Editorial Statement
From the Editor
Srinivas Bollapragada
1/1/2011
I am delighted and honored to be named the Editor-in-Chief (EIC) of Interfaces. For 40 years, Interfaces has been serving the field of operations research and management science (OR/MS) as the premier practice journal. Articles from the journal help advance the practice of OR/MS, stimulate research in academia and industry, and are widely used for classroom instruction. The journal is home to Edelman Award papers, which describe outstanding examples of the practice of OR/MS and help bring visibility to the profession.
I am grateful to the outgoing EIC, Jeff Camm, for his stewardship of the journal over the last six years. Jeff and his editorial board have managed the journal extremely well. I am pleased that Jeff will continue on the new board as a contributing editor along with four other previous editors-in-chief. I look forward to their contributions to the journal. I also thank Benjamin Lev, the outgoing book reviews editor, for 23 years of exceptional service in that role and welcome Graham Rand, the new book reviews editor.
As an EIC, my most important goal is to further increase the reputation and readership of the journal. Given the excellent health of the journal, this is a difficult task. However, I do believe that there are some things that can be done to work toward this goal. I have outlined below a few topics on which I intend to focus. I also welcome any suggestions from readers, authors, reviewers, and the editorial board.
Journal focus: The focus of Interfaces is to publish papers describing real-world problems and their practical solutions, wherever those problems arise—business, government, the military, health care, or nonprofits. A majority of papers will describe successful implementations of novel and creative solutions to practical problems. In addition, I will also encourage nontraditional papers, such as those that describe teachable failures, and will continue to publish tutorials, review articles, and book reviews.
Journal operations: My immediate goal is to ensure a smooth transition. I thank Jeff and the INFOR/MS staff for their help and support during the transition period. A majority of the members of the previous editorial board are continuing to serve with me. Their experience is valuable for a seamless transition. I have discontinued the practice of listing Associate Editors (AEs) on the board by the area of expertise. Most AEs can handle papers in more than one area. This change will also better protect the anonymity of an AE handling a paper. The journal will continue to publish papers in all areas of OR/MS including operations management, information systems, finance, marketing, education, quality, and strategy. The editorial board relies on the efforts of good referees for generating the effective, fair, and timely reviews that are essential for maintaining high journal quality. I plan to establish meritorious service awards and other ways to recognize the contributions of the referees.
Practitioner contributions: Practitioners come across numerous interesting real-world problems. However, they are often unable to publish their work for confidentiality reasons or because they lack time to write the comprehensive manuscripts that are required for refereed journals. The “Practice Abstracts” section of Interfaces, which publishes summaries of successful projects, is a good way to bring some of this work forward. I will work with Brian Denton, the practice abstracts editor, to further increase submissions to this section of the journal.
International participation: With the rapid growth in the developing world resulting from globalization, Interfaces has the opportunity to not only further grow its readership outside the United States, but also to attract more international authors, reviewers, and editorial board members. I am happy to welcome three members from outside the United States on the new editorial board. I will work with them and the rest of the board to increase the reach of Interfaces outside the United States.
Special issues: Interfaces is home to the papers of Edelman Award and Wagner Prize finalists. For 39 years, the Edelman Award has been bringing forward outstanding examples of OR practice from organizations around the world. The Wagner Prize competition, which is now 10 years old, has already established itself as a premier practice prize that focuses on novel OR. In addition to the Edelman and Wagner issues, I plan to publish one other special issue per year that focuses on a topic of current interest. I will work closely with the Edelman and Wagner chairs and the special issues editors to help promote these high-quality papers.
Journal improvement: To further improve the readership and reputation of Interfaces, we need an in-depth understanding of the perception of the journal in academia and industry and of the manner in which its contents are consumed. In his role as contributing editor, Jeff Camm will lead a survey effort toward achieving this goal. I hope to use the results of this survey to develop ways to further enhance the journal.
In closing, I will continuously look for improvements, with an ultimate goal of increasing the readership and ranking of the journal and its impact in advancing the OR/MS profession. I thank the EIC search committee and the INFOR/MS Board for giving me this opportunity to serve my profession. And I thank my employer, General Electric Global Research Center, for pledging the institutional support that is necessary to carry out this job.