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| Telecon March 17 Agenda:Date: Monday, March 17 at 11am Eastern Bgcolor |
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| #D0D0D0 | #D0D0D0 | Telecon Agenda | Toll Free Number: 866-757-4161 Toll Number for International: 1-517-968-4405 Participant passcodePasscode: 5807653 If you are outside the US, you may want to refer to this pdf for specific country information re accessing these telecon lines. Purpose of the Telecon: Discussion where all can voice opinions that help identify key issues and form a consensus view on how to move forward. Background: What precipitated this interaction? There is a new publications lead at AGU, Brooks Hanson and he would like to bring his prior experience at Science to the journals at AGU. Space Weather has some of the same challenges as EOS. It is one of the most expensive journals to produce and so we all need to look closely at what is driving those costs to ensure our investments are expended in the most advantageous manner possible. Also Louis indicated he will want to step down as editor eventually, perhaps as soon as the end of December 2013. AGU wants us to examine the new publishing opportunities provided by the Wiley platform to further our community's vision for the Space Weather Journal and the Quarterly. Last, the two production paths for the Space Weather and for the Quarterly results in some costly inefficiencies. AGU wants us to understand those inefficiencies and provide input as AGU works to address them. Brooks emphasized that AGU wants to promote the Space Weather Journal and Quarterly and bring more readers to it. AGU supports and wants to continue it. He needs our input to take potential ideas forward. There was some discussion on the overlap between the JGR-space physics, Radio Science, and Space Weather journals. It was noted that Space Weather covers a much broader range of topics than Radio Science. It is thought that there were as many as 10 papers in the SWJ in the past year that could have gone into Radio Science and it is thought the same in reverse could be true. Suggestion: Could we re-vector Space Weather Quarterly to be more like the IEEE magazines and feature papers from Radio Science Articles and JGR as well? Perhaps there should be more tutorial-type papers? The Space Weather Journal provides a home for articles that would not appear in, or be appropriate for the science journals. The Editors Choice column, which is part of what makes the SWJ/SWQ unique, went away for a while but has now been re-instituted. This mechanism could be used for the purpose of bringing attention to relevant content that appears across all the relevant journals. Also, AGU wants to find ways to help authors better vector their submissions to the most appropriate journal and will encourage more communication between the journal editors for this purpose. The web site notes that there is a partnership between the Space Weather Quarterly and there International Space Environment Center. We will want to explore that partnership more and how we can utilize that partnership to bring greater visibility to the Journal and Quarterly. There are a variety of other underlying issues that we need to take up, including how to maintain the print-version distribution list for the Quarterly. Total yearly cost for the quarterly is on the order of $100k for ~1400 subscribers. Suggestion: Examine more efficient ways to re-compose and re-layout content for the quarterly. Is it a core value that the Quarterly must be printed? The quarterly was underwritten by the agencies (NSF actually) for half of its life. That support ended when the five-year grant expired. A new grant has not been submitted but could be in the future. Quarterly was instituted as a hardcopy compendium to be distributed to those that are not likely to access our information in other ways, especially policy and funding stakeholders. We want them to have our information and to provide it in a form they are most likely to read. Top-Level Points for Discussion / Is there agreement that: - There is a need for both a Space Weather Journal (SWJ) and a Space Weather Quarterly (SWQ). It was noted that the printed version of the Quarterly has a very important purpose. It is easily dropped in a bag and read on the train or other leisurely activity, which is very important for time-burdened funding and policy officials. We want to look at additional, innovative ways to deliver it and to ensure that those we want to reach with it are indeed receiving it. For policy makers, is it the print version or the electronic version that is more effective? For some key audience members, the print version is probably the better form at this point although that is likely to change with time as more folks turn to e-readers. In the future, a quarterly distribution may not be the only timescale on which we want to deliver the information; we may want to be able to distribute information on other time scales as well.
