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EDITORIAL
Peer review expertise Many of our readers will receive a questionnaire during the next two months which I earnestly hope they will complete and return to us. The questionnaire seeks to identify persons who are capable and willing to serve as reviewers of articles submitted for publication in the research section of ES&T Based on advice from the Editorial Advisory Board, the editorial staff has compiled a new questionnaire for this purpose. It will be mailed to all of our current reviewers, members of the Environmental Chemistry Division of ACS, and other potential reviewers. The new expertise questionnaire requests that each potential reviewer identify up to 15 areas of expertise, either at a high level (category 1) or adequate level (category 2). Based on the responses received, a new computerized list of reviewers will be assembled and used for manuscript review in 1989 and beyond. The importance of reviewers in maintaining the quality of the research section of ES&T cannot be overestimated. Ultimately, the stature of the journal and the reputation of its authors depend on the quality of the papers we publish. These, in turn, are determined by the standards set by the editors and our reviewers. The peculiar problem faced by interdisciplinary journals such as ES&Tin maintaining quality control is that we attempt to cover so many diverse areas of science and engineering. Without an excellent peer review system the editors cannot possibly cover such breadth. We must have access to the very best minds in the field, and we must have your cooperation in providing timely, detailed, thorough, and fair reviews. We shall
W13936W8810922-137151.50~0 0 1988 American Chemical Society
continue to ask that the standards be the highest in your discipline, without exception. Based on my limited experience as editor, I am impressed that so many members of our profession are willing to spend the time required to do good reviews. But we need better reviews in some areas, and that is one purpose of the new questionnaire. We hope that current reviewers will recommit themselves to this professional obligation and also help us to enlarge our corps of reviewers. When you return your form, please identify prospective reviewers who might have attained professional status within the last few years. Together we can continue to enhance the reputation for quality that ES&T has earned in the past.
Environ. Sci. Technot.. Vol. 22. NO. 12. 1988 1371
