I welcome you all to the first issue of 2011. This marks my third anniversary as Editor and with great pleasure I can announce that I will continue as Editor for at least another three years. I am very proud that Taylor & Francis feel that the past three years has been a success and that they have confidence that the Journal can continue to make progress under my Editorship.
During the past three years the Journal has seen a few changes. Most notably, all submissions are now handled online. Over this time there has also been a dramatic increase in the number of papers submitted, which unfortunately led to an unacceptable publication delay but, due to a temporary increase in the number of journal pages, this publication lag will soon be back to an acceptable level. I hope that the Journal continues to publish high quality papers covering topics of practical importance and that the refereeing and production process is as efficient as possible.
I now turn to less happy issues. Readers will have already seen announcements that Gopal Kanji died unexpectedly in May 2010. His name was so linked with Journal of Applied Statistics that it is hard to think of one without the other. More than 40 years ago Gopal started a journal with the aim of promoting the rigorous discussion of practical issues in applied statistics. Within a few years that journal was renamed Journal of Applied Statistics, which over its 37 years to date, has become a high ranking journal with a truly international authorship and readership. I first met Gopal more than 10 years ago, but it was only after taking over as Editor three years ago, that I came to know Gopal more closely. We met regularly with Valerie, Gopal's wife, and my wife to discuss the progress of the Journal and of the statistics community in general. Business was often conducted over lunch and was a social occasion amongst friends. Just as three years ago I thought it difficult to imagine the Journal without Gopal's name as Editor, it is now difficult to accept he is no longer here. Our thoughts and best wishes go to Gopal's family and especially to Valerie.
Also sadly, I must write about the death of Julian Besag in August 2010. I first met Julian more than 20 years ago while he was Professor of Statistics at the University of Durham. I joined the department as a research assistant straight from postgraduate studies. His influence on the department also had an effect on my choice of research topic, which I continue 20 years later. Although I only met him occasionally over recent years, I was most honoured when he, without question, accepted my invitation to be on the Editorial Board of Journal of Applied Statistics.
Returning to happier issues, I thank all who have been involved with the Journal over the past three years. In particular, authors for their patience, referees for the time and experience they give freely, the production team at Taylor {& Francis} for their hard work behind the scenes and to Adriana, my wife, for taking over many administrative tasks that I just do not have time to do.
Finally, I wish all a Happy New Year!