Editorial pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Volume 94 in Review Norbert J. Pienta* Department of Chemistry, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602-2556, United States ABSTRACT: The accomplishments of the past year, 2017, Volume 94, are highlighted. KEYWORDS: General Public
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he Journal editorial team and our partners are given the opportunity to convert creative contributions from the chemistry education community into the issues that comprise a volume, in this case, Volume 94. The success of the Journal depends on the submissions from those involved with the teaching and learning of chemistry, sources that expand in scope as international contributions continue to grow. The ease of submission associated with electronic tools makes the process convenient and efficient for authors, reviewers, and the entire editorial group. This editorial acknowledges and thanks everyone involved. After submission, manuscripts undergo careful scrutiny and analysis for compliance with the author guidelines1 and with details such as permissions and other procedural requirements. This check-in involves the staff at the University of Georgia office (Sullins Benson and Jayne Plymale), followed by the assignment of manuscripts to either associate editors or to a triage process. A triage stage ensures that appropriate content reaches the review process and that the quality of contributions is respectful of the time and effort of our reviewers. Thus, manuscripts can be “unsubmitted” or immediately sent for additions and changes, both steps designed to optimize efficiency and quality control. Triage is managed by the editor-in-chief and Mary Saecker, with additional input from the associate editors. Mary and our development editors for writing and graphics (Bernadette Caldwell, and Randall Wildman, respectively) are part of the University of Wisconsin office. We take this opportunity to acknowledge Jon Holmes for his many years of service as managing editor for the current editor and for his many roles with JCE under the previous editor, John W. Moore. Jon has retired as an employee of the University of Wisconsin yet is continuing his activities as the editor-in-chief of our partner publication, ChemEdX.2 Mary Saecker has graciously succeeded Jon as the new managing editor, extending her role serving the Journal. I thank them all for their efforts and diligence. The important steps of the peer-review process are managed by the associate editors: Arthur Halpern, Renée Cole, Deanna Cullen, Gregory Rushton, Cheryl Frech, John Risley, Marcy Towns, and Joanne Stewart. (Deanna Cullen is focusing her efforts and is “moving” to work as an associate editor at ChemEdX. Cheryl Frech also joins that group, continuing her work on book and media reviews.) JCE associate editors select, invite, and manage each manuscript’s reviewers; make decisions about each paper’s suitability; and handle the process through revisions. Even with detailed author guidelines and an editorial © 2017 American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc.
operations process, each manuscript is unique and requires individual attention. These combined efforts keep the enterprise flourishing for the benefit of the readers for whom we all work so diligently. Publication of the Journal is a massive and complex undertaking that requires partners who are also essential components of a successful system. We also acknowledge the JCE Board of Publication (for fiduciary governance of the Journal), the JCE Editorial Advisory Board, and our publication partner, the ACS Publications Division in Columbus and Washington. Thank you, and congratulations to all for another successful volume! Other benchmarks that can be used to document our success follow: We continue to improve the time from submission to when a first decision is made, and to improve external publication metrics such as the number of article downloads, the Journal’s impact factor, and the total number of papers cited.3 Volume 94 comprises ca. 350 papers and ca. 2000 pages. JCE’s third special issue, “Polymer Concepts across the Curriculum”, was published in November 2017 and administered by guest editor Warren Ford. This special issue provides useful ideas and tools for chemistry instructors of all levels in addition to workshops and demonstrations for the public. The papers offer ideas and models for instructors to incorporate polymer chemistry into their own courses. Volume 94 includes a number of Journal articles that were published as ACS Editors’ Choice selections, making them open access and available to a broader audience: • “Analyzing the Role of Science Practices in ACS Exam Items” by Jessica J. Reed, Alexandra R. Brandriet, and Thomas A. Holme, p 3 (DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.6b00659) • “Core Ideas and Topics: Building Up or Drilling Down?” by Melanie M. Cooper, Lynmarie A. Posey, and Sonia M. Underwood, p 541 (DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.6b00900) • “Using Digital Badges for Developing High School Chemistry Laboratory Skills” by Naomi Hennah and Michael K. Seery, p 844 (DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.7b00175) • “Beyond ‘Inert’ Ideas to Teaching General Chemistry from Rich Contexts: Visualizing the Chemistry of Climate Change (VC3)” by Peter G. Mahaffy, Thomas A. Holme, Leah Martin-Visscher, Brian E. Martin, Ashley Published: December 12, 2017 1803
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.7b00862 J. Chem. Educ. 2017, 94, 1803−1804
Journal of Chemical Education
Editorial
Versprille, Mary Kirchhoff, Lallie McKenzie, and Marcy Towns, p 1027 (DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.6b01009) • “Thinking Processes Associated with Undergraduate Chemistry Students’ Success at Applying a MolecularLevel Model in a New Context” by Melonie A. Teichert, Lydia T. Tien, Lisa Dysleski, and Dawn Rickey, p 1195 (DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.6b00762) • “Reforming a Large Foundational Course: Successes and Challenges” by Vicente Talanquer and John Pollard, this issue (DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.7b00397) Guest editorials were contributed from members across the chemistry and educational community, writing on these topics: • “Measuring Value and Real Impact” by Norbert J. Pienta and Marcy H. Towns, p 539 (DOI:10.1021/acs.jchemed.7b00266) • “Finding No Evidence for Learning Styles” by Stacey Lowery Bretz, p 825 (DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.7b00424) • “Introducing the Journal of Chemical Education’s ‘Special Issue: Polymer Concepts across the Curriculum’” by Warren T. Ford, p 1595 (DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.7b00760) We extend our thanks and best wishes to the chemical education community and look forward to publishing or citing your scholarship in a future annual review.
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AUTHOR INFORMATION
Corresponding Author
*E-mail:
[email protected]. ORCID
Norbert J. Pienta: 0000-0002-1197-6151 Notes
Views expressed in this editorial are those of the author and not necessarily the views of the ACS. Norbert J. Pienta is Professor and Director of General Chemistry at the University of Georgia, where he teaches and conducts research and scholarship about the teaching and learning of chemistry, devising methods, instruments, and analytics to characterize student learning and increase student success. He currently also serves as the editor-in-chief for the Journal of Chemical Education.
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REFERENCES
(1) Author Guidelines for the Journal of Chemical Education. http:// pubs.acs.org/paragonplus/submission/jceda8/jceda8_authguide.pdf (accessed Nov 2017). (2) To access the Chemical Education Xchange, go to https://www. chemedx.org/ (accessed Nov 2017). (3) For a description of journal impact factors, see https://clarivate. com/essays/impact-factor/ (accessed Nov 2017).
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DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.7b00862 J. Chem. Educ. 2017, 94, 1803−1804
