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February 2014
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February 2014 // Volume 52 // Number 1 // Editorial // v52-1ed1
JOE By the Numbers 2013
Abstract
In "JOE by the Numbers 2013" I report on the 2013 submission and readership rates and announce JOE's current acceptance rate: 26.6%. I also highlight the Top 50 Most Read Articles lists, pointing out that several entries were published in 1984. (All JOE articles still "live" and can still "speak" to us.) "2013 Outstanding Feature Article" announces the winning article among the Features published in 2013. This award is the final observance of JOE's 50th anniversary. And "February JOE" highlights the first of six Commentaries commemorating the centennial of the Smith-Lever Act and four articles that tackle the issue of climate change.
JOE by the Numbers 2013
As usual this time of year, I announce the previous year's submission tally and JOE's current acceptance rate. I also report on readership statistics. And, finally, I call attention to one of the most interesting features of the JOE site (and one that should interest many of you, too).
Submission Tally
JOE received 301 submissions in 2013. That's our second highest submission rate.
Acceptance Rate
In 2003, we started collecting the data that would allow us to post an annual acceptance rate for JOE, but posting annual acceptance rates caused confusion. It also failed to account for submissions that were submitted in one year but reviewed in another. We now have enough reliable data from enough years to post a single rate.
JOE's current acceptance rate is 26.6%. (This figure is the average of data from 2009 through 2013.) JOE is a rigorous journal in which Extension professionals and other scholars can be proud to be published.
Readership Statistics
In 2013, there were 1,081,457 "visitors" to the JOE site who viewed 1,280,842 pages. JOE is now using newer statistics collection software that better filters "bots" and search engine crawlers. You can find readership statistics from 1998 through 2013 and definitions of terms at <http://www.joe.org/website-statistics/index.php>.
Also in 2013, JOE attracted readers from ~ 226 nations and territories. Among the top 10 nations and territories accessing JOE, the United States, not surprisingly, was number one, with 540,542 visits, and Pakistan was number 10, with 14,769 visits. You can find these nations and territories listed at <http://www.joe.org/website-statistics/nations.php>.
The Top 50 Most Read Articles
Now to one of my favorite features.
You can find the list of the Top 50 Most Read Articles in 2013 as well as lists from 2005 to 2012 at <http://www.joe.org/about-joe-website-statistics.php>. Included are indications of which articles are new to the list and how the articles ranked in the previous year. There's a lot of movement in the Top 50 lists from year to year. For example, one article on the 2013 list rose 31 places in the ranking, and another rose 27 places. It all makes for interesting reading and potentially valuable information.
You'll see that there are 12 entries in the 2013 list that weren't in the 2012 list. Some articles on the list were published as early as 1984, and others were published in 2012. This reinforces a singular advantage of Web-based journals like JOE—all of the articles still "live" and "speak."
These lists are certainly not a reflection on the quality of the JOE articles that "made the lists" as opposed to those that didn't. But they do say a lot about the degree of interest readers from around the world have in some of the topics discussed in JOE.
2013 Outstanding Feature Article
The final observance of JOE's 50th anniversary is the bestowal of the 2013 Outstanding Feature Article Award. I am happy to announce that the winning article is "A National Perspective on the Current Evaluation Activities in Extension" <http://www.joe.org/joe/2013february/a1.php>, by the University of Florida's Alexa J. Lamm, Glenn D. Israel, and David Diehl. Those authors will share $500.00, with no restrictions on how the money us spent. Congratulations to those authors, two of whom, I am also happy to report, are JOE reviewers.
The winning article was selected by a team of distinguished judges from the professional organizations represented on the Extension Journal, Inc. Board of Directors: Linda Benedict (ACE), Stephen Brown (ESP), Rebekkah Dudensing (NACDEP), Carl Evensen (Directors), Chris Kniep (NEAFCS), Stephen Komar (NACAA), Deborah Maddy (EJI), Scott Scheer (NEA4-HA), and Doug Stienbarger (ANREP). Many thanks to those individuals for their dedication and service.
February JOE
The announcement of the 2013 Outstanding Feature marks the final observance of JOE's 50th anniversary—and the first Commentary in this issue marks our opening observance of the centennial of the Smith-Lever Act. "Cooperative Extension: A Century of Innovation" <http://www.joe.org/joe/2014february/comm1.php> is the first of six Commentaries that will appear in JOE throughout the year analyzing the rich history of Extension.
The next two Commentaries, "Climate Change Impacts on Agriculture and Their Effective Communication by Extension Agents" <http://www.joe.org/joe/2014february/comm2.php> and "The Merits of Separating Global Warming from Extension Education Sustainability Programs" <http://www.joe.org/joe/2014february/comm3.php>, address a more current issue, climate change, from somewhat divergent perspectives. Remember the Discussion Forum that accompanies each as you read these Commentaries.
And they're not the only articles in the issue addressing the topic of climate change. JOE also presents "North Carolina Cooperative Extension Professionals' Climate Change Perceptions, Willingness, and Perceived Barriers to Programming: An Educational Needs Assessment" <http://www.joe.org/joe/2014february/rb1.php> and "Climate Masters of Nebraska: An Innovative Action-Based Approach for Climate Change Education" <http://www.joe.org/joe/2014february/iw1.php>. Climate change is obviously on Extension's radar screen.
As always, I must remind you of the other fine articles (31 of them) in the current issue.