What gets highly cited in JAN? Can editors pick which articles will contribute to a journal's impact factor?

In the research community, impact factors are considered important and it is, therefore, likely that the impact factor of a journal will influence the authors choice of which journal to submit their manuscript. Accordingly, editors and their team must take impact factors matters seriously – even if they have reservations themselves – to attract the best papers and to promote the reputation of the journal. As this editorial shows, it is very difficult if not impossible to predict which articles will contribute highly to a journal’s impact factor and therefore the impact factor game is likely to continue for some time to come.