Editorial

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International Journal of Operations & Production Management

ISSN: 0144-3577

Article publication date: 13 November 2009

485

Citation

Taylor, A. and Taylor, M. (2009), "Editorial", International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Vol. 29 No. 12. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijopm.2009.02412laa.001

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2009, Emerald Group Publishing Limited


Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Volume 29, Issue 12

This is a landmark editorial for us as it is our last as the regular Editors of the journal. It brings to a close our 5+ years’ tenure of the editorship of one of the world’s leading opertations management (OM) journals and it is with a mix of pride, sadness, and (not a little) relief that we now hand over to a new team. We are not sure how our period of editorship will be perceived both now and in the longer term, and it is probably not for us to speculate. However, we would like to introduce this final issue with a few brief thoughts that reflect our period of office and that portray our thanks to our key stakeholders.

Since taking over from Professor Bob Hollier and his co-editors at UMIST, UK in April 2004, we have worked hard to maintain the values and reputation of the journal and to improve its’ standing in the international community. Probably the most tangible evidence of our success in respect of the latter is the ISI Impact Factor which has risen steadily year on year, from 0.566 in 2004 to 1.725 in 2008. The three-year time lag that is inherent in the ISI Impact Factor warrants brief explanation. The Impact Factor’s ‘headline’ figure is calculated at the end of each year based on citations of articles published in the journal in the previous two years. Thus, the next figure to be released in Summer 2010 will be the 2009 Impact Factor and will reflect those articles published in volumes 27 (2007) and 28 (2008). The influence of any change to a journal, including a transfer of editorship, does not begin to be seen by this measure until some time after the change is effected, consequently, the legacy of our term of editorship will continue into the figures calculated for 2010 and 2011.

In our incoming Editorial (Taylor and Webster, 2004), we spoke of the “exciting opportunity” that taking over the editorship represented, and talked of our targets and hopes for the journal. Looking back, it is with rather wry amusement that we note our stated wish at that time to provide authors with reviewers’ comments within three months of submission. This has proved to be a difficult target to meet, and our naïve optimism at that time has since been supplanted by gritty realism. Our experience tells us that (unsurprisingly!) reviewers very often do not share our sense of priority and urgency. They, like us, have other work to do and providing reviews of potential journal articles is but a tiny fraction of the modern-day academic workload. Nevertheless, it is the reviewers to whom we owe our greatest debt of gratitude; they are the unsung heroes who have allowed us to keep the journal on its improving trajectory. Many have given exemplary and excellent service, sometimes being required to comment on up to four revisions of individual papers; sometimes stimulating (anonymous and editor-mediated) debate that has resulted in completely new insights for authors. For the most part, their constructive feedback has been invaluable despite having their patience tested and the highest levels of understanding sought. With a few notable exceptions, our reviewers have been a source of inspiration. Thank you to all who have reviewed manuscripts for us.

Similarly, we could not have achieved the success that we have without the support and encouragement of members of our editorial advisory board (EAB). Collectively and individually, they have provided comments and critique of Special Issue proposals, helped us to reach decisions in particularly complex or difficult situations, and have variously been involved in decisions over the annual choice of best papers and journal-supported doctoral awards. It goes without saying that most of them have also acted in the capacity of reviewers for us. We are grateful for your help, advice and co-operation.

We turn now to the journal’s authors, many of who have been asked to respond to repeated rounds of feedback, in our pursuit of the best possible quality for the journal. The editorial and review process has always sought to get the best from any piece of work that had the potential to be published in the journal, and this has often resulted in lengthy and demanding revision cycles. However, for any of you who have felt singled out by pernickety feedback and a perception of overly-challenging requirements, please be assured that you were not alone. It has been very rare for any authors to of had an easy ride through the review and revision process. In the vast majority of cases you have responded to feedback with patience, good humour and diligence. Congratulations to all who succeeded!

Our final and grandest vote of thanks goes to Ms Kathryn Heath – the IJOPM Editorial Assistant at that time– who joined the journal at the same time as we took up the editorship. As the front office of the journal, she was efficient, responsive, always professional and above all else, she maintained cordial and courteous relationships with all our stakeholders. We know that many of you, like us, hold her in the highest regard. She worked tirelessly on behalf of the journal and has contributed in significant part to the excellent relationships that have been developed. Thank you Kathryn – we simply could not have done it without you!

It is probably fair to say that, back in 2004, we were not fully aware of all the responsibilities associated with being editors of such an important journal. On reflection however, we can see that all of these entail the development and maintenance of relationships with various stakeholders. We have already mentioned our EAB members, reviewers and authors, but another important aspect that we had not fully anticipated has been our work in collaboration with OM learned societies. Most notably in this regard, we are pleased to have worked closely with the European Operations Management Association for which IJOPM is the official journal, and with the OM division of the US Academy of Management. For both organisations, IJOPM – through the publisher, Emerald – sponsors various prizes and awards. It has been our great pleasure to present a number of these at annual conferences and meetings. These events also allow us to meet many authors and reviewers with whom we may have previously developed only electronic relationships. It is very refreshing to put faces to names and to be able to thank and congratulate people face-to-face.

The final article in this issue presents an analysis by us of the papers that have been published in IJOPM in the last five years, together with those that have been rejected during the same period. We combine the analysis with our experiences of the publication process, aiming to identify the main OM research themes and trends in IJOPM and to offer some thoughts about the future for research in our discipline. It further considers the research methods used by IJOPM authors and authorship characteristics in terms of team size and country of origin. We use the data to investigate publication success rates, thereby highlighting some intriguing patterns and trends. We believe that this article, which summarises the content of the most recent five years of the journal, will prove not only to be interesting but also to offer insights that will be helpful to present and future authors.

For our own future, we look forward to continuing our involvement with the journal through membership of the EAB and through the editorial completion of those papers that were submitted to the journal prior to January 2009, thus remaining in the “Taylor” system. On a personal note, we look forward also to having the time and energy to publish more of our own research. And finally, we wish the incoming team of editors from Exeter University, UK the very best of success as they take the journal forward. Professors Steve Brown, Roger Maull and Andi Smart take over full editorial control from Issue 1 of Volume 30.

Andrew Taylor, Margaret Taylor

References

Taylor, A. and Webster, M. (2004), “Editorial”, International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Vol. 24 No. 9, p. 862

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