Showing posts with label peer-review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label peer-review. Show all posts

Wednesday, 2 November 2016

Constructive role of Peer Review in science

I am fortunate to have been interviewed by Publons on my views about peer review and scientific progress.
I took the opportunity to highlight that peer review has an essential constructive role in science, it is not only about setting a minimum standard. I also complimented the important role of editors, the elephant in the room of peer review.

The full Q&A can be read here: [download pdf file].

Friday, 4 January 2013

Fire Technoloy: Knowing is not enough, We must apply

I am delighted to announce that I have been made Editor-in-Chief of Fire Technology. I take the stead from Jack Watts who expertly led the journal since the 1980s.

Fire Technology is an academic journal publishing scientific research dealing with the full range of fire hazards facing humans and the environment. It publishes original contributions, both theoretical or experimental, that provide and advocate for research and education in fire safety engineering. It is published by Springer in conjunction with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

I see Fire Technology as a small journal in terms of citation impact (~0.43 in 2012) but a very large venue in terms of audience. It is probably the most read journal in the field of fire science, especially by industry. I would like to use FT to push fire science into technology; it is and should continue being The applied journal in the field.

My first step is to renew the Editorial Review Board and choose the best Associate Editors. My editorial line is to expand into emerging fire science topics (wildland fires, WUI, fire and structures, renewable energies, energy storage, etc), make the journal even more exciting, capture the best applied and novel research pieces and reward the reviewers. The immediate objective is to increase its scientific impact (~ impact factor) while maintaining its large industry readership.

Below I reproduce the content of my first editorial as Editor-in-Chief, Jan 2013.

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Editorial: Knowing is Not Enough, We Must Apply
 http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10694-012-0318-1
by Guillermo Rein, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College, London, UK
Jack Watts has superbly led this journal for several decades, and it is an honour for me to follow his steps and take the stead. My hope is to do nearly as well as he has done. With his help, the support of the Associate Editors, the Editorial Board, Springer staff and especially with the collective efforts of countless reviewers, I look forward a journal that provides and advocates for research and education in fire safety engineering.
Whether science precedes technology or as often observed the inverse order is found, the two of them must communicate and feed to each other if we are to reduce the worldwide burden of fire hazards. This journal wants to bridge the gap. Fire Technology will continue pushing forward the frontiers of knowledge and technology, and help reduce the unworthy obstructions to progress in fire prevention and public safety.

I would like to finish with the wise words of the German writer Goethe (1749– 1832), who said ‘‘Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do’’.

Wednesday, 20 June 2012

Inside peer review: a (top science)^3 case

I just found a very interesting exercise of transparency in peer review on a top scientific topic (climate change) in a top scientific journal (PNAS) by a top researcher (Prof Lindzen, MIT). Note that Prof Lindzen portrays a minority scientific view, he thinks climate change forecasts are uncertain and might be overestimating warming:

 






I found this after reading the NYT article "Clouds’ Effect on Climate Change Is Last Bastion for Dissenters" by J Gillis, April 30, 2012.

Disclaimer: I post this becuase it is a very interesting and unique case of how peer review works inside a top journal (for good and for bad). This does not mean I support Prof Lindzen's scientific work (my expertise is in fire dynamics).