Materials Today
Encyclopedia
Materials Today is a peer-reviewed
scientific journal
that was established in 1998. It covers all aspects of materials science
and is published by Elsevier
. The editor in chief
is Jonathan Agbenyega. Besides original research articles, other formats are also included, such as news items, commentaries, and opinion pieces on subjects of interest to the field.
Topical coverage consists of research advances (includes future trends), contributors' personal perspectives, broad scientific interest articles, specific reviews for materials researchers, technical aspects of materials research, commercial applications, significant emerging technologies, and significant potential applications for new materials.
The focus of the "Insights" section is broad, general interest topics such as profiles of a particular research institution, profiling a group, new initiatives, funding, education, gender, implications to society, etc.
"Materials and Methods" focuses on likely influential techniques, improvement in methods, adaptation of existing methods, significant new tools relevant to the materials research community, and how these are an improvement over current methods.
Opinions can be topical or strong point of view.
The first issue of Materials Today contained articles on the use and misuse of impact factor
s, the developing interest in soft materials, and the role of semiconductor processing in maintaining Moore's Law
.
Materials Today was distributed free of charge to EMRS members and to anyone else who requested a subscription.
However, it was not until Cordelia Sealy took over as editor that the publication began to develop as a fully audited controlled circulation magazine. A complete overhaul of design, layout, editorial policy, and advertising opportunities followed. In 2009 it was listed for the first time in the Journal Citation Reports
with a 2008 impact factor of 12.929, eclipsing the MRS Bulletin (impact factor: 5.168), the competitor publication from the Materials Research Society. The impact factor of Materials Today however fell down to 6.265 in 2010.
Peer review
Peer review is a process of self-regulation by a profession or a process of evaluation involving qualified individuals within the relevant field. Peer review methods are employed to maintain standards, improve performance and provide credibility...
scientific journal
Scientific journal
In academic publishing, a scientific journal is a periodical publication intended to further the progress of science, usually by reporting new research. There are thousands of scientific journals in publication, and many more have been published at various points in the past...
that was established in 1998. It covers all aspects of materials science
Materials science
Materials science is an interdisciplinary field applying the properties of matter to various areas of science and engineering. This scientific field investigates the relationship between the structure of materials at atomic or molecular scales and their macroscopic properties. It incorporates...
and is published by Elsevier
Elsevier
Elsevier is a publishing company which publishes medical and scientific literature. It is a part of the Reed Elsevier group. Based in Amsterdam, the company has operations in the United Kingdom, USA and elsewhere....
. The editor in chief
Editor in chief
An editor-in-chief is a publication's primary editor, having final responsibility for the operations and policies. Additionally, the editor-in-chief is held accountable for delegating tasks to staff members as well as keeping up with the time it takes them to complete their task...
is Jonathan Agbenyega. Besides original research articles, other formats are also included, such as news items, commentaries, and opinion pieces on subjects of interest to the field.
Scope
Materials Today is self-described as a review magazine focused on materials science. Contribution formats are commissioned articles, review articles (2500-3500 words), applications (2000-2500), insights (2000-2500), materials and methods (1200–1500), book reviews (650-700), and opinion(750-900). The peer-reviewed sections of the magazine are "reviews", "insights", "applications", and "materials and methods".Topical coverage consists of research advances (includes future trends), contributors' personal perspectives, broad scientific interest articles, specific reviews for materials researchers, technical aspects of materials research, commercial applications, significant emerging technologies, and significant potential applications for new materials.
The focus of the "Insights" section is broad, general interest topics such as profiles of a particular research institution, profiling a group, new initiatives, funding, education, gender, implications to society, etc.
"Materials and Methods" focuses on likely influential techniques, improvement in methods, adaptation of existing methods, significant new tools relevant to the materials research community, and how these are an improvement over current methods.
Opinions can be topical or strong point of view.
History
First published in 1998, Materials Today was launched as a collaboration between Elsevier and the European Materials Research Society (EMRS). The founding editor was Phil Mestecky, who had previously been responsible for the publication of Elsevier's first online major reference work, The Encyclopedia of Materials: Science and Technology. At the time, Mestecky managed the publishing relationship with the EMRS including arranging publication of the annual set of conference proceedings from the EMRS Spring Meeting in Strasbourg.The first issue of Materials Today contained articles on the use and misuse of impact factor
Impact factor
The impact factor, often abbreviated IF, is a measure reflecting the average number of citations to articles published in science and social science journals. It is frequently used as a proxy for the relative importance of a journal within its field, with journals with higher impact factors deemed...
s, the developing interest in soft materials, and the role of semiconductor processing in maintaining Moore's Law
Moore's Law
Moore's law describes a long-term trend in the history of computing hardware: the number of transistors that can be placed inexpensively on an integrated circuit doubles approximately every two years....
.
Materials Today was distributed free of charge to EMRS members and to anyone else who requested a subscription.
However, it was not until Cordelia Sealy took over as editor that the publication began to develop as a fully audited controlled circulation magazine. A complete overhaul of design, layout, editorial policy, and advertising opportunities followed. In 2009 it was listed for the first time in the Journal Citation Reports
Journal Citation Reports
Journal Citation Reports is an annual publication by the Healthcare & Science division of Thomson Reuters. It has been integrated with the Web of Knowledge, by Thomson Reuters, and is accessed from the Web of Science to JCR Web. It provides information about academic journals in the sciences and...
with a 2008 impact factor of 12.929, eclipsing the MRS Bulletin (impact factor: 5.168), the competitor publication from the Materials Research Society. The impact factor of Materials Today however fell down to 6.265 in 2010.