Editor’s Report

This report provides information about journal operations in 2014. It has two sections. Section 1 briefly describes manuscript topics, and Section 2 is about manuscript processing.

1. MANUSCRIPT TOPICS

The mission of Technometrics is to contribute to the development and use of statistical methods in physical, chemical, and engineering sciences as well as information sciences and technology. The journal continues to stress both theory and practice in the articles that we publish. Our mission statement emphasizes the importance of using real problems to motivate and illustrate new methods as well as clear communication between researchers and practitioners. The critical ingredient for acceptable articles remains research novelty; this often involves the development and assessment of new statistical methods, but we also welcome case studies that feature creative application of existing statistical ideas to solve a scientific or technological problem and expository articles that summarize research developments and their practical application.

Manuscripts submitted to the journal in 2014 covered a wide range of topics. Table 1 classifies the submissions by the primary statistical methodology discussed in the article. Although there has been some fluctuation in the breakdown of topics, they are largely similar to average levels over the previous 6 years. SPC, experimental design, regression, and reliability are still the major topics for Technometrics. Submissions on computer-intensive research topics (in the category “Other b”) are up significantly during 2014. We continue to have a respectable number of IT and case studies papers.

Table 1 Topics of manuscripts submitted during 2008–2014.

Topic	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014
SPC/Process Capability	15%	9%	16%	15%	10%	20%	16%
Experimental Design	18%	15%	13%	11%	13%	19%	17%
Regression^a	9%	12%	10%	10%	11%	11%	7%
Reliability	16%	16%	10%	11%	12%	12%	10%
Other^b	22%	13%	25%	24%	28%	15%	16%
a)	15%	7%	16%	15%	20%	10%	4%
b)	5%	4%	6%	7%	5%	2%	10%
c)	2%	2%	3%	2%	3%	3%	2%
GOF/Math-Stats^c	11%	13%	10%	14%	8%	9%	11%
Calibration^d	3%	7%	5%	5%	3%	1%	3%
Info Tech^e	4%	9%	8%	6%	9%	5%	10%
Sampling	1%	2%	0%	1%	0%	1%	1%
Case Studies	3%	4%	2%	3%	7%	7%	9%

^aIncludes ANOVA, nonpara. regression, variable selection.

^bIncludes a) spatial, comp. experiments, Bayesian methods, functional data; b) time series, multivariate, optimization, computer intensive; statistical computing; industrial engineering; c) uncategorizable.

^cIncludes general inference, distribution theory, nonparametrics.

^dIncludes measurement processes, tolerance intervals, inter-lab comparisons.

^eIncludes data mining, pattern reg., classification, networks, imaging.

2. MANUSCRIPT PROCESSING

All submissions are made using ScholarOne, via the journal website. ScholarOne manages the entire peer-review process. All submissions are evaluated to determine which are appropriate to the journal’s mission, make substantive statistical contributions, and have clear relevance to application. The editor reads all manuscripts that are submitted to the journal. Most manuscripts are sent to an associate editor for detailed review, but some receive quick decisions after the editor’s initial reading (level 1 review). For example, some manuscripts have errors that require attention before a full review can commence and others are inconsistent with the journal’s mission or fall outside the journal’s scope. The associate editor can recommend a final decision (level 2 review) or can send the manuscript to referees (level 3 review). The refereeing process is blinded; referees are not given the authors’ names or affiliations.

Initial decisions. Technometrics received 199 submitted articles in 2014, including 192 contributed papers, 4 editorials/discussions, 2 letters to the editor, and 1 short technical note. For the submitted articles, 37.7% of the first reviews were level 1, 19.6% were level 2, and 42.7% were level 3. The first decisions included 14 papers that were accepted or tentatively accepted for publication, 38 that were rejected with a revision encouraged and 147 rejections.

Review times. Our record on review times is summarized in Table 2 and Figure 1. Review times naturally vary with the level of the review. Also revisions tend to have shorter review times than first submissions. The table and figure are both broken down by these factors. The data for initial reviews reflect all new submissions in 2014 and those for revisions include all revised manuscripts handled during 01/01/2014–06/30/2015. All decision times are censored on June 30, 2015. All new submissions had a first decision by that date, but some revised manuscripts were still under review.

Figure 1 Review times, in days. Top row shows review times for initial decisions on 2014 submissions. Bottom row shows review times for revisions handled during 01/01/2014–06/30/2015. Columns correspond to the levels of the decisions. Each plot shows the median and the 95th percentile of the survival curve.

Acknowledgments

I want to thank many people who have contributed to the smooth operation of Technometrics during 2014. First, I thank the associate editors and the referees. I am deeply impressed with the outstanding quality of their reviews and with their conscientiousness in keeping review times short. A special thank you is due to our editorial coordinator, Janet Wallace. She has kept the peer-review process on track. I want to thank the Technometrics Management Committee, chaired by David Steinberg, for all their time in overseeing journal operations. Ejaz Ahmed continues to do excellent work as our Book Reviews Editor. Ongoing management services are provided by the ASA office. I want to thank Eric Sampson, in particular, for his support and assistance. The journal is published by Taylor & Francis and I want to thank Elizabeth Leis, for helping us produce a top-quality publication. Finally, I thank our readers and authors. Your creativity, research, and dedicated work stimulate important advances in our discipline. Your continued support will maintain the high quality of Technometrics and ensure that it remains a premier journal for the profession.

Table 2 Summary of review times, in days, for initial decisions of 2014 submissions and for revisions handled during 01/01/2014–06/30/2015. Incomplete data are omitted.

	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3
Initial Reviews
n	75	39	85
Median	5	23	82
95th%	11	49	141
Maximum	16	164	196
Rivisions
n	46	32	94
Median	4	18	61
95th%	9	49	110
Maximum	14	67	181