Introducing the editorial advisory board

Citation

Atkinson, J. (2006), "Introducing the editorial advisory board", Microelectronics International, Vol. 23 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/mi.2006.21823aaa.001

Introducing the editorial advisory board

With Microelectronics International now in its 23rd year, the industry looks very different to what it was when the journal first started out. During its early life MI acted pretty much as the journal of the European chapters of the International Society for Hybrid Manufacturers (ISHM) later to become the International Microelectronics and Packaging Society (IMAPS). Although the links between the IMAPS European chapters and MI are still very strong, the microelectronics fabrication industry that the journal served so well for almost two decades has now largely moved East, along with most of the world's manufacturing industry. These changes have been reflected by the journal which has evolved from a primarily European industry related journal into a highly rated, truly international journal publishing high quality microelectronics research and innovation from around the world.

Both the publishers and the editorial team are very keen to further develop the journal into a world-class publication with the highest reputation and much work has already been done to achieve this. For instance, the journal was recently accepted onto ISI and has had its first impact factor of 0.310, which is a very creditable result for a journal that has been on the index for such a short time.

The next step in the process of evolution is to expand the Editorial Advisory Board (EAB) to help take the journal further in terms of raising its profile, attracting great papers, and making it a “must read” publication for academics and practitioners in the industry. This expansion is currently underway and it is one of the editorial team's tasks to identify and approach leading practitioners in the microelectronics industry with a view to them becoming members of the EAB.

The responsibilities of an EAB member are many and varied with individuals contributing in different ways depending on where their skills lie. Some features are common to all, however, and include the following activities:

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  acting as a referee/reviewer of papers with timely completion of referee comment sheets;

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  encouraging the submission of articles (written by themselves or their contacts) and ensuring that the full subject remit of the journal is covered;

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  providing occasional guest editorials/viewpoints/ commentaries on topics that may be a burning issue to them and of real interest to the reader;

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  writing book reviews;

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  representing and promoting the journal at conferences and to interested colleagues/contacts;

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  assisting the editor in choosing the annual recipients of the outstanding paper awards; and

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  feeding back helpful criticism/information to the editor to assist in the development and direction of the journal.

The usual mode of communication between members and the editor is, as would be expected these days, by e-mail. However, it is also common for EAB members to meet at conferences, workshops and the like.

As you will see by referring to the inside front cover, we have already made a number of appointments to the EAB. Over the coming months we will be working to expand this list and by the end of the volume we hope to have around 20 members, representing both industry and academia around the globe.

John Atkinson