This is my first editorial as Chairman of the Editorial Panel, which I am writing prior to taking over from Professor Howard Wright in November. The first thing I would like to do is to thank Howard for steering Structures and Buildings through the past three years. Secondly I will reiterate his comment that the production of the Proceedings is very much a team effort with contributions from all members of the panel, the secretariat and Thomas Telford. However, the guidance given by Howard to the panel has been exemplary. I am sure that I will be able to count on the continued support of the panel members and all those involved with the journal, particularly those asked to review papers.
It is an honour to act as Chairman of the Editorial Panel and taking up the position I am reminded that the first copy of the Proceedings I received, as a student member of the Institution, was in 1968. The Proceedings have undergone a significant number of changes since then – the latest of which, for this journal, was the move to publishing six issues a year. There will be more changes in the future – many of which Howard alluded to in the last issue. Some of these will occur in the near future and should make it easier for authors to submit papers, and for the Panel and Thomas Telford to ensure that the publishing process is as smooth as possible. Others are longer-term issues that affect the whole of publishing – I will try to keep readers abreast of our deliberations and thoughts on these issues.
One particular plea is for more papers from practising engineers describing the projects they have been involved with. As a profession we are often concerned with our public image but too often we fail to take advantage of opportunities to enhance it. One way is to publicise what we do by writing papers so others can see the contribution we are making to society. I accept that the Proceedings may not be the best format to put projects into the eye of the general public but it does inform other members of the profession and additionally acts as a record from which, possibly, articles with a more general appeal can be written.
Finally the Proceedings belong to you, the members of the Institution, the readers and authors – the Editorial Panel is there both to maintain the high quality of the journal and to represent your views so if you have any suggestions do not hesitate to contact me.