- How about advertisers for the Quarterly? How much effort has there been to get advertisers. AGU's and Wiley's experience that for the size of the print run, it isn't traditionally thought to be cost effective. A long term sponsorship relationship, that includes advertisements, may work. It was mentioned that a proposal to the funding agencies might be well received at those agencies. First, we will want to settle some of these production issues so as to write the most effective proposal.
- There is a suggestion that the Quarterly can expand its boundaries to highlight content beyond the boundaries of being a reflection of the SWJ and beyond what Howard Singer has done with the Editor's Choice. Would that be an acceptable idea? Why not?
- Will AGU accept in their business plan, that because the journal serves AGU, its members, and society in policy areas as well as contributing to science research, that at least temporarily, both the SWJ and the SWQ will continue while changes are evaluated (establishing a proper editorial transition process, possible new publishing formats, level of support from AGU staff, etc.). Is this something we want to recommend? How long to allow for this process?
- Regarding immediate issues, what happens on January 1? Can we entice Lou to stay on to keep the journal/quarterly progressing smoothly during this period? What do the advisory committees recommend? What is the AGU planning? How do we work together?
- Several folks voiced that it is important for Lou to stay on during this time of transition. We need an interim period where we continue what we have for now. Brooks confirmed we need a nice logical plan and smooth transition. Don't want to put a specific timeframe. Some of the issues that space weather is facing concerning distribution will only fester with time and need to be addressed. This is no criticism of the editors of Space Weather but AGU needs to correct some things that transpired before Brooks came on board. This is a high priority for Brooks. We have good momentum and ideas to see this through.
- Regarding the new possibilities with Wiley (e.g. special collections etc.), what do we need to do to understand these better and perhaps see demos from comparable products to see how they would serve SWJ subscribers. Do the new Wiley capabilities really solve the key issues related to the SWJ and SWQ? It will be essential to have an iterative development process between the developers and the consumers.
- What are the most important issues to focus on first? What should we be including in our next discussions?
For agenda next time. Plan seems to be very opened ended. What requirements are being imposed on us from AGU? We need this so we can make concrete plans as soon as possible. Impact factor of 1.37 seems to be on the lower end. Will addressing that be part of our work as well? Yes. Look at the possibility of the agencies funding more. Should we be discussing the competing journals? Should we understand the position of our journal in relation? It was suggested that the better we understand what they are doing, the better we inform our strategy. To prepare for the telecon, you may want to review/add to the information already in circulation Space Weather appears in the news: http://www.scienceworldreport.com/articles/11009/20131119/deep-space-radiation-hazards-quantified-future-mars-exploration.htm Notes from the telecon are in blue. Beg pardon for typos, poor grammar, incomplete sentences, missed comments, etc. Agenda: - Louis Lanzerotti: Editorial Report on continued production of SWJ and SWQ. Last issue of Quarter for 2013 has been finished and distributed. First issue of Quarterly is being prepped now. A few articles are still in prep and we are waiting for the quarter to close to finish off and distribute. Some internal AGU staff is changing but looks to be smooth and will not interrupt. Nancy asked if Mohi Kumar, an AGU staff member, has been able to contribute to the journal as she is enthusiastic about the Quarterly and has had many good ideas. Brooks would need to talk with her about contributions in the future and, of course, this will be part of the current broader discussions about use of staffing and how all scientific fields would be covered via EOS or other publications. The kinds of things that used to be in Quarterly have suffered as a result of staffing changes and all of this is being discussed as part of the higher level review. Several folks on the telecon seconded and endorsed Mohi Kumar's contributions and we hope in the future that Mohi's leadership could be brought to bear in the future.
- Distribution list for quarterly was given "some" scrubbing. Thanks to Lexi and other staff at AGU for updating the list for staff members and aids!
- Thanks to Nancy Crooker! Article in EOS In the next year or two, we will all want to think of ways to bring attention to the Journal/Quarterly as a help to the new editor. Excellent example of "what to do"!
