A word of praise for the outgoing editors

Abstract

We would like to begin this issue with a few well-deserved words of thanks and gratitude. First, we would like to extend a big thank you to the outgoing editors, Rod Ellis and Gary Barkhuizen, and also Jenefer Philp, the journal’s book reviews editor, for doing an outstanding job in editing the journal. Rod assumed the editorship of the journal in 2003 and Gary was his co-editor for the past seven years. Over these long years of service, they dedicated an enormous amount of time and effort, the result of which is a top-tier journal with an impressive five-year Impact Factor of 1.358 and excellent reputation. The journal currently has a very healthy copy flow, such that we have decided to increase the number of issues from four to six per year. Most of the issues scheduled for 2015 will be filled with contributions that were already accepted for publication by Rod and his team. That we inherited so many high-quality articles also testifies to the sustained effort invested by the outgoing editors. We are also grateful to Karen Johnson for continuing to serve as the editor of the Practitioner Research section. Karen’s role has been essential in complementing the scope and mission of the journal and in making sure that we publish insightful and significant scholarship in the area of practitioner research, teacher cognition and reflective practice. Our special gratitude must also go to the members of our editorial board, whose role has been vital in ensuring that the journal maintains its high standards and rigor, as well as to many reviewers, whose expertise and guidance have been instrumental to the selection of the best articles we publish. The editorial board has undergone some changes recently, and we would like to welcome our new members who have joined a team that is committed to furthering the mission of Language Teaching Research. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Kerry Barner (the Commissioning Editor), Niall Booth (the Online Project Manager), Livia Melandri (the Associate Editor), and Divya Munjal (the Production Editor) of SAGE Publications who have been assisting and supporting us during this transition period. 564245 LTR0010.1177/1362168814564245Language Teaching ResearchBoers and Nassaji editorial2015