SYSTEM DYNAMICS REVIEW
Report of Executive Editor to the Policy Council (January 2005) at MIT
1. Issue 21:1
This is filled. Three main articles, together with an Editorial, a Short Communication and a Rejoinder plus a review of the MIT System Dynamics Group Literature collection on DVD. Proofs of two articles already received.
Issue 21:2
Two papers likely to be accepted in the near future. Backlog of accepted manuscripts is low at the moment. See (2) below.
Issue 21:3
Special Issue on Dynamics of Supply Chains and Networks. (See (3) below).
2. Statistics
Discounting submissions to Special Issues, since January 2003, 90 papers have been logged at this office. Of these 38 (42%) have been rejected, 16 are at the revision stage (perhaps 3-5 of these are significant revisions or a complete recast), 20 are still at first review, 11 have been accepted and published with 5 accepted and awaiting publication in 21:1. Whilst the ‘under review’ backlog is good (and 11 submissions arrived in December 2004 and (so far) in January 2005 – a 2-month record) we need to see the accepted backlog higher covering perhaps two issues, say 6 papers. This matter is currently being addressed by myself and the Managing Editors.
3. Special Issue on Dynamics of Supply Chains and Networks
Henk Akkermans reports that 3-4 good papers will survive the review process. He undertook a considerable cull from the preliminary submissions. This issue is going ahead and will form 21:3.
4. Papers Emerging from the ISDC Review Process
After the Oxford conference reviews were completed, Roberta Spencer sent me a list of those authors (roughly a dozen) whose papers were noted by at least 2 reviewers to have potential for publication in SDR. All were emailed and at least two authors have responded with a full paper. This process makes for a useful source of publishable material and will be continued in the future.
5. Revision of Guidelines to Authors
I am in the process of revisiting these for the first time in many years. Members may have seen my recent posting on the ListServe requesting that, in future, authors submit only electronically to include (i) text (ii) figures and charts and (iii) a model where appropriate.
6. Manuscript Central
This is Wiley’s on-line system for logging and recording manuscripts together with the production of statistics on submissions, acceptances etc. At the Oxford Editors’ Meeting no objections were raised to moving forward with this and so I propose to start the process of transition from our existing arrangements either before or at the occasion of the (now annual) Spring visit to Wiley by Roberta Spencer and myself.
7. A 50th Anniversary Special Issue
I have accepted a proposal from John Sterman to publish a Special Issue to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the field of System Dynamics. This will appear in either 2007 or 2008, with the former date preferred if ISDC 2007 is designated a 50th anniversary conference.
Brian Dangerfield
26 January 2005