When I took over as the editor of the Journal of Scandinavian Studies in Criminology and Crime Prevention, one of the first things that I wanted to do was to give the journal a shorter name. I wanted a name that would be easy for people to remember. I also wanted it to be a name that clearly reflects that this journal welcomes submissions from, and about, all the Nordic countries – rather than just Scandinavia.
I discussed this idea with the journal’s main financer, the Scandinavian Research Council for Criminology (NSfK), and I consulted with the publisher Taylor & Francis. I also talked to researchers in our community, and one, specific name seemed to be everyone’s favourite. Hence, starting 2019 with volume 20, this journal will change its name to Nordic Journal of Criminology.
More important than the name is, of course, the content of the journal. I believe that having a journal of criminology focused on Nordic research is of major importance for our criminological research community, and my vision is to make more people realize this. With English as the working language of the journal, the articles are accessible to a wide audience. To show both authors and audience our appreciation for good research, I will instate an annual award for Best Article. Members of the NSfK board and members of the journal’s Editorial board will be able to nominate articles for this award. The winner will be asked to present the awarded article at the annual NSfK research seminar. I hope that the award will make both the journal and all our authors’ hard work more noticeable. I will also use other strategies to increase the journal’s visibility, such as through social media, with the hope that more researchers will consider this journal when they want to publish their articles.
There would not be a journal to market without all the hard-working authors, as well as all the diligent reviewers, so thank you! I would also like to acknowledge the work of the former editor Henrik Elonheimo, who has edited several of the articles that are published in this issue. Additionally, Tea Fredriksson has worked helpfully behind the scenes as my assistant.
I hope that you will like this final issue of the Journal of Scandinavian Studies in Criminology and Crime Prevention, and that you will enjoy the journal even more with its new name; Nordic Journal of Criminology.