After more than seven years as editor of Chemistry Education Research and Practice (CERP), I am standing down from this role, and this will be the last editorial of my tenure. Indeed, by the time this editorial appears in the first issue of the 2019 volume, I will have handed over to Michael Seery, who has been one of the Associate Editors, leaving the editorship in very good hands. It was suggested to me that this might be a good opportunity for reflecting back on my time as Editor. One of the most obvious themes that came to mind was how academic publishing involves a partnership among a diverse ‘team’ of people (see figure 1) - each with their own roles and responsibilities.