title: Editorial.
abstract: This has been a phenomenal year for Optics Express. The biggest news is the tremendous growth in the number of papers submitted (and published) in the journal. Over 700 manuscripts were submitted to Optics Express in 2003, a factor of 2.5 more than were submitted in 2002. Over 435 papers were published in 2003, a factor of almost 2.2 more than were published in 2002. This is extraordinary growth for any journal. To me, it indicates that Optics Express has been fully accepted by the optics community and is an attractive journal for an increasing number of authors. I am gratified and humbled by this growth, and will continue to do all I can to ensure the quality and timeliness of Optics Express.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Duncan