Report on Editorial Board Meeting for Land 2024
Abstract
The Editorial Board Meeting for Land (ISSN: 2073-445X) was held on October 14, 2024, at the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The meeting was organized by Associate Prof. Le Yu, the Section Editor–in–Chief of Land, Ms. Viola Gao, the Publisher, Ms. Hannah Tian, the Associate Publisher. It brought together eleven Editorial Board Members (EBMs) from five institutions, along with four members of the Land Editorial Office Team, to discuss the journal's development strategy. Since its establishment in 2012, Land has focused on land science, delivering timely, accurate, and comprehensive reports on significant research achievements from international scholars. Despite the journal's considerable progress, it continues to face challenges in effectively managing the academic quality of submissions and attracting high-quality original articles. During the meeting, the EBMs provided valuable feedback and suggestions on four key themes: (1) future development strategies, (2) improving manuscript quality control, (3) creating innovative Special Issues, and (4) strengthening the editorial team.
keywords: Land; editorial board meeting; journal development; innovation; land science; academic quality
Attendees
The meeting gathered eleven EBMs from five institutions: Tsinghua University, the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing Normal University, China University of Geosciences Beijing, and the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The attendees included Prof. Xiangzheng Deng, Prof. Chuanglin Fang, Prof. Shiliang Liu, Prof. Jianjun Zhang, Prof. Jinyan Zhan, Prof. Fang Li, Associate Prof. Mengyao Han, Associate Prof. Yongsheng Wang, Associate Prof. Wei Song, Associate Prof. Linshan Liu and Associate Prof. Le Yu, along with four members of the journal editorial team: Ms. Viola Gao, Ms. Hannah Tian, Mr. Simms Zhao, and Ms. Kaleen Fan (Figure 1).
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Review and expectations of Land
During the meeting (Figure 2), the discussion incorporated suggestions offered by Associate Prof. Le Yu and Prof. Peng Gong, and it was additionally based on a report presented by Prof. Peng Gong. The points of this discussion have been summarized as follows:
- Suggestions for journal enhancement:
- Gathering and incorporating feedback from EBMs to improve the journal's quality and processes.
- Promote the role of land science:
- Continuing to emphasize the importance of land resources in urbanization and environmental governance.
- Showcasing significant research achievements by international scholars to advance global knowledge.
- Strengthen the journal’s academic standing:
- Working collectively to position Land as a leading international academic journal;
- Providing decision-making support for global land and environmental governance initiatives.
- Develop editorial strategies:
- Evaluating and refining the journal’s editorial processes, including peer review, to maintain high standards;
- Exploring ways to further engage the Editorial Board in shaping the journal’s direction.
- Expand journal activities and outreach:
- Planning and executing the 2024 international academic conference;
- Establishing new awards to recognize excellence in the field;
- Organizing author training sessions and online seminars to support scholarly development.
- Enhance awareness of open access publishing:
- Highlighting the benefits of the open access publishing model to contributors and stakeholders;
- Promoting an understanding of the journal’s achievements and operations among EBMs and the wider academic community.
- Monitor and improve key metrics:
- Regularly assessing the journal’s performance using key metrics to identify areas for growth;
- Sharing performance updates with EBMs to maintain transparency and foster collaboration.
- Strengthen collaborative efforts:
- Encouraging the greater involvement of EBMs in journal initiatives and decision-making processes;
- Leveraging collective expertise to drive innovation and academic influence.
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The open discussion, carried out by the EBMs, focused on four main topics, which were the following:
- Future development strategies
In the open discussion, the EBMs engaged in an in-depth and comprehensive discussion around the future development strategy of Land. (Figure 3).
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First, it is recommended that the EBMs co-author an editorial or perspective article each year as feedback for the meetings. Additionally, they should update a review article annually to summarize the annual research hotspots, key advancements, and development trends in the field, providing the academic community with a comprehensive and concise overview of research dynamics. Furthermore, it is suggested that they collaborate closely with schools, institutions, and societies to attract high-quality submissions.
Secondly, in terms of the internationalization strategy, it is essential to diversify the author community and ensure a balanced presence of scholars from various countries. Moreover, it is of great significance to closely monitor the trends in international academic conferences to stay informed about emerging research directions and hot topics in different fields. After these conferences, the relevant manuscripts should be promptly sorted and filtered to incorporate the significant research findings into the journal's content framework. While Land has gained a certain degree of recognition in the field of land science, there is still a need to explore ways to enhance its visibility and attractiveness in broader academic areas, particularly in interdisciplinary and integrated fields. Therefore, it is recommended that the EBMs conduct a comprehensive review of the journal to clarify its unique positioning and distinctive features. This will enable the journal to stand out among numerous academic publications and attract more attention and submissions from interdisciplinary researchers, ultimately promoting its international development and overall impact.
