Karen M. Ridge PhD is Professor of Medicine and Cell and Developmental Biology at Northwestern University. She is a Deputy Editor at the American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology, and an editorial board member of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine and the FASEB journal. Martin Kolb MD PhD is the Moran Campbell Professor in Respiratory Medicine at McMaster University and the Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health, and Chief Editor at the European Respiratory Journal. In part 1 of our 3-part series, Drs. Ridge and Kolb give their advice on the editorial review process.