- Email: [email protected]
Utilities Policy
Utilities Policy 23 (2012) 1
Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect
Utilities Policy journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jup
Editorial
Utilities Policy Since assuming the editorship of Utilities Policy more than 10 years ago, I have received one on-going author request: could the journal be part of an expanded citations indexing program? I am delighted to report that now we are. Utilities Policy has received its first impact factor,1 a development that has long been a goal of the journal. More specifically, Utilities Policy will henceforth be covered in the following citations/abstracting services:
Science Citation Index Expanded (also known as SciSearchÒ) Journal Citation Reports/Science Edition Social Sciences Citation IndexÒ Journal Citation Reports/Social Sciences Edition Current ContentsÒ/Social and Behavioral Sciences Current ContentsÒ/Engineering Computing and Technology
The impact factor ranks the journal in the following Thomson Reuters journal citation reports categories: Energy & Fuels Environmental Sciences Environmental Studies [Social Sciences] This welcome development is a benefit to everyone including authors, reviewers, researchers, and ultimately the scientific and policy communities. In short Utilities Policy was chosen to be part of the expanded citations/abstracting services after an objective evaluation process undertaken by Thomson Reuters, thus adding to the prestige of being published in the journal. With the inclusion of Utilities Policy in the expanded citations/abstracting services, the editorial advisory board and I fully expect that an even higher quality of articles will be published in the future. This is a notable achievement that will confirm the journal as an increasingly important publishing venue for articles and notes involving the utilities sector. This first impact factor comes at a time of enormous challenge (and opportunity) for utilities and the economies, customers, and in some cases shareholders they serve. On one hand, the demand
1 The impact factor announced in June 2012, covers citations in 2011 to papers that appeared in Utilities Policy volumes published in the years 2009 and 2010.
0957-1787/$ – see front matter Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jup.2012.07.004
for high-quality and reasonably priced utilities services is higher than it has ever been. The world’s economies depend on reliable, safe, and environmentally friendly utilities. On the other hand, the financial and regulatory pressures faced by utilities have, in many respects, never been greater. Residing within these two contexts are numerous new opportunities related to business practices and technology enhancements. Consequently, the need for a publication that focuses on the concomitant policy-related challenges and opportunities associated with utilities has likewise never been more important. As the journal begins its third decade of publication, there are many to thank for this major achievement related to the expanded citations services. First are the editorial board members, past and present, who have helped establish the direction of the journal. Also, our hard-working and perceptive reviewers have played a major part. The authors, whose work played a major role in the journal’s acceptance into the citations services, also need to be recognized. And finally, the guest editors of cutting-edge and provocative special issues and sections have played an important part. It has very much been my pleasure to work with these various constituencies over the last several years. In many instances, the members of these constituencies reflect the best and brightest of the field that deals with policy in the utilities sector. Ultimately any journal exists to serve its various stakeholders. Utilities Policy is no different. While our community has achieved this important goal, our sights are now set on further improving and enhancing the quality of the journal and the authority with which it is seen by the academic, research, and policy-making audiences. We look forward to this next major step in the evolution of Utilities Policy.
Don C. Smith, Editor in Chief University of Denver College of Law, 2255 East Evans Avenue, Denver, CO, USA E-mail address: [email protected]
Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect
Utilities Policy journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jup
Editorial
Utilities Policy Since assuming the editorship of Utilities Policy more than 10 years ago, I have received one on-going author request: could the journal be part of an expanded citations indexing program? I am delighted to report that now we are. Utilities Policy has received its first impact factor,1 a development that has long been a goal of the journal. More specifically, Utilities Policy will henceforth be covered in the following citations/abstracting services:
Science Citation Index Expanded (also known as SciSearchÒ) Journal Citation Reports/Science Edition Social Sciences Citation IndexÒ Journal Citation Reports/Social Sciences Edition Current ContentsÒ/Social and Behavioral Sciences Current ContentsÒ/Engineering Computing and Technology
The impact factor ranks the journal in the following Thomson Reuters journal citation reports categories: Energy & Fuels Environmental Sciences Environmental Studies [Social Sciences] This welcome development is a benefit to everyone including authors, reviewers, researchers, and ultimately the scientific and policy communities. In short Utilities Policy was chosen to be part of the expanded citations/abstracting services after an objective evaluation process undertaken by Thomson Reuters, thus adding to the prestige of being published in the journal. With the inclusion of Utilities Policy in the expanded citations/abstracting services, the editorial advisory board and I fully expect that an even higher quality of articles will be published in the future. This is a notable achievement that will confirm the journal as an increasingly important publishing venue for articles and notes involving the utilities sector. This first impact factor comes at a time of enormous challenge (and opportunity) for utilities and the economies, customers, and in some cases shareholders they serve. On one hand, the demand
1 The impact factor announced in June 2012, covers citations in 2011 to papers that appeared in Utilities Policy volumes published in the years 2009 and 2010.
0957-1787/$ – see front matter Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jup.2012.07.004
for high-quality and reasonably priced utilities services is higher than it has ever been. The world’s economies depend on reliable, safe, and environmentally friendly utilities. On the other hand, the financial and regulatory pressures faced by utilities have, in many respects, never been greater. Residing within these two contexts are numerous new opportunities related to business practices and technology enhancements. Consequently, the need for a publication that focuses on the concomitant policy-related challenges and opportunities associated with utilities has likewise never been more important. As the journal begins its third decade of publication, there are many to thank for this major achievement related to the expanded citations services. First are the editorial board members, past and present, who have helped establish the direction of the journal. Also, our hard-working and perceptive reviewers have played a major part. The authors, whose work played a major role in the journal’s acceptance into the citations services, also need to be recognized. And finally, the guest editors of cutting-edge and provocative special issues and sections have played an important part. It has very much been my pleasure to work with these various constituencies over the last several years. In many instances, the members of these constituencies reflect the best and brightest of the field that deals with policy in the utilities sector. Ultimately any journal exists to serve its various stakeholders. Utilities Policy is no different. While our community has achieved this important goal, our sights are now set on further improving and enhancing the quality of the journal and the authority with which it is seen by the academic, research, and policy-making audiences. We look forward to this next major step in the evolution of Utilities Policy.
Don C. Smith, Editor in Chief University of Denver College of Law, 2255 East Evans Avenue, Denver, CO, USA E-mail address: [email protected]