- additional thanks to Barbara Richman and Mohi Kumar, both of whom are Space Weather supporters from the past.
- Thanks to Delores Knipp! Working the Journal/Quarterly into the classroom. Hopefully this model could be written up as an idea for other universities to use in their courses. Excellent example of "what to do" as an editorial board member! This is a followup on her initiative to increase visibility and utilization: a SWJ version of Astrobites ("SWxbites"). Astrobites is a daily astrophysical literature journal written by graduate students in astronomy. Their goal is to present interesting papers in a brief format that are accessible to undergraduate students.
- AGU, AMS, and the Space Weather Journal/Quarterly. The door appears to be open for collaboration/cooperation. Dan Baker also connected with Bill Gates.
- Bob McCoy engaged Bill Gail, new president of AMS
- Bill Gail reached out to Lou Lanzerotti re jointly supporting the Quarterly with AGU
- Lou introduced Bill to Brooks.
- Bill's bottom line: "I speak only for myself at this point and my interest in seeing space weather well supported as an emerging discipline. I would have to speak with our publications team if there is any request for AMS support, but I would be glad to do so. The level of collaboration between AGU and AMS is growing. We are glad to explore any opportunities that strengthen that collaboration and ensure the health of communities like space weather. Please let me know what I can do."
- As an aside and included in the referenced email chain, here is a great picture of Lou and Don Carpenter at the recent Yosemite Conference. Don is apparently working on a "history of VLF" paper, which must be very interesting as Bill Gail's email to Lou is the third time I've heard it mentioned. Also, everyone loves the "Full Solar Cycle" theme for the Journal this Year.
- Search for the next Editor in Chief has begun. The search committee has met a couple of times.
- when does the nomination period close? End of this month, or into April. Our group is encouraged to speak to candidates and/or apply ourselves. Folks have looked very carefully into whether there may be issues, legal or otherwise, with the EIC being a civil servant. The conclusion is that there should not be a concern with that, given appropriate care on the part of the editor in question and appropriate support from AGU and government agency general counsel.
- timeline for when new editor can reasonably be expected to begin their work? Early to mid summer? Could be earlier?
- Recommended Terms of Reference from the Editorial Board
- zeroth order draft circulated from our subgroup
- markups from Louis to consider and work in.
- Comments made at telecon: Lou's markups are helpful. AGU's name is ... role of EIC has been more advocacy, this appears to more passive, written in receive mode or transmit mode. Tirelessly advocate for SWJ/SWQ. Want to ensure we give lots of latitude to the new editor. Job announcement doesn't capture the full breadth of the job. Hope this document can be used by the search committee to help inform editor candidates. Brooks thinks this can be helpful to search committee; agrees with comment about constructing an editorial team will be helpful and having proactive editor is important, encouraging content to be submitted, writing editorials, etc. Also, advocacy means appropriate relationships between AGU, AMS, societies, engagement with other journals and societies. On page 3 or so, editorial roles and responsibilities, add a few sentences along these lines. CHANGE THE TITLE (TOR sounds like something that has a specific purpose or definition that you should be able to look up in a dictionary. Barbara apologizes profusely for NASA HQ jargon seeping into our work. Recommended Roadmap for the Future? Nancy had another suggestion but I didn't manage to capture the thought. Or was it Delores?). Number of the subeditors recommended is currently vague, being left to the new editor. AGU is trying to get at least two per journal as a minimum, good to have more than two. Brooks can see up to four for the amount of content. Growth of international content means we should have an international editor. Add more words in this area of the document to reflect growth of field, growth of content. Probably need more in general somewhere in the document regarding our international reach and process for further engagement (Hermann, Paul, you could help us there!). A concern was expressed on point four on page four, EAB members may be discontinued ... wording seems a bit harsh. SWJ has an editorial board at the discretion of Lou, AGU doesn't officially recognize these and so in general, they do serve at the discretion of the EIC. Should there be something more formal, we can propose that. Since the journal was different, content is broader, the editorial board has a special function. Don't know what the process would be within AGU to formalize. AGU has the structure of "focus groups" to make connections; how might this function in that form? Should we work in that manner? Brooks feels all Editors should have a process to get feedback from the community and get critique as to how the journal is going ... how to connect with the community. Question. What about the quarterly expanding through the use of electronic means; what does that sentence really mean/imply, can we rewrite that to make our thoughts clearer? These comments will be addressed in the next version of the document and be circulated by email. Please keep the helpful suggestions and comments flowing!
