Editor’s Note

This note marks the beginning of the 17th year of publication of the Journal of Composites for Construction. In the first issue of each year, I present recent statistics and developments for the Journal and acknowledge the individuals who help ensure the success of the Journal.

For manuscripts submitted to the Journal, the average time between submission and first decision is about 3 months, while the average time between submission and final decision is about 7 months. The average time period elapsed between submission and publication is about 15 months. The paper acceptance rate in 2011—the last full year for which data were available at the time of this writing—was 42%. The 2- and 5-year impact factors for the Journal in 2011 were 1.021 and 1.498, respectively.

Papers appearing in the Journal have traditionally been categorized into five general topics, as follows:

Table 1 shows the breakdown of the papers published in the five general topic areas. Although repair and strengthening continue to dominate submissions, authors should be aware that the editor encourages papers from all five topic areas. The Journal published 69 technical papers, notes, and case studies in Vol. 16.

In closing, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the many people who help me in assuring the continuing quality of the Journal. First, the distinguished members of the Editorial Board of the Journal are acknowledged for their tireless reviewing work. Every paper submitted to the Journal is reviewed by at least one Board member. Board members are appointed by the Editor for 2-year renewable terms. In addition to providing timely reviews of exceptionally high quality, Board members provide valuable input to the Editor on the directions and policies of the Journal. Second, I thank the many reviewers who are not on the Board yet provide equally important critiques of manuscripts. I try to keep the number of reviews by nonmembers of the Board to no more than one or two manuscripts per year. Reviewers are listed by name in the last issue the Journal each year. Additional persons who are interested in reviewing papers for the journal are encouraged to notify me with their contact information, short curriculum vitae, and technical area of interest. Finally, I thank Ms. Renee Lindenberg, who assists me in the management of the Journal at Penn State and ensures that deadlines are met, as well as the Journals Department staff at ASCE Headquarters for their expert handling of all manuscripts and valuable advice on many editorial matters.