Finally, the EBMs should enhance the journal’s influence by actively promoting academic activities. This can be achieved by co-organizing conferences, hosting events targeted at students, and publishing reports on trending topics and annual reviews in the field. In addition to these initiatives, effective article promotion is crucial. Regularly highlighting highly cited articles and organizing discussions around popular topics are recommended. To promote the dissemination and sharing of articles, the journal can utilize QR codes and create both online and offline promotional materials. The journal can foster sustainable development and significantly enhance its academic influence by implementing these strategies.
- Improving manuscript quality control:
The EBMs attached great importance to quality control. To tackle this concern, they thought the journal should concentrate on obtaining high-quality submissions and actively invite influential scholars to contribute articles.
The EBMs emphasized the necessity of maintaining stringent quality standards throughout the manuscript review process, with the quality of submissions being the primary consideration. Additionally, careful attention should be given to the backgrounds of the reviewers and the relevance of their research to improve the quality of review reports.
During the initial screening of submissions, the Editorial Team must evaluate the quality of figures and tables, the clarity of language, and the completeness and detail of the content. This thorough review is crucial before forwarding the manuscripts to the Editorial Board for final quality checks. Implementing this foundational review process is essential to mitigate potential issues that may arise later in the review process.
- Creating innovative Special Issues:
The EBMs unanimously concur that Land ought to implement several measures to develop frontier Special Issues to boost its academic influence.
First, by integrating classic topics and high-quality published articles, the journal should establish a centralized collection to sustain the annual vitality of updates within the field. In cases where certain classic topics are lacking suitable foundational Special Issues, interested EBMs should be invited to take the lead in developing new Special Issues.
Second, the journal should keep a close eye on the latest advancements in the field of land science and collaborate with international scholars to build academic bridges. Regular meetings should be held to work with experts to select projects and identify topics, ensuring that the content of Special Issues remains at the forefront of academic discourse.
Finally, encouraging the EBMs to write annual thematic articles on trending topics can assist in reflecting academic trends, stimulating the participation of scholars, and ensuring the continuous development and influence of the journal. Simultaneously, close attention should be given to international hot topics as well as new terms and policies. By employing academic language for dissemination, Land can enhance its capability to connect policy topics on an international scale, continuously explore new and classic issues, and thereby lay a solid foundation for innovation and development. This comprehensive strategy aims to position the journal as a leading platform in the field, driving the progress of land science research and academic exchanges.
- Strengthening the editorial team:
The attendees emphasized the importance of maintaining young EBMs. In addition to invitations from the Editorial Team, EBMs should proactively reach out to more young scholars and international researchers, encouraging their involvement in the journal's activities. This approach will help continuously refresh the Editorial Board and introduce new perspectives.
When seeking recommendations for candidates for various projects, it is advisable to establish clear criteria, such as requiring candidates to have a minimum number of published articles. This will enable the EBMs to recommend more suitable candidates effectively. Implementing these strategies will significantly enhance the journal's vitality and academic influence, fostering a dynamic environment that attracts fresh talent and diverse ideas.
Conclusion
This was the first Editorial Board Meeting for Land’s China region, during which many valuable ideas were proposed. All EBMs expressed their commitment and enthusiasm for the journal's development, valuing its significance in the field of land science while fully endorsing its handling procedures and publishing services. They offered important insights on future development strategies, improving manuscript quality control, creating innovative Special Issues, and strengthening the Editorial Team.
The EBMs reached a consensus on the journal's development strategy, which encompasses deepening the construction of a diverse and international scholar community, nurturing outstanding young scholars, and leveraging the journal’s platform to focus on cutting-edge content in land science. Concerning the construction of journal and Special Issue topics, the EBMs proposed tracking key projects to ensure that the content of Special Issues remains at the academic vanguard. They also recommended regularly reviewing achievements in the field of land science to stimulate greater participation and contribution from scholars. Moreover, the EBMs unanimously agreed that the quality of manuscripts is fundamental to the journal's development. All EBMs will remain dedicated to maintaining strict quality control over submissions while continuously pursuing innovation and development.