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EDITORIAL
The ES& T market study Periodically, any publication worth its salt becomes involved in studies of ways and means to improve its product. Environmental Science & Technology is no exception. Following presentations to A C S by several very competent market survey consultants, the Frederic C. Decker Company of Brookfield Center, Conn., was hired last September, and the market study is well under way. This study for’ES&T will sharpen its editorial focus, maximize its strengths, minimize its weaknesses, and hone the niche that E S & T will uniquely fill in the future. Conceived after a *time of decreasing circulation subscriber base, the study will, as a basic requirement, recommend an editorial positioning policy for the publication. This need forms the goal of Phase I of the study, for which a report will be finalized this month. Later, Phase 11, regarding circulation promotion, and Phase 111, regarding advertising, will probably be undertaken under contract. One purpose of Phase 1 is to map out the information needs in the technical and scientific fields served by E S & T. T h e study will then indicate how ES& T and its competitors are meeting these needs, It will lead to recommendations for the positioning of the E S & T editorial so that it can continue to provide a unique and needed service to its constituency. One of the major differences, and difficulties, of this market study. in contrast with earlier readership studies, is that it will attempt to identify the requirements of the entire environmental field, whereas the latter studies were always limited to the response of individual readers. The Decker Company identified a number of basic questions for which answers are due imminently.What is the specific mission of ES& T‘?What is its unique
message‘? What editorial approach and target audience will it serve? How large is the core readership? What advertisers will it attract? All good questions. No clear answers, nor easy ones, for that matter. T h e end report will recommend the various publishing options open to A C S for ES& T , and indicate the most viable publishing alternative. ES& T is one of two hybrid publications of the ACS, the other being our sister publication, Analytical Chemistry. Preliminary findings of Phase I reveal that the hybrid format is not a problem per se, but that the E S & T “magazine” pages need to be written for a core readership group, which is being determined and quantified under Phase I. I t is anticipated that the core readership will be larger in number than the present circulation but not dramatically so. Most all agree that the American Chemical Society has made significant contributions in the environmental area. E S & T is a prominent publication for those interested in understanding, measuring, and describing environmental processes using chemistry as one of the basic disciplines. Still relatively young as A C S publications go, this year’s volume number being 14, E S & T aims to bristle with sharpness, go for the gold-a continuing quest for quality in its pages. Your editor, Russ Christman, and I always welcome readers’ views and comments on the kinds of service that E S & T can provide to the scientific and technological community. With continuous feedback, this publication will continue to strengthen.
Volume 14, Number 2, February 1980
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