A special year, thanks and a look ahead

Abstract

Dear authors, reviewers and readers of Measurement Science and Technology , I would like to thank all those who have published papers with us in 2013, and offer a special thanks to those of you who have given up much of your precious time and kindly reviewed articles for the journal. 2013 was of course a very special year for the journal, marking the 90th anniversary of the journal's foundation, as Journal of Scientific Instruments. In order to mark the anniversary we started the year with a historical perspective of the journal [1], and a historical review of 90 years of dielectric properties measurement of materials [2]. The celebrations continued with a stimulating meeting at the Institute of Physics in London in March, entitled ‘Frontiers of Measurement’. In keeping with the multidisciplinary ethos of the journal, the speakers covered a diverse range of topics, all linked by the common language of measurement science. Patrick Gill of NPL talked about atomic clocks, Bruce Tromberg of the Beckman Laser Institute and Medical Clinic covered biophotonics, Roger Bisby of the University of Salford lectured on developments in biochemical techniques, Ivan Marusic of the University of Melbourne spoke on fluids and Mervyn Miles of the University of Bristol described recent developments in atomic force microscopy. Nicola Gulley, Editorial Director of IOP Publishing (IOPP), briefed the meeting on some of the latest developments in the world of scientific publishing. The meeting ended with a presentation to Sharon D'Souza, outgoing Publisher of the journal, and a welcome for Ian Forbes who has taken over the role. On behalf of all the Editorial Board I would like to offer a very special thanks to Sharon for all her great work for the journal over many years and wish her every success in her new IOPP posts as Publisher of Reports in Progress in Physics and the recently launched Methods and Applications in Fluorescence. Ian Forbes comes to the journal with a PhD in Physics from Heriot-Watt University and a wealth of relevant experience from having been Publisher of IOPP's Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering . Looking forward, I would like to take this opportunity to update you all on some of what is in store in the journal in 2014. This volume opens with three topical reviews on the application of energy harvesting, both in buildings and in the medical field, and on quantum cascade lasers. These continue the journal's tradition of publishing both the latest research papers and excellent articles designed to summarize activities in a research field, which are useful to both the expert and beginner alike. We will also continue to have a strong programme of special features on the pick of research presented at conferences around the globe, including the 11th International Symposium on Measurement Technology and Intelligent Instruments (ISMTII), Nanoscale 2013 and Sensors and their Applications XVII. In a broad-interest journal such as Measurement Science and Technology , it is necessary to have the advice of a wide range of experts, and I consider myself fortunate to be able to count on the assistance of our distinguished Editorial Board. The range and depth of expertise and experience of these researchers exists to serve all users of the journal, and is truly inspiring. I want also to acknowledge the diligent work of our reviewers and the editorial and production staff at IOPP. Through their hard work in 2013 the average time from submission of a manuscript to delivery of a first-stage publication decision has been reduced to under six weeks for the first time, with the average time for an accepted paper to go online being less than one month. Most important of all we should not forget that the journal is here to serve its users-–the authors and readers across research communities in industry, government and academic sectors who all share a common passion for measurement, whatever their discipline. If you have ideas on how we might do this even better then please do not hesitate to contact me. Finally, I offer my very best wishes to all of you who interact with the journal and I thank you for your efforts past, present and in the future, and I wish you every success with your own endeavours in 2014! References [1] Dewhurst R J 2013 Measurement science and technology: a historical perspective Meas. Sci. Technol. 24 012006 [2] Kaatze U 2013 Measuring the dielectric properties of materials. Ninety-year development from low-frequency techniques to broadband spectroscopy and high-frequency imaging Meas. Sci. Technol. 24 012005