Strong UFFC Publication Dynamics at the JS in Taipei
Strong UFFC publication dynamics at the JS in Taipei: VP Publications, Lori Bridal
Key role of UFFC publications
The dynamism of the IEEE UFFC publications was on full display at the UFFC-JS in Taipei. Thanks to volunteers’ work to review and edit manuscripts, our journals (T-UFFC, Editor-in-Chief Alfred Yu & OJ-UFFC, Editor-in-Chief Omer Oralkan) bring readers publications communicating novel and significant work with rigor and clarity. Journal profits are turned back into the Society to support its technical activities, outreach, student travel, and invited speakers … making the journals part of a virtuous circle strengthening exchanges within the UFFC field. Other avenues of communication serving the membership are at the heart of the publications team. Andrew Feeney, Chair of the Publicity Committee is building a team with student volunteers to spotlight emerging fields of research, intensify engagement with early-career members, and foster an active relationship with Chapter-oriented activities. LinkedIn and CATAVault are among the tools of choice for the animation of these emerging axes. Srinath Rajagopal, Website Editor-in-Chief, Arun Thittai, Newsletter Editor-in-Chief, Kartik Sondhi, Deputy Newsletter Editor-in-Chief and the rest of the newsletter team continue to keep our webpages and newsletters filled with up-to-date information. All of these very time-sensitive means to connect members of UFFC-S depend upon help from the professional team at Conference Catalysts.
A very successful 5-year review of T-UFFC completed in 2024
T-UFFC recently completed its 5-year Periodicals Review and Advisory Committee (PRAC) IEEE TAB evaluation with flying colors. The review board expressed appreciation for the publication timeliness (current submission-to-first decision in 4.3 weeks and in only 7.7 weeks from submission-to-online publication), competitive bibliometrics (first quartile level publication in acoustics with an IF of 3.0 or higher in the past three years), engagement with the community, emphasis on quality and modernized governance of the editorial board. The Editor-in-Chief, Alfred Yu, has defined clear goals to push further in building the visibility and impact of the journal and to further diversity the editorial team’s profile.
OJ-UFFC offers new publication paths and builds its place in our publication portfolio
OJ-UFFC has offered a conference-to-journal track for work presented at UFFC-JS 2024. Authors who did not choose to submit a proceedings paper were invited to submit an original letter related to their conference presentation (3-page minimum, 4-page maximum length) to OJ-UFFC as described on the conference website (https://2024.ieee-uffc-js.org/publication-opportunities). If accepted after review, OJ-UFFC letter authors will benefit through exchanges at the conference and during the review to enrich their manuscripts, publication in an open peer-reviewed publication, and marking as “UFFC-JS highlight” to call attention to the paper. The journal is awaiting news concerning the application for indexing submitted in 2023 which could lead to the assignment of a first Impact Factor as early as mid-2025. Several internal indicators show that the journal is receiving contributions from around the world (43% from Africa, Europe, Middle East, 22 % from Asia Pacific, 33% US, and 2 % from Canada) and that the published articles are being read and cited (Citescore estimate based on the total number of citations from 2021 to 2023 divided by the number of published items for the same period is 4.3). To support the journal while it grows and strengthens its reputation, the UFFC Administrative Committee (Adcom) has extended the article fee waiver up until and including the year during which an IF is released. Another key milestone for OJ-UFFC is that its first PRAC report will be submitted at the beginning of 2025 for review.
Survey summary and decisions are taken at Adcom regarding a T-UFFC scope-change
Journals were at the center of discussions at the Adcom meeting in Taipei on the 22nd of September. The summary from months of discussion with our different technical communities and results from the Society-wide survey indicated that more than 85 % of those responding to the survey publish work directly related to ultrasound in T-UFFC. The most-cited competitor journals in the survey were published in the fields of ultrasound, medical imaging, or applied physics. Our journals’ scopes including applications, technology, theory, and materials are globally appreciated. Those surveyed showed more flexibility towards alternative formats such as letters for OJ-UFFC than for T-UFFC. Title changes suggested for a UFFC journal focused on ultrasonics tried, in several cases, to stress the technological aspect that is so important in UFFC. The UFFC-S Adcom voted to submit a proposed scope-change request for T-UFFC based on the global feedback from members of the Society. This request will be submitted to IEEE TAB. If granted, this scope change will rebrand T-UFFC as T-US (Transactions on Ultrasonics) starting from January 2026 so that the scope and title better reflect the current publication profile. Manuscripts from all areas currently publishing regularly in T-UFFC will still find their place in the pages of a UFFC journal focusing on Ultrasonics. Current publication profiles and feedback from the frequency control members of the UFFC-S indicate that papers related to frequency control for timing and time distribution are likely to continue to be published in competitor journals unless a much stronger impact and better identifiable alternative can be offered by UFFC so that removal of this part of the T-UFFC scope should have little to no impact on current submission or publication trends. The OJ-UFFC will continue to welcome submissions from all of our Society’s technical areas, and the longer-term goal will be to build its reputation for publications in UFFC that are currently underserved.
Publications highly present at UFFC-JS
The Reviewer Training Workshop held during lunch-time on the 23rd of September was animated by Dr. Karla Mercado-Shekhar and Dr. Billy Yiu to interactively communicate T-UFFC publishing expectations and review criteria as well as review etiquette. Participants were invited to sign up as potential reviewers if they were not already involved.
The annual Editorial Board Dinner for the journals’ Associate Editors on September 23rd at the Grand Hilai Hotel in Taipei was animated by Alfred Yu, Editor-in-Chief for T-UFFC in conjunction with Omer Oralkan, Editor-in-Chief for OJ-UFFC, and Lori Bridal, VP Publications. This is an important event that provides recognition for the investment of the volunteers providing editorial leadership for our journals and a chance to discuss all topics concerning the journals face-to-face.
Finally, this was the first year for several new publications-related prizes. These new prizes and the long-established and prestigious Best Paper Award were announced in Taipei. In addition, the Distinguished Service Award recognized service to our journals. Congratulations to the awardees who are listed in the article dedicated to highlighting their contributions.
Dr. Karla Mercado-Shekhar & Dr. Billy Yiu animated the Reviewer Training Workshop at the UFFC-JS