Fifty years of Area: Taking stock, looking forward

The year 2018 marks Area's 50th anniversary. The past 50 years have witnessed profound shifts in the nature of higher education, in research practices and priorities, and in academic publishing. In this Editorial, we look both to the journal's past and to its future. Firstly, we examine some significant publishing trends in Area between 1998−2018. Secondly, we use these data – and the occasion of the journal's 50th anniversary – to map out possible future priorities for the journal and, indeed, for geography as a discipline. Looking forward, our vision is for a renewed focus on multiple forms of collaboration, co‐production and the building of alliances as we seek to retain and sharpen our commitment to publishing cutting‐edge geographical research, and to hosting lively, provocative and generative debates about geography as a discipline.