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Publications Committee
2008–2010 term
Chair
Francis Albarède, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Lyon, France
Council Representative
Richard Blakely, United States Geological Survey, Menlo Park, California
Members
David Alexander, Rice University, Houston, Texas
Chris Duffy, Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
Larry Peterson, University of Miami, Miami, Florida
Ruth Preller, Naval Research Laboratory, Stennis Space Center, Missouri
Chris Reason, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Republic of South Africa
Sandy Steacy, University of Ulster, Coleraine, Northern Ireland
Darrell Strobel, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
Sachchida Tripathi, Indian Inst Technology Kampur, Kampur, India
Michel Verstraete, Institution of Environment and Sustainability, Ispra, Italy
Corresponding Member
Kenneth Minschwaner, New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology, Socorro, New Mexico (Chair, Books Board)
Staff Liaison
Barbara Meyers-Ford
Committee Charge
The Publications Committee is responsible for a continuing review of the entire publications program of AGU to assure that the various components are responsive to the current needs of the scientific community and other users and to anticipate and prepare for future needs. The Committee should be mindful of the Vision, Mission, and long-term goals established by Council and the Union's statement of values and use them to guide the publications program. Special attention should be given to the following goal: "AGU is known for its world-class communication of scientific knowledge within and beyond the Earth and space science community."
The Publications Committee serves as the overview committee for the Board of Journal Editors, Books Board, Library Advisory Group, direction and review committees, and publication task groups. The Publications Committee maintains contact with the various editorial boards for journals, books, and news publications. The Committee also plays an active role in the establishment and the deliberations of Editor search committees. Working with the various boards, other committees, and concerned members, the Publications Committee develops or revises, as necessary, the policies that govern the publications program and individual publications and devises and implements plans to enhance the Union's program. The Publications Committee recommends, for Council consideration, changes to the program.
The Publications Committee regularly reviews the scientific scope of existing journals and with the Editors helps to define journal profiles. When the need for additional journals is identified, the Committee develops with the interested constituency a proposal for Council consideration. The Committee is expected to stay alert for opportunities to enhance the AGU journals program.
The Editors, not the Publications Committee, are responsible for the scientific content of AGU publications and for assuring that the quality of accepted materials meets the standards of the Union. The Publications Committee is responsible for investigating complaints in this area and reporting to the President as needed.
The Publications Committee must be conscious of the need to maintain a sound economic base for the publications program. The Publications Committee regularly reviews the financial performance and other trends that may have an adverse effect on the ability to serve the Earth and space science community and proposes actions or policies to maintain or improve the strength of the program.
AGU operates with the guidance of a 3-year plan adopted by Council. The schedule for creating this plan assures that committees have an approved plan to work with during the first 12 months of their tenure, while they are assisting with the development of the next Union-wide plan. The Publications Committee is responsible for planning and then undertaking programs and actions to achieve the near-term objectives in the approved plan and for making regular reports on progress.
Specific areas for Publications Committee attention and action during the 2008-2010 term include:
Immediate threats to the continuing viability of AGU journals. Governmental and funding agency regulations in the form of restrictions on authorship and on the means of distribution of funded research could put the scientific integrity and the financial viability of the journals program at extreme risk. In the coming term the Union must remain vigilant to these potential threats, undertake experiments in new financial models, and have a contingency plan in place that could be invoked to avoid catastrophic failure of the program.
Quality and relevance of AGU journals. Maintaining and enhancing the quality and relevance of AGU journals is a primary objective of the Union. There are a growing number of new competing journals, and it is important to understand to what extent these new titles point to shortcomings in the AGU program. Understanding the needs and expectation of authors is also key to maintaining the relevance of AGU journals. In this regard, the Committee is expected to identify and address issues that are preventing AGU journals from being leaders in their fields and for taking steps to alter that situation where it exists.
Preparation for demise of printed publications. The decision has been made to eliminate print subscriptions to AGU journals by 2011. Quickly moving current institutional print subscriptions to electronic access is an important part of the change. The Committee should monitor progress on this move and continue to review the principles on which AGU pricing and license terms are based.
Timeliness of publication. Maintaining and improving the overall time to publication is critical to maintaining the competitive edge for AGU journals. The Committee should monitor how AGU is doing vis-a-vis competitive journals and determine whether new timeliness targets should be set for AGU journals for both review and production.
Electronic publication. To maintain the strength of the publications program, AGU must continue to increase the functionality of the journals and other products delivered via electronic media. The Committee, with assistance of the Information Technology Committee, should consider how the new technologies can be used more effectively for expanding the kinds of information that are part of the scientific literature and ways that users may appropriately interact with the literature. It is also imperative that the long-term archive is functioning according to its standards.
Volunteer Editors. The strength of AGU's journals relies on the caliber and dedication of the volunteer Editors. The Editor search committees are critical to identifying and attracting suitable candidates to serve the Union in this important role. The Publications Committee is asked to monitor the revised process and evaluate its effectiveness in identifying highly qualified, dedicated Editors early enough to provide smooth transitions for each journal. The Committee should also consider how the pool of potential Editors from under-represented groups might be increased by getting more of them involved as Associate Editors.
Enhanced books program. In recent years a more aggressive acquisitions activity has been undertaken to assure a more coherent and useful books program. During this term, the Publications Committee should be considering how the electronic media can be used to improve the program. The Committee should also continue to evaluate the financial health of the books program.
Accessibility to results for teachers, policy makers, younger students, and the public. In addition to helping members of the scientific community to stay abreast of the important developments in their own and related fields, the Publications Committee should work with other AGU committees and programs in building a broad appreciation of the Earth and space sciences. The Committee should suggest innovative techniques that might be adopted to make results easier to find and understand and consider offering alerting services and other finding tools and partnering with appropriate organizations.
–October 2008