One year has just passed and time has come to make a first assessment of the actions realised during 2022 in my quality of new editor-in-chief of International Journal of Limnology (IJL). As a preamble, I would like to say that I have learnt to become the editor-in-chief of an international journal and I am still learning. By saying that, I want to highlight that I know that not all is perfect yet but some important achievements have been made. This editorial gives me the opportunity to develop them so that each reader and future submitting author may know the efforts we made and my desire to make IJL a journal that matters, by now and for the years to come.

Let's begin this assessment with the renewal of the editorial team (https://www.limnology-journal.org/about-the-journal/editorial-board). When I joined IJL, I naturally set out to rejuvenate the editorial board. When I accepted the job, I also noticed that the board was mainly composed of men (>85%) and my first wish was clearly to change this. It is now, for both the associate editors and the members of the advisory committee, composed of an equal number of men and women, and this is clearly an important satisfaction. Last but not least, the scope of editors' expertise has been increased with some themes not considered before. Some microbes, eDNA and ‘omic’ tools, biogeochemical cycles, paleolimnology, to name only a few, came and enriched the former themes. This refreshment gave us also the opportunity to rewrite the categories and sections proposed by the journal which are now as follows: Applied limnology based on ecology or ecophysiology − Biological invasions − Bio-indication − Biotic interactions − Chemical ecology − Community ecology − Ecophysiology − Ecosystem ecology − Evolutionary ecology − Functional biodiversity − Global changes in Limnology Meta-analysis or review − Methods in limnology − Numerical ecology − Population ecology − Trait-based ecology.

A second important issue that was important to me was to remove the past and historical French connotation of the journal named before 2022 Annales de Limnologie − International Journal of Limnology. The first part was removed and the journal is now referred to only as International Journal of Limnology, i.e. an international journal in which any limnologist, from any country around the world can be interested in for a variety of reasons (as a reader, as an author, as a scientist who would like to propose a special issue dealing with freshwater ecology).

Logically, the aims and scope (https://www.limnology-journal.org/about-the-journal/aims-and-scope) were modified and it was proposed to write that International Journal of Limnology covers a large variety of ecological topics for both freshwater and brackish systems, and publishes original articles and reviews on all aspects dealing with ecosystem physical or chemical properties, biology and ecology. Manuscripts can be proposed about studies performed either in the laboratory or at field. Said differently, IJL aims at providing a unique media for topics addressing inland water environments (physics, chemistry, biogeochemistry, biology, ecology), from both fundamental and functional aspects to applications and management issues. To go with these changes, the journal cover was also refreshed following a decision by vote on a selection of images.

An important step was also initiated and implemented by the end of 2022. With the associate editors and members of the advisory committee, we are fully focused on increasing the impact of IJL through various initiatives of which the partnership with Peer Community In (https://www.limnology-journal.org/news/241-international-journal-of-limnology-becomes-a-pci-friendly-journal) is the most recent one. Indeed, IJL commits to publish preprints that have been previously recommended by PCI which, as you may know, is a non-profit organization gaining momentum, offering peer review, recommendation and publication of scientific articles in open access for free.

Since my appointment, I have also initiated a new program of topical issues. Topical issues are collections of articles focusing on a specific area of research (geographic, thematic, …) that falls within the aims and scope of the journal. These are handled by a team of guest editors specializing in the topic, and a permanent editor of the journal overseeing the peer review process. The first topical issue on “Advances in freshwater ecology in Sub-Saharan Africa” is in the editorial process, and will be published in 2023. Note that IJL publishes articles “on the go”, including the ones proposed for topical issues, ensuring timely publication for authors contributing to them.

Finally, as editor-in-chief of IJL and president of the French Association of Limnology (AFL), I have endeavored to revive the historical link between our journal and the European Federation for Freshwater Sciences (EFFS, https://www.freshwatersciences.eu/effs/index.asp?Page=HOME&Id=1). This collaboration aims to increase the visibility of both parties, via the possible publication of special issues, position papers, and so on.

Even if it is too early to analyze consequences of changes operated during 2022, in early 2023, I noticed that the number of submitted articles increased between 2021 and 2022 and we bet that this trend will go on with also increasing quality and impact in the forthcoming years. Despite a context where competition becomes harder and harder especially with journals with aggressive publication practices, I want to believe that with good research articles, good review articles, the proposals of some special issues and your help, it is possible to make IJL and important journal in the field of freshwater sciences, said differently to make this journal, your journal, Intriguing, Joyful and Lively!

Acknowledgements

I want to thank Anne Ruimy and Aliénor Decours-Perez from EDP Sciences (https://www.edpsciences.org/) for the trust and motivation they give to me, as well as their regular and precious help. I am also grateful to all the (new) scientists who accepted to integrate the editorial board.

© S. Jacquet, Published by EDP Sciences, 2023