From the Desk of the Editor-in-Chief

Abstract

Over the past 18 months we have made several changes at INFORMS Transactions on Education. While some of these changes have been subtle and some have been much more obvious, it is ITE’s most recent change that is also its most far-reaching to date. This change will have a substantial impact on everyone who interacts with the journal throughout the review and production processes—the editorial board, staff, referees, and authors. On May 15, 2009, the journal implemented a ScholarOne Manuscripts (formerly known as Manuscript Central) system to facilitate online peer review and manuscript tracking of submitted manuscripts. To learn more, visit ITE’s ScholorOne Manuscript system at http://mc. manuscriptcentral.com/ite. This system will enable ITE to accelerate the review process and reduce time to decisions; standardize the format of and information provided in reviews; reduce the time between manuscript acceptance and publication; eliminate paper distribution costs; facilitate greater participation in the journal throughout the worldwide OR/MS education community; and simplify the collection of data to be used to monitor and evaluate the journal’s performance. Most other INFORMS journals and many other journals already use a ScholarOne Manuscripts system and therefore I suspect that most members of the ITE community will immediately be comfortable with this system and its functions. For those who are unfamiliar with ScholarOne Manuscripts or have specific questions about the system, all users may consult the Manuscript Central Online User’s Guide. ScholarOne Manuscripts also provides several user tutorials for different user levels. For authors, there are the Author Quick-Start Guide and the Tips for Uploading Files in Manuscript Central; for reviewers, there is the Reviewer Quick-Start Guide; and for editors, there is the Editor Quick-Start Guide and the Online Courses for Editors & Administrators. Articles submitted prior to May 15, 2009, will be handled manually through the process utilized by the journal since its inception. After this date, all ITE manuscripts submissions must be processed through ITE’s ScholarOne Manuscripts system. The ITE editorial board members and referees can take great pride in the journal’s overall record with regard to the speed of the review process and quality of reviews they provide to authors. However, I am certain that each member of the ITE editorial board will agree that the reduction in the turnaround time for reviewing and publishing articles that should result from implementation of the ScholarOne Manuscripts system will be a substantial improvement to the journal. I am very grateful for the tremendous effort that many members of the ITE community made to prepare ITE for the implementation of the ScholarOne Manuscripts system. ITE Senior Editor Armann Ingolfsson has been responsible for overseeing the implementation of the system and has devoted many hours to this task. INFORMS production staff members Miranda Walker, Molly O’Donnell, and Kate Lawless worked tirelessly on this initiative throughout the implementation process. INFORMS Vice President of Publications Terry Harrison and INFORMS Director of Publications Patricia Shaffer supported ITE in its request for the ScholarOne Manuscripts system and successfully presented the journal’s request for this system to the INFORMS Board of Directors. ITE editorial board members Dave Rogers, Jan van Vuuren, and Cliff Ragsdale served as test authors, referees, and associate editors in the testing of the system during its development and implementation. Finally, Norma Roberts (our implementation project manager and Thomson Reuters liaison) provided tremendous support throughout this process. The ITE and OR/MS education communities owe a great deal of gratitude to these individuals for their efforts. I am particularly excited about this enhancement to ITE. I hope all of you in the OR/MS education community share my enthusiasm for this change. James J. Cochran Editor-in-Chief INFORMS Transactions on Education Bank of Ruston Endowed Research Professor Louisiana Tech University