Scientific research aims to describe the universe in a systematic way with predictions that can be tested; the results of these experiments can expand our knowledge and, on a practical level, lead to technological advancements. It is, therefore, essential that this research is made available to a wider audience, in order to promote continued progress. Scientific journals and other outlets play a significant role in this by providing a forum for the dissemination of knowledge.
Our readers might have noticed a surge in the number of journal publications in the past few years. Indeed, all have a different scope, reflecting the variety of scientific and technological disciplines. With such choice, a scientific contributor is faced with a fairly tough decision when it comes to opt for a scholarly journal that is suitable for their work. The authenticity of a journal remains of much concern in this regard. Similarly, the authenticity of an article is of increasing importance, and authors have to consider how their work contributes to our understanding of their chosen discipline.
Upon accepting the editorship of the Journal of Electromagnetic Waves and Applications (JEMWA), we were approached by readers who asked us to look back at its history and identify ways to help the journal evolve. With this in mind, we have already reviewed and amended the scope of JEMWA, something that we documented in our previous editorials.[Citation1,2] Since then, we have continued to look for ways to move the journal forward. We, the Editors-in-Chief, are pleased to find that researchers working in different areas of electromagnetics are increasingly keen to contribute to the journal. The continued support of the Editorial Board has made this possible.
Our newest step to improve JEMWA and make it the forum of choice for electromagnetics research is to introduce Invited Review Articles. These review articles will be written by specialized, experienced scientists, who have substantially contributed to their respective areas of scientific interest. The number of such invited reviews to be published in a volume of JEMWA is still uncertain. Furthermore, although such reviews will be invited, the submissions will still benefit from rigorous, anonymous and constructive peer review. We believe that such review articles will be of great use to early career researchers searching for a comprehensive introduction to an area of electromagnetics with which they are perhaps unfamiliar. We expect that these articles will provide analysis of recent developments on specified topics, highlighting significantly important findings. We also hope that established researchers will find the reviews useful in providing an overview of recent research, and that they will be inspired to carry out new investigations.
We hope that the readers find this development as exciting as we do.
Joint Editors-in-Chief
References
- Choudhury PK, Abou El-Nasr M. Progressing electromagnetics. J. Electromagn. Waves Appl. 2013;27:1–2.10.1080/09205071.2013.775847
- Abou El-Nasr M, Choudhury PK. Electromagnetics – driving the future. J. Electromagn. Waves Appl. 2013;27:587–1588.