Thanks to the steady guidance of its founder and Executive Editor Gianfranco Rizzato and of the brilliant editorial skills of its long time Chief Editor Giampiero Semenzato, “Sarcoidosis, Vasculitis and Diffuse Lung Diseases” has entered its 25th year of life. Unfortunately, the Unione Italiana per la Pneumologia (UIP), the Board of Italian Societies controlling the property of the Journal since 2002, found it increasingly difficult to sustain the high Executive and Editorial costs of the Journal and reached a contract termination agreement with the Executive and Chief Editors. On behalf of the Italian Respiratory Societies, the UIP President Antonio Corrado expresses his highest appreciation to Gianfranco Rizzato’s and Giampiero Semenzato’s continuing efforts in bringing Sarcoidosis to its high scientific standings. Over the years, the journal became one of the most widely cited sources of new information regarding sarcoidosis. The quality of the contributions led to a high citation index. With the publication of this issue, the Editorial team has valiantly accomplished the publication of all of the 2006 and 2007 issues of Sarcoidosis bringing the Journal back to schedule and earning the gratitude of the Italian Respiratory Societies.

After 25 years of successful publication, Sarcoidosis needs to speed up to the faster pace of research in the field and to reach a wider readership. In this regard, an agreement has been reached by the UIP and the WASOG Executive Committees: the Journal will be launched online by the Mattioli 1885 Publishing Company under the direction of a distinguished International Editorial Committee. The new committee will be led by Drs. Robert Baughman and Cesare Saltini as Chief Editors and Drs. Ulrich Costabel, Marjolein Drent, Sergio Harari, David Moller, Sonoko Nagai, Alberto Pesci, Venerino Poletti, Luca Richeldi, Paola Rottoli and Athol Wells have all agreed to act as Associate Editors. The scientific support of the Editorial Board will continue to be instrumental to the Journal’s continuing growth in scientific quality and prestige in clinical and basic research on sarcoidosis, interstitial and vascular lung disorders.

Sarcoidosis will therefore continue its pursuit of excellence. By going online, the Journal will better suit the scientific community. Publication times will be shortened by setting up web based manuscript submission and evaluation procedures and published articles will be made available to all researchers and clinicians in the field with the Journal online edition.

The new Editorial Committee would like to thank in advance Sarcoidosis readers and contributors for their continuing support, confident that they will help with making Sarcoidosis online a renewed success.