It’s been two years since the British Ecological Society and Wiley-Blackwell launched Methods in Ecology and Evolution, and the journal has got off to a fantastic start. Tremendous interest in the Society’s youngest publication, and an abundance of high-quality submissions, have led to its switch from quarterly to bi-monthly publication. Authors have proven quick to embrace the use of online technologies to improve the uptake of their new and innovative methodologies, contributing tutorials, source codes and datasets and collaborating with the Methods editorial office for the production of engaging and accessible videos and podcasts. And in February, ISI announced that they would begin indexing Methods’ citations, putting it on track to receive an early impact factor.

For its first year of publication, Methods was made freely available online, while this year libraries have been able to opt-in to receive free, institution-wide access in perpetuity to the first two volumes of the journal and BES members have enjoyed free individual access. However, from January 2012 onwards, Methods will join the four other Society journals and be available on a subscription basis only. BES members will be able to access reduced-rate individual subscriptions.

Methods will still be made available to institutions in developing countries, through the AGORA, OARE and INASP philanthropic initiatives, and the journal will still be able to support authors keen to make their work even more widely available through Open Access publishing. The journal will also be continuing to provide free access to its Application papers – concise, practical descriptions of new software, equipment or other tools. And, of course, our videos, podcasts, and other enhancements designed to encourage and promote the easy dissemination of new advancements will also still be freely available to help promote and drive the development of new methods in ecology and evolution.