- Addition from Nancy Crooker: I have read through Lou's edited version of the document and do not have much to add. One minor addition in the spirit of Dan Baker's comment is to insert "soliciting" before "receiving, reviewing, and selecting articles for publication" in the list of EIC duties, line 4 of #1 on p. 3, in order to make that duty explicit up front, even though it is mentioned further down (where, for consistency, the verb should be "solicits" rather than "will solicit").
- SPECIAL THANKS to Bob Robinson, Howard Singer, and Bob McCoy for putting out this first draft. It's not an easy task to clearly and succinctly synthesize the many thoughts and opinions of what the Journal and Quarterly are and the road the publications and editorial process should take in the future.
- Are there any other actions we can take now to be helpful? We ran our of time before addressing this agenda item. We agreed to continue working by email for now and may well schedule another telecon if that is encouraged by the group.
- is it time to step back and prepare to support the new editor as that person may request?
- are there actions that would be supportive to make their transition smoother?
- something re the Full Solar Cycle theme? How about an article summarizing the first solar cycle of Journal/Quarterly?
- drafting of a proposal to the agencies that they could use/no use as deemed helpful?
- drafting of "Quarterly hardcopy mailing list" plan? including priorities for receipt of hardcopies, further work on email list, roll out plan for moderized e-copy version to expand access?
- draft a list of article/feature suggestions for Journal/Quarterly? including lists of suggested interview subjects, tutorials, reviews, special issues, etc.
Telecon January 29 Agenda:Toll Free Number: 866-757-4161 Toll Number: 1-517-968-4405 Passcode: 5807653 Agenda: - Louis Lanzerotti: Editorial Report on continued production of SWJ and SWQ.
- Nancy Crooker: Potential submission to EOS as followup to her suggestion at the AGU Luncheon.
- Discussion about AGU/AMS and other partnerships
- Brooks Hansen: Progress on work to define Terms of Reference / Editorial Search Committee
- Brooks Hanson/Barbara Giles: Progress on work to provide visual prototype of SWQ using new Wiley special section software features.
Telecon January 17 Agenda:Toll Free Number: 866-757-4161 Toll Number: 1-517-968-4405 Passcode: 5807653 Agenda: - Louis Lanzerotti: Editorial Report on continued production of SWJ and SWQ. Last issue of the Quarterly for 2013 is underway and is basically finished. Very nice editorial this month introducing the solar cycle anniversary concept. Louis reports that the editorial side of the work is going well. Continues to solicit and receive non-technical material. The citation index continues to increase and we believe it will continue to do so as we are all being more viligant with activities that affect the index.
- Delores Knipp: Followup on her initiative to increase visibility and utilization: a SWJ version of Astrobites ("SWxbites"). Astrobites is a daily astrophysical literature journal written by graduate students in astronomy. Their goal is to present interesting papers in a brief format that are accessible to undergraduate students. Delores is going to try this out on her students this semester! The class has 28 aerospace engineers enrolled. In addition to HW, they will review SW paper and try to write "astrobite" type of summaries. Four or five paragraph summary. Here is an example written by one of the more advanced students.
