Announcements from the New Chief Editor

While accepting the responsibility of the “chief editor” of ASCE’s Journal of Bridge Engineering effective October 1, 2009, I would like to thank Mr. Bruce Peterson, previous editor of the Journal, for his exemplary service to the Journal and the profession. I am committed to maintain and to make further advancements in the reputation of the Journal that Bruce has established.

The Journal, devoted exclusively to bridge engineering, reports on both the theory and the practice of the structural design, inspection, construction, and performance of bridges. From materials to rehabilitation, safety to demolition, papers published in the Journal address all aspects of a bridge’s life.

Currently, all manuscripts are submitted to the Journal online through Editorial Manager (http://www.editorialmanager.com/jrnbeeng/default.asp). Review and revision process for all submitted manuscripts are also conducted online. This has helped us in reducing the review time significantly while maintaining the quality of manuscripts accepted for publication in the Journal. The Journal has also started preview of manuscripts on the Journal’s Web site that have been peer-reviewed, accepted, and posted online before the final, copyedited version is published online and in print.

We can maintain our tradition of excellence and promotion of cutting-edge advances in the bridge engineering research and practice only by collectively participating in the peer-review process. Every year, we recognize the participation of all reviewers in the peer-review process by publishing their names in the November issue of the Journal. ASCE is also implementing a new “Reviewer Recognition Program.” This initiative will allow editors to recognize outstanding reviewers based on the quality of reviews and their turnaround time. Names of selected outstanding reviewers will be posted on the Journal’s Web site (in a special section for Outstanding Reviewers). A certificate of appreciation will also be sent to the reviewer and to the department head of the institution where the reviewer is associated. In addition to this, we may also publish an editorial or announcement in the Journal acknowledging outstanding reviewers. There is no limit on the number of outstanding reviewers that can be selected in any particular year.

It is my privilege and pleasure to invite you to submit your scholarly articles to the Journal and participate in the peer-review process. For every manuscript submitted to the Journal, we generally need three peer-reviews to make a decision. Hence, as a potential author for the Journal, you are expected to review three manuscripts during an academic year. Without a timely review of articles, we cannot facilitate a timely communication of research findings to engineers and other researchers. To achieve the mission of the Journal to facilitate exchange of most recent research findings, we are planning to implement numerous proactive steps to expedite the review without compromising with the quality of review.

I want to thank all readers, authors, and reviewers of the Journal for their continued support. Please kindly support associate editors who invite you to review an article by accepting the invitation for a review and by completing the review in a timely manner. Associate Editors spend a lot of time and efforts in identifying and inviting you as a reviewer. Since the review process is a voluntary effort by all involved, and associate editors may be required to handle numerous manuscripts a year, your support of their efforts by helping in timely review of manuscripts will certainly make our peer-review process a more efficient and rewarding experience. Please remember that other reviewers support by volunteering their time and efforts in the review of your submitted articles.