The ''International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering research in the field of microbial systematics that was established in 1951. Its scope covers the

taxonomy Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification. A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...

nomenclature Nomenclature (, ) is a system of names or terms, or the rules for forming these terms in a particular field of arts or sciences. The principles of naming vary from the relatively informal conventions of everyday speech to the internationally ag ...

, identification, characterisation, culture preservation,

phylogeny A phylogenetic tree (also phylogeny or evolutionary tree Felsenstein J. (2004). ''Inferring Phylogenies'' Sinauer Associates: Sunderland, MA.) is a branching diagram or a tree showing the evolutionary relationships among various biological spe ...

evolution Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...

, and

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...

of all

microorganism A microorganism, or microbe,, ''mikros'', "small") and ''organism'' from the el, ὀργανισμός, ''organismós'', "organism"). It is usually written as a single word but is sometimes hyphenated (''micro-organism''), especially in olde ...

s, including

prokaryote A prokaryote () is a single-celled organism that lacks a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles. The word ''prokaryote'' comes from the Greek πρό (, 'before') and κάρυον (, 'nut' or 'kernel').Campbell, N. "Biology:Concepts & Conne ...

yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constit ...

s and yeast-like organisms, protozoa and algae. The journal is currently published monthly by the

Microbiology Society The Microbiology Society (previously the Society for General Microbiology) is a learned society based in the United Kingdom with a worldwide membership based in universities, industry, hospitals, research institutes and schools. It is the large ...

. An official publication of the

International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes The International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes (ICSP), formerly the International Committee on Systematic Bacteriology (ICSB), is the body that oversees the nomenclature of prokaryotes, determines the rules by which prokaryotes are named ...

(ICSP) and of the

International Union of Microbiological Societies The International Union of Microbiological Societies (IUMS), founded in 1927 as the International Society of Microbiology, is one of 40 member unions and associations of the International Science Council (ISC), and was formerly under ISC's pred ...

(Bacteriology and Applied Microbiology Division), the journal is the single official international forum for the publication of new species names for prokaryotes.Stackebrandt E. (2007) Forces shaping bacterial systematics ''Microbe'' 2: 283–288
(accessed 27 September 2007)SGM: About ''International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology''
(accessed 26 September 2007)
(accessed 27 September 2007) In addition to research papers, the journal also publishes the minutes of meetings of the ICSP and its various subcommittees.

Background and history

From the first identification of a bacterial species in 1872, microbial species were named according to the

binomial nomenclature In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

, based on largely subjective descriptive characteristics. By the end of the 19th century, however, it was clear that this nomenclature and classification system required reform. Although several different comprehensive nomenclature systems were invented (most notably, that described in '' Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology'', first published in 1923), none gained international recognition. In 1930, a single international body, now named the International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes (ICSP), was established to oversee all aspects of prokaryotic nomenclature. Work began in 1936 on drafting a ''Code of Bacteriological Nomenclature'', the first version of which was approved in 1947. In 1950, at the 5th International Congress for Microbiology, a journal was established to disseminate the committee's conclusions to the microbiological community. It first appeared the following year under the title of ''International Bulletin of Bacteriological Nomenclature and Taxonomy''. In 1980, the ICSP published an exhaustive list of all existing bacterial species considered valid in the ''Approved Lists of Bacterial Names''. Thereafter, the committee's ''Code'' required all new names to be either published or indexed in its journal to be deemed valid.Euzéby JP, Tindall BJ. Valid publication of new names or new combinations: making use of the validation lists ''ASM News'' (June 2004)
(accessed 8 August 2011) The journal was at first published quarterly by Iowa State College Press, which later increased to bimonthly. In 1966, the journal was renamed the ''International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology''.SGM: About SGM: History: A Short History of the SGM
(accessed 26 September 2007) The cover at one point bore a quotation from Mueller: "the sure and definite determination (of species of bacteria) requires so much time, so much acumen of eye and judgement, so much of perseverance and patience that there is hardly anything else so difficult." Between 1971 and the end of 1997, the journal was published by the

American Society for Microbiology The American Society for Microbiology (ASM), originally the Society of American Bacteriologists, is a professional organization for scientists who study viruses, bacteria, fungi, algae, and protozoa as well as other aspects of microbiology. It wa ...

. Publication moved to the United Kingdom in 1998, the journal being taken over by the

Society for General Microbiology The Microbiology Society (previously the Society for General Microbiology) is a learned society based in the United Kingdom with a worldwide membership based in universities, industry, hospitals, research institutes and schools. It is the large ...

, in conjunction with

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer. Cambridge University Pre ...

. The title was changed to ''International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology'' in 2000, to reflect the broadened focus of the journal. A major redesign brought the journal into line with the three other society journals in 2003, and at the same date the printer/typesetter changed to the Charlesworth Group. The frequency increased to monthly in 2006.

Role in nomenclature validation

The journal publishes research papers establishing novel prokaryotic names, which are summarized in a notification list. Each monthly issue also contains a compilation of validated new names (the ''validation list'') that have been previously published in other scientific journals or books. Since August 2002, publications relating to new bacterial taxa and validation of publication elsewhere have both required type strains to have been deposited at two recognised public collections in different countries.''International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology'': Instructions for authors
(accessed 27 September 2007) As of 2007, the journal has officially validated around 6500 species and 1500 genera. It was estimated in 2004 that over 300 new names had been published but not validated.

Modern journal

As of 2017, the

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

is Martha E. Trujillo (

University of Salamanca The University of Salamanca ( es, Universidad de Salamanca) is a Spanish higher education institution, located in the city of Salamanca, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It was founded in 1218 by King Alfonso IX. It is t ...

). According to the ''

Journal Citation Reports ''Journal Citation Reports'' (''JCR'') is an annual publicationby Clarivate Analytics (previously the intellectual property of Thomson Reuters). It has been integrated with the Web of Science and is accessed from the Web of Science-Core Collec ...

'', the journal has a 2021

impact factor The impact factor (IF) or journal impact factor (JIF) of an academic journal is a scientometric index calculated by Clarivate that reflects the yearly mean number of citations of articles published in the last two years in a given journal, as ...

of 2.689.

References

External links

* {{Official website, https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/ijsem Microbiology journals Delayed open access journals Publications established in 1951 Monthly journals English-language journals Academic journals published by learned and professional societies Prokaryote taxonomy Microbiology Society academic journals