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Telecon December 2, 2013
Agenda was circulated in black font - notes taken during the telecon were added in blue font.
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.
1. The Space Weather Journal app is released. See announcement about to be submitted to SPA News, Solar News, and PEN. Please edit and submit to additional newsletters as is appropriate (copy to Louis, Howard, and Brooks please!).
2. Current Editorial Focus for the Journal and Quarterly:
- Space Weather "Annual Report"\ prepared by AGU
- Updates to text on the web site for the Space Weather Journal; will be passed by the publications committee for approval as soon as our input is complete.
- Q4 2013 SW Quarterly: Lou ready to work on this, status at AGU/Wiley?
- special section, nearly completed, devoted to the CRATeR mission and the radiation environment around the Moon
- 10th year anniversary
- assistance needed from editorial board or AGU?
Notes from the meeting.
All need to take a look at the Annual Report in anticipation of our AGU lunch meeting. Louis noted several encouraging statistics. Average times to acceptance and median times to acceptance are as good as other journals; this is an especially strong statistic in light of the nature of the writing style required. The Citation statistic is not as good as we would like to see. Louis and others have started to address this via normal, good editorial practices and we should expect to see the effects in the coming year. For example, there has been more examination of the references cited in the papers to ensure appropriate referencing of papers that may have been as readily available to the community . The number of submissions are increasing, citations are increasing as well.
Re the Q4 2013 SW Quarterly: Lou and AGU are ready to move it along. Brooks noted that AGU is ready to go forward with this Q4 quarterly "as we have always done". Lou and Brooks have the action to connect the appropriate parties to make progress on this.
This quarterly was, at one time, going to be the 10th anniversary edition. This could also be framed as the beginning of the next decade.
There was a suggestion that we instead do a 11-year solar cycle anniversary edition, as this would be the most appropriate anniversary cycle for space weather research. This suggestion seemed to resonant well with the telecon participants and so may well be what happens.
Re the updated text for the website: The text could also be included in the iPad app? All on the telecon were invited to send any last comments for the updated text. Brooks will do the final editing incorporating this input, circulate back to all on the telecon and to the AGU publications committee for approval.
3. Publication issues to address:
- Near term:
- Establish distribution priorities for Quarterly (print vs electronic), update distribution list. In the past a few individuals did this manually via a phone call. AGU can update the committee people, need more work on the strategy for this.
- Prototype layout of Quarterly via standard/custom Wiley Special Section templates. Barbara visited with Brooks last week to view early "wireframes" and screenshots of the web interface that can be used to create "Special Sections" from/for the AGU journals. With some custom templates, this mechanism may solve our problem of having two parallel layout processes for the journal and the quarterly. More information to come on this in December so that all can assess whether this suggestion is a concept or can be a real possibility.
- Proposal to NSF and NASA re distribution of Quarterly and Writer Support. No news on this today. This is a concept with broad support among telecon participants; we need only move this forward as an action?
- Form Editorial Search Committee, write Terms of Reference for Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board
- Note that AGU has formalized its editor responsibilities and editor search processes. See also this link . We'll want to be familiar with these as we proceed.
Notes from the telecon: Will want to define roles for editorial board members. To be listed on the masthead, AGU requires editors have a specific role, as opposed to simply an advisory role. Lou: the editorial board was selected to a cover the wide range of topics that Space Weather covers, it was used not to handle papers but rather to give ideas for the papers, serve as expert reviewers, and solicit non-technical articles. Question: How do boards operate on other journals? Brooks: one issue is to balance the recognition value versus the depth of role played -- across all AGU journals. It was noted that the current board does include world-wide participation to ensure the broadest reach possible, there are plans to continue this in the future. We understand that AGU wants to place SWJ in the context of the other journals, we also need understanding that this journal is different and needs a lot of different kinds of input, from an editorial board with members from across the world.
Some folks may think this journal is more limited in scope than it is. We have a much broader audience than is known and need to ensure our board reflects this base and is able to bring focus toward all those areas. Bob Robinson, Howard Singer, and Bob McCoy will start by writing a draft Terms of Reference for the SWJ/SWQ editorial organization. One suggestion is to ensure the board has quarterly telecons in the future. Assuming we are able to write a TOR acceptable to all parties involved, this would serve as a initial SOW for future editors, editorial board members, and/or any advisory board members. The TOR should contain a clause that it be re-examined and updated at the beginning of each editor-in-chief's term.
Many of our readers are not contributors or practitioners in space weather research; these folks may not access the journal web site directly or cite the articles in a manner that can be "counted". Assessing that "impact" will be important as the journal moves forward.
- Mid term:
- Address factors behind access/citation rate. No time for full discussion of this item.
- Formulate plan for broader electronic access of journal/quarterly. No time for full discussion of this item.
- Capture history of the journal and quarterly in accessible place. Bob Robinson found additional materials to add; please take a look and see what you have to contribute to the history page.
- Longer term:
- Explore/expand partnerships: AMS, AIAA. Bob McCoy will start this discussion at the AGU luncheon. We will post a summary of that, and any other materials to this site for those unable to attend that lunch.
- Added an item: How to assess the full "impact" of the journal, when the access/citation stats don't tell the full story.
4. Topics for the AGU meeting of the editorial board:
- Suggestions for further App improvements to make it even more useful for readers and subscribers and users.
- Suggestions for SW Journal and SW Quarterly articles, features, etc.
- McCoy: Relationship between AMS and AGU re Space Weather and application to the Space Weather Journal/Quarterly (5-10 min). Collaboration? Link to the AMS Policy Statement on Space Weather. There may be a policy statement on Space Weather by AGU? Klimchuk can share that process (website with form?). What group can lead that?
- Lunchtime entertainment talk on capabilities for production of the Quarterly. Brooks will send slides ahead of time (<15 min)
- Potentially will have some information on Terms of Reference for Editor/Editorial Board
- Some may wish to stay in the room past the nominal luncheon time for extended discussion, if our meeting obligations allow.
END OF TELECON
We need to cover this and end in one hour. Please help with the discussions to accomplish this and afterwards by emailing additional thoughts, suggestions, and materials to the group.
Telecon September 21, 2013
Agenda was circulated in black font - notes taken during the telecon were added in blue font.
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