Farewell

It is hard to believe that it has already been 4 years since I have assumed the role of editor-in-chief (EIC) of the Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering. Reflecting back on the challenges and opportunities over the past 4 years, I came to the conclusion that serving as EIC of the Journal has been one of the most rewarding milestones in my career. In this role, I had the privilege of working closely with our dedicated and distinguished colleagues: Scott Brandenberg, John McCartney, Rodrigo Salgado, Timothy Stark, Joseph Wartman, Patrick Fox, and John Christian. Our profession and the Geo-Institute are fortunate to have such individuals who serve with a strong sense of duty and unselfishly offer their time and expertise to promote and achieve the publication of excellent manuscripts in the Journal. I also had the pleasure of serving as EIC with nearly 60 associate editors, who are accomplished leaders in their focus areas of geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering. Indeed, we owe a debt of gratitude to our talented associate editor colleagues who diligently manage the detailed aspects of the review process. I also know the editors and I extend our sincere appreciation to our mentor and colleague Mike Duncan for his everlasting and largely unseen selfless contributions that go far and beyond in support of the Journal’s mission.

As we all acknowledge, a peer-reviewed journal is not possible without the expertise of great reviewers who endeavor to provide meaningful responses to the authors in a timely manner. The contributions made by our nearly 500 peer reviewers in 2018 represent the rock foundation upon which our tradition of excellence resides. We thank each and every reviewer for their time and commitment to the Journal.

Our focus during the past 4 years has been on continuing the Journal’s tradition of emphasizing excellent quality and soliciting innovative, transformative, and well-done contributions that best serve our stakeholders. Today, I am pleased to report that the state of the Journal has never been stronger. During 2018, we received 833 new submissions from five continents with an average acceptance rate of 15%. The Journal’s impact factor (IF) is the highest in recent history and continues to improve, with the 1-year IF increasing from 1.696 in 2015 to 3.305 at present, and the 5-year IF increasing from 2.092 to 3.583 during the same period. The 1-year IF of the Journal is now the highest of all ASCE journals. The papers’ review time continued to improve as well. The average review time to first decision improved from 1.8 to 1.2 months for all manuscripts, and it improved from 4.1 to 3.5 months to first decision for manuscripts that completed the peer review process. While the number of papers received is the highest and the acceptance rate is the lowest in the Journal’s recent history, the number of published papers remains steady, with an average of 155 published manuscripts per year over the past 4 years. I know we on the editorial board are all proud that the Journal has provided an effective platform for researchers, scientists, and practicing colleagues to disseminate state-of-the-art knowledge that is practical and useful. What has been achieved so far, however, would not have been possible without the excellent support we have received, and continue to receive, from our colleagues at ASCE Publications and the Geo-Institute. Such support is one of the pillars upon which the Journal’s success has been built. It is indeed extraordinary that such support is maintained even when the demand for publication in the 34 ASCE journals has skyrocketed.

Over the past year, I have submitted an editors’ transition plan that has been approved by the Geo-Institute Board of Governors. The transition plan calls for a time limit on the service of the EIC and the editors. It is our vision that this plan will lead to providing the opportunity to more of our colleagues to serve the Journal in such important leadership roles.

This brings me to the most exciting part of this editorial. I am pleased to announce that Dr. Rod Salgado has agreed to serve as the editor-in-chief of the Journal starting in March 2019. Rod has long served the Journal as an associate editor and editor, serves on the editorial board of several top peer journals, and is internationally recognized for his excellent scholarly work. I am equally excited to announce that Catherine O’Sullivan has agreed to serve as editor. Catherine is also an internationally recognized colleague in our field and she similarly has the editorial experience of serving on several top peer journals including serving as an associate editor for the Journal. Catherine will bring to the board a unique international perspective, and I know Rod and I are especially honored and thrilled to see to the appointment of the first female editor in the history of the Journal. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the new Editor-in-Chief Rod Salgado and the new Editor Catherine O’Sullivan. I am confident the new and the continuing leadership of the editorial board will sustain and improve upon the upward momentum of excellence we continue to achieve.

Finally, all of us on the editorial board appreciate the authors’ interest in submitting their work to the Journal and their patience when delays have occurred during the editorial process. I want to personally thank all the authors for their continued support and for submitting their best work to the Journal. A thank you is also due to our readers and community. The state of the Journal is strong and I am confident the future will be shaped by greater recognition and successful impact of your sustained contributions.