Passing the Torch
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 141, Issue 8
In March 2015, I completed 5 years of service as editor-in-chief and Mo Gabr took over as the new editor-in-chief of the ASCE Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering (JGGE). Mo and I started as editors in 2007 under the capable leadership of Jon Stewart, and thus have a long record of service together. I sincerely thank Mo for his willingness to accept this important responsibility and am confident in his ability to lead the journal. I would also like to acknowledge the outstanding service of our continuing editors, Rod Salgado, Tim Stark, and Joe Wartman; it has been a pleasure working with them during my term. John McCartney will be moving up as editor when I step down and has my full confidence as well. Finally, I would like to thank our many associate editors for their dedication and hard work for the journal. The new leadership and editorial board are well positioned to carry forward the tradition of excellence for the JGGE as a leading worldwide venue for publication of geotechnical engineering research.
My inaugural editorial as editor-in-chief established several goals, broadly: (1) to improve communications with the editorial board and geotechnical community; (2) to raise the general rigor of the review process; and (3) to enhance the international reputation of the journal. I am pleased to report that these goals and more were achieved during my term. Specifically, the following progress was made during the last 5 years:
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Annual state of the journal editorial: I published an annual state of the journal editorial to inform the readership of the current status of the JGGE and any changes to the editorial board. New initiatives and priorities were announced as well as the recipient of the Outstanding Associate Editor award.
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Annual state of the journal address: I delivered an annual state of the journal address to the ASCE Geo-Congress to inform attendees of the current status of the journal and other information provided in the state of the journal report.
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Annual conference call with the editorial board: In addition to the annual face-to-face meeting at Geo-Congress, I conducted an annual conference call for the editorial board.
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Change of title for editorial board members to associate editors: One of my first actions as editor-in-chief was to change the title of editorial board member (EBM) to associate editor (AE). The AE title is more consistent with other ASCE journals and the role of providing recommendations to editors on publication decisions. The title of AE is also more prestigious, which has reduced turnover for the editorial board and provided greater stability for the journal.
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Complimentary journal copies for editorial board: Coincident with changing the title to AE, I requested that our AEs and ombudsman receive complimentary copies of the journal. This is a small but important gesture of appreciation for the hard work of the editorial board members.
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Highest manuscript submissions: Submission of new manuscripts increased from an average of 399 per year in 2005–2009 to an average of 616 per year in 2010–2014.
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Lowest manuscript acceptance rates: I encouraged the editorial board to raise expectations for published papers. The average acceptance rate decreased from 43% in 2005–2009 to 30% in 2010–2014. The current acceptance rate is among the lowest of the ASCE journals and indicates high selectivity for the JGGE.
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Lowest manuscript turnaround times: Manuscript turnaround times have steadily decreased to a record low of 1.8 months for all submissions and 3.9 months for papers that underwent full review in 2014.
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Highest impact factors: JGGE impact factors have risen sharply. In 2014, the 1-year impact factor was 1.47 and the 5-year impact factor was 1.78, both at record levels. By comparison, the average 1-year impact factor was 0.80 for 2005–2009.
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Lowest rate of manuscript appeals: Author appeals of decline decisions to our JGGE ombudsman dropped to approximately one per year in the last 3 years. Historically the rate has been closer to six per year. This can be attributed to generally more rigorous reviews and extra diplomacy when necessary.
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Increased manuscript screening: Over the course of my term, I steadily increased the screening of new manuscripts at the editor-in-chief level to protect the valuable time of our volunteer editors, associate editors, and reviewers. The percentage of manuscripts declined or returned for revision, without involving the editorial board, was 38.7% in 2010, 40.0% in 2011, 40.3% in 2012, 50.3% in 2013, and 50.6% in 2014.
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Continued emphasis on practice-oriented papers: Publication of high-quality practice-oriented papers under the new category of case study remained a priority. Allen Marr, Chuck Ladd, and I coauthored an editorial, entitled “Guidelines for Writing a Case Study Paper” to provide guidance to authors on writing these papers.
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Introduction of forum articles: Forum articles are thought-provoking opinion pieces or essays, sometimes containing speculation, on a topic of relevance to the profession. Craig Benson and I coauthored an editorial entitled “Forum articles and the JGGE” to bring forum articles to the attention of the JGGE readership and introduce the first forum ever published by the JGGE or its predecessors. This insightful article was written by John Christian and Greg Baecher on the life and visionary contributions of D. W. Taylor.
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Development and implementation of technical breakthrough abstracts (TBAs): The JGGE is publishing a new type of article called a technical breakthrough abstract. TBAs are short (one-page) contributions that describe an important new breakthrough relevant to geotechnical engineering. The concept has met with strong interest from the research community and submission of TBA manuscripts is increasing for the JGGE.
The preceding accomplishments would not have been possible without the support and assistance of the JGGE editorial board and the staff of the ASCE Journals Department. Upon stepping down as editor-in-chief, I am pleased to remain on the editorial board to handle technical breakthrough abstract and forum articles for the journal. The last 5 years as editor-in-chief has been a highly rewarding experience and I encourage others to offer their services to our Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 141 • Issue 8 • August 2015
Copyright
© 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 23, 2015
Accepted: May 5, 2015
Published online: Jun 12, 2015
Published in print: Aug 1, 2015
Discussion open until: Nov 12, 2015
Authors
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