What's in a Name? [From the Editor

Abstract

If Juliet was a reader of IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Magazine, she might have asked: why are you changing the name? To paraphrase Gertrude Stein, “the magazine is the magazine, is the magazine, is the magazine.” But wait a minute; they both were talking about roses not an IEEE publication. The rose has the same features whatever we call it, and far be it for me to argue with Shakespeare or Stein regarding the naming of things. Even then, we have changed the name of this publication because we have changed the publication. IEEE Pulse is essentially a new publication of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS), not just a new cover for the same old magazine. Although Shakespeare and Stein were correct about roses, they would see that their famous quotes would not apply to this periodical. We are no longer what we were previously. One might argue that, in the past, IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Magazine was more like a scientific journal than a magazine. We even had an impact factor. However, it is no longer necessary for us to serve that role, because EMBS has several high-quality transactions that are specifically ­designed for that purpose. These transactions are archival and are read by scientists, engineers, and some clinicians within our field as well as many others. However, we must remember that not every biomedical engineer reads each of the EMBS transactions. On the other hand, every member of the EMBS, i.e., all 8,600 of us, now receives IEEE Pulse as a part of their membership and, hopefully, looks at it every now and then. Thus, our content should appeal to a broad segment of our membership rather than a specialized few.