Vadose Zone Journal: The First Ten Years

Abstract

We proudly present a special section inspired by the 10-year anniversary of Vadose Zone Journal. From the outset, the journal was intended to be different than traditional “soils” journals, with the goal of publishing contributions, reviews, and opinion papers across a broader range of disciplines concerned with the vadose zone, including scientific and societal issues related to the role of vadose zone processes in climate change, biofuels, sustainability, and nanotechnology. Since its inception, Vadose Zone Journal has grown tremendously as a scholarly publication with a strong reputation for high quality and diverse science. Accessible and timely reviews, in addition to technical notes and articles, have secured the journal’s reputation as a definitive and valuable resource for soil scientists, hydrologists, ecologists, hydrogeophysicists, and other earth scientists. The growth of the journal is impressive and is partly reflected by the 2012 impact factor (IF) of 2.20 (5-yr IF of 2.67), ranking eighth in the soil science category, and 16th in the field of water resources. When the article influence score is used as the primary metric, then Vadose Zone Journal ranks fourth in soil science. The success of the journal is also reflected in the editorial board, which is composed of many leading vadose zone scientists from the United States and internationally. The high proportion of scholarly submissions from international scien tists outside of the United States (approximately two-thirds of the manuscripts published) reflects on the status of the Vadose Zone Journal as a multi-disciplinary and multi-national scholarly outlet—an important goal from the outset.