGC Peer Review process and approved by the Board are to be published in The Journal without independent peer review. However, a JU editor is to actively participate in the PGC peer review process of these documents.

Notice of intent to renew the publisher agreement with Elsevier is due on December 31. After several publishers bid on The Journal and based on Elsevier's proposal, which was the best received, the Board of Directors approved the renewal agreement with Elsevier for an extended 8-year term (previously 5 years).

2010

A new feature, Video of the Month, is introduced to showcase videos presented at the AUA Annual Meeting.

The Pediatric Section of the July issue was devoted to 10 original articles and 1 review article from the 2009 International Conference on VUR in Children.

The editors agree to disband The Specialty Society Editorial Committee due to lack of activity by that group.

Impact factor begins a 4-year descent.

2011

A supplement of the presentations from the First World Congress of Pediatric Urology was published with the June issue. Articles by organizations from around the world were published, including the Society for Pediatric Urology, International Children's Continence Society, Asia-Pacific Association of Pediatric Urology, Sociedad Iberico de Urologia Pediatrica, Section on Urology of the AAP, Society for Fetal Urology, European Society of Pediatric Urology, Egyptian Urological Society/Pan African Urological Surgeon's Association and Pediatric Urology Nurse Specialists. Dates for the meeting were chosen to coincide with the 2010 AUA Annual Meeting; this Congress marked the beginning of collaboration of the Society for Pediatric Urology with the AUA which continues today.

The Twitter username, @JUrology, is launched. Dr. Craig Niederberger, Editor of the Urological Survey Section of The Journal, formulates a Twitter presence for The Journal by having editors of the Survey Section tweet about their editorial comments.

The Journal of Urology® is awarded the Gold Circle for Best Peer-Reviewed Journal by the American Society of Associate Executives.

2012

A SWOT analysis of The Journal, including an impact factor analysis, leads to several strategies put into place this year to improve the impact factor and publication processes.

Word count restrictions are applied to editorial comments published in the Urological Survey Section.

To increase the number of citations to The Journal, a recommended reading list of Journal articles is published in the Survey Section, and complete Journal references, instead of just page numbers in the issue, are cited in editorials.

Overall time from submission to decision decreases from 8 weeks to 5 weeks.

Manuscripts are posted online and citable within 1 week of acceptance.

Review Articles, which are highly cited, and Opposing Views, to encourage use of social media, are designated open access so anyone can read them.

The pool of reviewers and statisticians is increased; payment to reviewers who perform rapid review is increased.

The editor begins formally reporting annually to the Board of Directors under Compensation Committee protocols.

A supplement comprising four AUA Guidelines released this year is published with the December issue.

The Journal of Urology® has its own iPad app.

The Journal becomes the most highly cited journal among all nephrology and urology journals with a total of 46,155 citations.

The Journal of Urology® Lecture debuts at the 2013 AUA meeting.

A formal written policy on editorial independence, adapted from policies established by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors and the World Association of Medical Editors, is established by the editors and accepted by the AUA.

A commercially supported supplement on Men's Health comprising reprinted articles from The Journal on select topics accompanied by contemporary is published; a total of 154 citations, or 7.3 citations/article, have been reported for that issue.

The impact factor (3.753) begins its steady climb back toward higher values as some of the initiatives from the strategic plan take effect.

2014

Dr. Steers requests appointment of an Online Content Editor to bring The Journal up to par with and exceed its competitors, which the Board approves in concept pending submission of a formal job description.

In anticipation of the end of his term, Dr. Steers works with the AUA appointed Search Committee for his replacement as editor of The Journal.

The former AAP supplement which mailed with the October issue of The Journal formally becomes the SPU/AUA supplement comprising presentations from the Society for Pediatric Urology now being held at the AUA annual meeting, and mails with the April-May issue of The Journal.

2013

Strategies continue to be put into place to improve The Journal's impact factor and publication processes.

AUA Guidelines are posted online and citable within 1-2 weeks of submission, and published within 2 months of their release.

Dr. Inderbir Gill is appointed Feature Editor of a new section in The Journal called New Technology and Techniques.

The number of basic science articles published is decreased from 10 to 8 and the number of pediatric articles published is decreased from 10 to 6 per issue as neither type of article is highly cited.

Eight new Assistant Editors are hired, bringing the total number to 14 Assistant Editors to assist with making decisions in an effort to speed up the review process.

New International Editorial Committee is appointed with specific job responsibilities assigned.

Peer review seminars here and abroad are held to attract and train new reviewers.

2015

Dr. Joseph Smith, Jr. becomes editor of The Journal of Urology®.

The Board of Directors approve the appointments of Dr. Toby Chai to replace Dr. Deborah Erickson as Associate Editor, and Dr. Julian Wan to replace Dr. Michael Ritchey as Pediatric Urology Section Editor; the Board also agrees that they will no longer need to approve appointments of future associate and section editors of AUA publications as that will be done by the respective editor and members of the AUA Publications Committee.

The position of the online content editor is approved and the search begins.

A peer review seminar is held at the EAU meeting in Madrid by The Journal editors along with the editor of BJU International and European Urology; it is so successful that Dr. Smith puts a franchise on the meeting.

A strategic planning meeting of the editors is held and the overarching goals of The Journal are established, which are 1) improve the impact factor and 2) produce a comprehensive quality journal.

Publication of the Radiology Page and Pathology Page areis discontinued, and talk begins about phasing out the Investigative Urology Section at the end of the IU Section Editor's term.

The AUA Publications Committee recommends and affirms to discontinue publishing historical articles in The Journal.

The 2015 impact factor reaches an all-time high at 4.700, all of which is due to the initiatives set forth in the 2012-2013 strategic plan.

2016

An hour on the AUA's Plenary program at the Annual Meeting is devoted to presentations by each Associate Editor on high impact articles on their respective specialty published in The Journal.

December will be the final issue for the Investigative Urology Section; however, preclinical scientific studies that have the direct potential to translate into new and improved standards of care will be published within the main body of The Journal as original scientific articles.

The new online content editor is appointed and will orchestrate online activities not just for The Journal as initially intended when Dr. Steers introduced this position, although that is where the work will begin, but will be responsible for all AUA publications. Due to the scope of work anticipated, the Board of Directors approved soliciting the help of 4 assistant online content editors, and their work has begun.

The Journal's impact factor reaches an all-time high of 4.700.

The Twitter username, @JUrology, has 10.2 followers.