- Howard Singer/Dan Baker: Summary of Discussions at AGU Editorial Board Luncheon (cryptic notes taken during the meeting are here). WANT MORE INFORMATION ON THE SPECIAL SECTION WILEY FEATURES, were not able to cover that in sufficient detail. There is a difference between 'special issues' and 'special collections". We were not able to explore any potential links between this journal and AMS and any connections with IEEE Explorer.
- Nancy Crooker: Potential submission to EOS as followup to her suggestion at the AGU Luncheon. Barb will circulate Nancy's message; all will reply back with further suggestions and encouragements.
- Paul Cannon: Ensuring the "mission statements" or "scope statements" for Radio Science, Space Weather Journal, and JGR-Space Physics are consistent and clear. Paul encourages an ~100 word description, with the aim to ensure little to no cross-over as much as that is possible. This is the text that goes in the OVERVIEW area of the journal's website.
- Barbara Giles/Brooks Hansen: Progress on work to define Terms of Reference. A template has been created and our subcommittee of Bob, Bob, and Howard will proceed with a draft.
- Brooks Hanson/Barbara Giles: Progress on work to provide visual prototype of SWQ using new Wiley special section software features. Hope to have this for our telecons by April? May be able to have something earlier than April. All agree that more discussion is needed as we are all uncertain as to how this should proceed.
- Besides status on the various initiatives, what should be the focus for next telecon? Bob McCoy reporting on AGU/AMS partnership to support also partnerships with IEEE Explorer? More information on the "special collections" / "special issues" software and features, and how SWJ/SWQ could take advantage.
Re Distribution List: We need to scrub that. Louis will help with that, AGU has already taken a pass wrt congressional staff, Howard will help too. AGU has started organizing the confidential search committee for a new Editor-in-Chief and hope to have the announcement out soon. Having this group involved will be very important. SEND suggestions for members of the search committee to Brooks. It is essential that everyone in this group be proactive in encouraging appropriate members of our community to apply.
In other news:Starting to keep a list of suggestions for articles, interviews, tutorials , etc. Peter Chi, editor of the SPA News, pointed to the Wiley online library subscription service specially noting the Space Weather Journal. Thanks for the "shout out" Peter! To ensure folks remain aware of the need to subscribe, we will add a "notes to the editor" page to remind future editors to post subscription information to the newsletters at least once/twice a year. Bob Robinson has contributed to a "history" page . Please take a look and consider what history you may be able to add. We'll want this material for our "Space Weather Journal First Solar Cycle" celebration. Article in the Politico re consequences of EMP and magnetic storms. Thanks Lou for the alert. AGU home page featured the news release for the very interesting lunar dust and radiation paper that was recently published in Space Weather. http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/4982/20131119/scientists-collect-new-quantifiable-measurement-cosmic-radiation.htm
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| MEETING/TELECON INFO TELECON #1:
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Thurs, Nov 21 at 3pm Eastern Thurs, Nov 21 at 9pm Frankfurt Thurs, Nov 21 at 8pm London Thurs, Nov 21 at 2pm Central Thurs, Nov 21 at 1pm Mountain Thurs, Nov 21 at 12noon Pacific Thurs, Nov 21 at 10am Honolulu Thurs, Nov 21 at 5am Tokyo (zzzz!) | TELECON #2: |
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Mon, Dec 2 at 2pm Eastern Mon, Dec 2 at 8pm Frankfurt Mon, Dec 2 at 7pm London Mon, Dec 2 at 1pm Central Mon, Dec 2 at 12noon Mountain Mon, Dec 2 at 11am Pacific Mon, Dec 2 at 9am Honolulu Mon, Dec 2 at 4am Tokyo (zzzz!) | Space Weather Board Luncheon:
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Tues, Dec 10 at 12:30-1:30 Pacific at the Marriott
| TELECON #Kickoff:
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Wed, Oct 23 at 11am Eastern Meeting Notes Thoughtful input from Wilkinson
| Journal Strategy Assessment:
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Space Weather Assessment / Strategic Plan Supplement to Assessment / Plan Journal Access Statistics for Sept
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