Editorial: 2016 award for best referee of X-ray Spectrometry

Abstract

Every year, X-Ray Spectrometry receives about 80 manuscripts for the regular issues, plus almost as many for the special issues, including conference proceedings, like e.g. the European X-ray Spectrometry Conference in Gothenburg, Sweden, in June 2016. Each of these submissions, about 150 annually on average, is screened normally by not less than three independent referees, to insure a maximum of fairness and impartiality. This represents a huge effort, some 400 times each year, by knowledgeable referees, who are not paid for this and who are usually very busy scientists. To compensate a little for this, Wiley has established a “Best Referee of X-Ray Spectrometry” award, biannually or more frequently, depending on the circumstances, some 18 years ago. This award implies a nice certificate and a significant cash gift by Wiley. The award is given to the referee who has done the most thorough and impartial and timely reviews and has done quite a number of these recently. The editorial board members (who normally do quite a bit of reviewing for the journal) and their near co-workers are not considered for this award. For example in 2013, the award was given ex-aequo to Ursula Fittschen (Germany) and Izumi Nakai (Japan) and was handed out during the TXRF Conference, in Osaka, Japan. In 2012, it was given to Manfred Schreiner (Austria) and handed out during the 2012 European X-Ray Spectrometry Conference in Vienna, Austria. The 2014 award was given during a brief ceremony at the European X-ray Spectrometry conference in Bologna, Italy, to Žiga Šmit (Slovenia). Since the introduction of Manuscript Central, the editors responsible for a submitted article are expected to report on the thoroughness and timeliness of the review on each accepted (or rejected) manuscript. Hence, it is now easier to objectively trace the referees who have done many, thorough and timely reviews in the last year or two. During the past two years, the highest scores for reviewing went to EVA MARGUI, Girona, Spain, who did a dozen excellent reviews, usually within 10 days. The award was handed out during the conference dinner of the 2016 EXRS Conference in Gothenburg, Sweden, on June 23. Eva was born in North-Eastern Spain in 1980. She obtained her BS degree in Chemistry at the University of Girona, Spain, in 2001, and graduated there in 2006 with a PhD thesis in Analytical Chemistry entitled “Analytical methodologies based on X-ray fluorescence spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy for the assessment of metal dispersal around mining environments”. This work was rewarded with the Outstanding PhD Award in Chemistry of the University of Girona in 2007. Her post-doctoral research was focused mostly on the development of analytical methodologies based on pre-concentration procedures followed by XRF analysis for the determination of toxic metals at trace levels in complex environmental liquid samples. She was awarded the “young post-doc award in X-ray spectrometry” by the European X-ray Spectrometry Association (EXSA) in 2010. Since 2010, she is an Associated Professor of the Department of Chemistry of the University of Girona. At present, she leads a research line focused on the use of XRF techniques for multi-element analysis of a wide range of samples in many interesting fields. In fact, during the last year, several PhD students from European countries have joined her group in order to be trained in the use of XRF techniques. Dr Marguí has experience in a wide range of XRF configurations including laboratory instruments as well as big facilities such as synchrotron radiation. She has authored and co-authored over 40 publications on XRF in high-level journals, 3 book chapters and 2 books. She has delivered numerous invited lecturers and seminars at international scientific conferences and research centres. She was the secretary of EXSA from 2010 to 2012 and a member of the organizing committee of the “Theoretical and practical X-ray fluorescence spectrometry workshop: Instrumentation and applications” which is held in the University of Girona every two years. Dr Marguí is actively cooperating with different research groups in the field of X-rays as well as international organizations such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Of course, numerous other referees did excellent jobs, but they cannot all be rewarded unfortunately. Congratulations to the awardee. Thank you and all the other anonymous referees for all the hard and important review work for X-Ray Spectrometry. Of course, a journal cannot survive, at a high-quality level, without the peer review system.